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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Freaking out about 20 week scan please help!!!

60 replies

S0987 · 31/01/2022 16:04

Hi all,

As the thread says I am completely freaking out about the 20 week scan which isn't for another 3.5 weeks and I just don't know how I can go on like this.

I keep reading horror stories on Google about people getting bad news at the scan even though their 12 week scan was absolutely fine and I have just convinced myself I am going to be one of those people.

Does anyone have any coping techniques? Has anyone had a positive 12 week and then bad news at 20? I just keep trying to convince myself that if there was anything really bad it would become apparent at the 12 week scan but I know deep down that's not always the case.

I know there's no real way to solve this other than waiting until the time comes but I just wondered if there's anything anyone can say or recommend to help me not spend the next 3.5 weeks in turmoil.

Thanks in advance

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S0987 · 01/02/2022 11:15

@Nikki037297 omg that's so awful I'm so sorry! How did you know was there something wrong physically or was everything fine and you just had that feeling? you don't have to answer any of that if you don't want to. I'm just so sorry you had to go through it I don't know how anyone recovers from that :(

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Nikki037297 · 01/02/2022 11:25

I’m not sure how I knew. All my other scans were fine, he grew well, he moved all the time, he was active just fine but I knew deep down and I was correct. His little heart had not developed correctly there was major abnormalities. I do suppose more things are picked up at the 20 week scan as it’s where they check everything. My early scans were ok, my 12 week scan was ok. I had a private scan at 15 week to find out the gender that was ok, it was only at the 20week scan when his heart issues became apparent

MyOtherCarIsAPorsche · 01/02/2022 12:00

OP

In my 7th pregnancy (after 6 MMC) I had no morning sickness (which really worried me), I had one scan at 18 wks and had a straightforward pregnancy and delivery and a healthy baby. I kept a diary and there wasn't one day where I didn't express worry about the baby. It's a lottery.

My other two pregnancies I was frequently in hospital with dehydration because of severe morning sickness. I was very worried about harming the pregnancies because of being so sick.

Looking back, I had never been so well in my life as when I was carrying my son - although still fraught with worry about the health of the baby.

When carrying daughters - really bad sickness. Saying that my daughters have had bad morning sickness carrying sons and daughters.

A lack of morning sickness is not always a sign of something wrong.

I think women are being disingenuous to say they don't worry about their pregnancies. Some wouldn't admit to it to prove a point.

I know there is little point in worrying until something has happened. But as you say OP many people like to be aware of the risks - forewarned is forearmed. Some people worry very little - some people worry until they feel ill. Everyone is different.

My daughter's MIL is so superstitious, she will not 'acknowledge' a pregnancy until the baby arrives due to her own experiences. She also thinks that private scans are indulgent and frivolous as do many people on Mumsnet.

As others have said, private scans are often done by current or ex NHS sonographers. Everyone's reasons for having these private scans is valid. Everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when all is well with baby.

We kept in touch with the sonographer who diagnosed a problem with my daughter's pregnancy at 30 wks - she later said that she had scanned another 4 ladies who had had to receive 'sad news' that particular day.

My daughter had counselling after her daughter's birth. A lot of it dealt with how to cope with anxiety. This part of the counselling did not appear to work as she is still an anxious person, but is she more or less anxious than the next person? - we will never know. She has also been told that being anxious and having negative thoughts is normal.

She is expecting her second baby now and as you can imagine - she's extremely anxious. But the point is - she is prepared for this because her experience didn't put her off wanting a larger family. She's dreading her scans and because of a recent miscarriage she's decided to book an early reassurance scan.

There is nothing anyone can say to stop someone else worrying (apart from don't worry, which doesn't help).

Statistics about pregnancy are freely and widely available. Like you, I would rather know the odds. I know that ignorance bliss - I would rather not be ignorant.

I wish you a smooth and healthy pregnancy. I'm sure, like me, you will look back in years to come from a different perspective.

