20 week anomaly scan anxiety

[Carebear99]

I'm 18+2 and I have my 20w scan on 27th April when I'm 20+5. I've been dreading it for a while but as it gets closer I'm getting so anxious. I'm already linked with the perinatal mental health team and I'll be discussing this with them when I have an appointment.

I keep googling (I can't stop myself) what the chance of getting bad news at the scan is, what bad news I may get, bad stories etc. 27th can't come soon enough but seems so far away. I've got over 2 weeks to wait.

I've had the nipt and combined test, all OK. I'm 39 and I'm overweight with a very unexpected pregnancy after trying to conceive for 20 years, it happened naturally. Me and my husband have fertility issues (mainly me with endometriosis and pcos).

Anyone else feel this way?

I think everyone gets anxiety about their 20 week scan. It's totally normal and expected to some degree.

That said, you need a little perspective. It's true, some people are given bad/sad/worrying news at their scan but for many millions of people, no issues are found and they go on to have healthy babies.

We had our 20 week scan recently and yes I was anxious to know everything was looking okay with our baby. I'm also 39 and overweight so I understand some of your concerns.

During the scan, the consultant closely examined the baby, taking measurements and occasionally reassuring us a little. During the scan, the baby did a MASSIVE yawn. He also waved a little hand and rolled into the perfect position when the consultant asked him nicely to roll onto his back. There will no doubt be reasons to smile at your scan so try and focus on those moments to help you through the wait.

At the end of our scan we were told everything was looking fine at that point. We breathed a huge sigh of relief which has enabled us to start enjoying this pregnancy and not live crippled with fear.

Hopefully all will be well at your scan. Keep an eye out for your baby doing cute things like yawning, waving or sucking their thumb during the scan to keep you from panicking too much.

Hope all goes well for you!

Oh, and stop Googling! It'll throw up a thousand scenarios and none of them may apply to you. Each woman, baby and pregnancy is different.

Thank you so much @Squiff70. Lovely to hear your good news especially as you are the same age and overweight too.

I also recently had my 20 week scan and all was well. Everything is far more likely to be goof rather then bad. Could you book a private scan? I had a 'worry wobble' about 10 days before my 12 week scan, it was the best money I ever spent for putting my mind to rest

I also had mine a month ago and I was so anxious beforehand!

I mentioned this to the sonographer and she was so lovely and kept reassuring that things looked fine as she did each check. I would advise telling them you are anxious and they can reassure you.

Also, be prepared that baby may not play ball and be in the best positions so you may need another scan at a later date to get all measurements, or you might have to walk around and come back later that day.