I genuinely would like to think that every pregnancy was uneventful and successful - but that is not the case. My best friend was a midwife (she does Botox now) - she said it was the most stressful job, but very rewarding.

What hurt my daughter quite significantly, were all the reassuring people who insisted that everything would be 'fine' when it actually wasn't. Her midwife measured her at 28 wks and said she was 'spot on' for dates and baby was average size. Her baby wasn't average size - baby was so small she was off the charts at 30 wks and she had polyhydramnios which made her appear to measure correctly for dates at previous check ups. My daughter was then told she had a 2 in 5 chance of having a baby with DS after having a very low chance after her 12 wk scan.

We have no control over the things that lead us to being an anxious personality type.

I think my family background has led to us being slightly more anxious than others. My mother taught me to be anxious by her actions and perhaps I've taught my own daughters to be the same. We are the products of our own experiences. My mother was told that her brother, who was 12 yrs old, found his father trying to drown my mother in the kitchen sink shortly after her birth. Perhaps that knowledge made her anxious? And that's another thread entirely.

It would be far too easy to assume we can assuage everyone's fears by 'not worrying'.

20week · 01/02/2022 13:39

The only pregnancy I had nausea (all day vomiting) was where the 20 week scan showed anomalies. I think things like that are a bit anecdotal.

S0987 · 01/02/2022 15:19

@20week thanks for your reply - really?! So your other pregnancies where you weren't nauseas were fine? It's so strange everything I read online keeps saying that nausea and morning sickness associated with better pregnancy outcomes. I just don't know what to believe anymore.

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itssquidstella · 01/02/2022 15:54

@S0987 I think there's some evidence that nausea in the early stages of pregnancy is correlated with a lower chance of spontaneous miscarriage; that's very different from nausea suggesting that an embryo/foetus is chromosomally normal or doesn't have other birth defects, though.

Shadappayourface · 01/02/2022 16:01

I had hardly any nausea and am due to give birth soon.

I really wouldn't read to much into that nausea thing. You seem like a very anxious person like me as you've gone from worrying about the scan to now worrying about nausea levels.

You should apply for some counselling on the NHS, they prioritise your if you are pregnant. It might help with your fears regarding the pregnancy.

RLOU30 · 01/02/2022 16:08

Zero nausea here…. Apart from today whilst I’m sick with flu and my now 3 year old won’t let mum ressttttt ;)
Agree entirely about putting the phone down. No one will start threads about a boring run of the mill pregnancy so you really will see horror stories.

20week · 01/02/2022 16:10

I'v 3DDs, a MMC and now pregnant again. Only nauseous with DD1. People say nausea is linked to the babies sex but again I think it's anecdotal.

The thing is if you google almost anything followed by pregnancy there's usually a horror story. They make for lazy articles that just scare women.

S0987 · 01/02/2022 18:24

Thanks to those of you and your stories of not having nausea but it all turning out to be okay! That's really reassuring Smile yes I am a very anxious person and I have no one to turn to other than Google sadly my midwife is AWOL and my husband just doesn't take me seriously at all (he thinks mental health issues are all the in the head literally). So I feel really alone in my worries. You guys are right there's always some horror story somewhere.

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Letsbekindplease · 01/02/2022 20:44

I was the same but I didn’t Google and I made a pact I wouldn’t search mumsnet for any questions. I’m terrible for that and sometimes worse off.
Just think positive and go for the private scan if you can. I had a gender scan and the woman said that everything was looking great which helped me a lot.

Coldteapot1 · 01/02/2022 20:52

A year ago, I was coming up to my 20 week scan after my absolutely normal pregnancy and normal 12 week scan showed serious congenital defects.

It was very sad as the baby will always be my child, but sadly he/she (I couldn’t find out the gender after the devastating news), would have died shortly after birth or during birth - if the baby survived he/she would have had a very hard life, fed through a tube through most of it, breathing difficulties, bowel problems. It was very sad.

I felt the best choice for the baby, for my living children and for me was to have TFMR, that was the first thing the consultant brought up to me at the confirmation of defects scan. (The second one where they confirm what they saw at my routine scan).

However it is very rare. It was a 1% chance.

I’m now due my next baby any day now and this one is completely fine… there was a bright side. This time last year my whole world fell apart, but my new world is just about to begin and I finally get to meet my baby. She’s just in a different body this time..

Shadappayourface · 01/02/2022 21:23

I'm really sorry to hear that @S0987

I got counselling through IAPT, not sure if it's just a regional service. But maybe try Googling that with your area to see if it's offered? They offer 6 counselling sessions catered to your needs.

Like others have said, try to avoid googling or MN as it can exacerbate your anxiety.

lovescaca · 01/02/2022 21:56

I had zero nausea with my ds (4) was such an easy pregnancy. 19 weeks pregnant with a girl and sick as a dog 😩

S0987 · 01/02/2022 21:59

@lovescaca do you think nausea is related to gender?! I know there's no medical link but my sister who is a doctor told me that apparently girls release more oestrogen hence more likely to cause nausea... that being said she had a boy and was highly nauseas so it doesn't make sense lol

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lovescaca · 01/02/2022 22:01

I don't think so, my cousins just had her second boy and she was very sick with both. X

S0987 · 01/02/2022 22:02

@Coldteapot1 I'm so sorry to hear that :( that's so awful I dread bad news because I just don't think I have the mental stability to cope I would just go into complete breakdown mode and who would look after my toddler. That's literally what I worry about. That's so sad you had an absolute normal pregnancy and 12 week scan then bam something is discovered at 20 weeks I just feel like it's so unfair why can't they spot anything sooner by the time you are 20 you feel kicks and get really attached :( this life really tests us doesn't it :(

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S0987 · 01/02/2022 22:04

@lovescaca it's strange how different one pregnancy to the next can be. With my daughter I was behind functioning with illness this pregnancy I almost want to feel nausea to feel like something is happening in there! God there's no winning

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Notwithittoday · 01/02/2022 22:07

How is a private scan going to help? They’re not medical scans. They don’t look at the heart chambers or bone lengths. They just tell you if the baby is alive. Lots of them won’t even give you advice on what to do if it is bad news.

Yeshkimesh · 01/02/2022 22:45

I had terrible nausea and a several weeks of sickness with baby one and sore breasts etc

Baby two no nausea no sickness no sore breasts .. both born fine and both the same gender.
It’s normal to worry. But the stress of continually worrying will not do you any good. Just try and relax and remember the odds are, that everything is completely fine x

EightMonthsScared · 01/02/2022 23:25

It's horrible, you have my sympathy OP.

I was really anxious and wound up. The sonographer led with news of the baby's gender but I just wanted her to get on with the anomalies. I couldn't relax and be happy until that bit was sorted.

The chances are that things will be fine but I know that doesn't help. But at least be reassured that high anxiety around the 20 week scan is normal and not a sign that something is wrong.

Good luck!

S0987 · 02/02/2022 09:06

@EightMonthsScared thanks for your comments I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. All your replies have really helped. I just have to hope for the best and deal with whatever comes my way whilst continually praying and begging it isn't worst case scenario! I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow so I can pour my heart out onto her too

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OnceUponAThread · 02/02/2022 12:35

[quote S0987]@lovescaca do you think nausea is related to gender?! I know there's no medical link but my sister who is a doctor told me that apparently girls release more oestrogen hence more likely to cause nausea... that being said she had a boy and was highly nauseas so it doesn't make sense lol [/quote]
Definitely not for me. I had barely any nausea and absolutely no morning sickness and my 17 week scan showed a little girl.

SweetPeaGirl · 02/02/2022 12:52

My advice would be to have a chat with your midwife, but if she's not available book in with your GP. A degree of anxiety is totally normal in pregnancy, but it sounds like this is really eating you up OP. Please get some help - you don't have to cope with this on your own.

S0987 · 15/02/2022 12:26

Guys 20 week scan exactly
One week from
Today I have no idea how to get through this week it's driving me mad !!!

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