Because of the autopsy, Orla had to leave hospital without her baby. She returned to collect her on day four, stopping off at a baby boutique in Bandon along the way to buy her a little outfit. Orla is telling her story now because she wants women and couples to understand the potential significance of not being offered a fetal anomaly scan. And because she hopes that by speaking out, more resources will be invested in such an essential service.
A clear picture
On a personal level, she feels robbed of time bonding with her daughter. Most importantly, foreknowledge would have allowed for a planned delivery, sparing Orla and Ian and hospital staff the brutality of what unfolded in the delivery suite and possibly allowing her to spend time with her daughter before she passed away. Foreknowledge would also have offered more choice — had she known at 20 weeks what lay ahead for her daughter, she would have had time to reflect on her options.
Personally, she knows she would have opted to continue with the pregnancy, but feels strongly that any parent facing such a situation who chooses to terminate the pregnancy should be able to do that without having to travel abroad under a veil of secrecy. She has no photographs that she can share with her sons or anyone else.
This time she got plenty of scans, including the week anomaly scan. Up to that point in her pregnancy, she had embraced the goodwill. But a scan changed everything. It was and Elisa Serra Porteiro, originally from Galicia in Spain, and her husband, Ger Harrington, from Cork, were looking forward to expanding their little family, a brother or sister for three-year-old son, Nicolas. The pregnancy was low risk. At 28 weeks, the consultant thought her placenta was low-lying and told her to have it checked at the next scan.
At 32 weeks, the panic set in. She was sent to the fetal assessment unit for a more thorough scan.
She phoned her husband to come in. She underwent amniocentesis three days later, a test for certain genetic defects. The results were normal.
He had to be intubated and whisked to neonatal intensive care. It quickly emerged that his condition — occipitalencephaloele, the result of a neural tube defect — was incompatible with life. Elisa and Ger took the heartbreaking decision to take him off oxygen on day four. Elisa is distraught that she never got the chance to deal with her grief in a private way.
I could have explored more options for how to tell Nicolas.
anatomy scans |
An early scan would also have allowed her consider her own options. She says she did ask for a week scan at CUMH. The apologetic response was unless she had received an appointment letter, she would not be getting one. We trust our doctors to provide that good care. I know for a fact if the resources were there for everyone to have a fetal anomaly scan, then the staff in CUMH would be doing it. But the reality is, they are not. Read an excerpt of 'My Coney Island Baby' below. Bernard O'Shea on hitting the road with old pal Karl Spain. Does any1 know of anywhere that does one off private scans nd any ideas on how much would it cost???
I was 13 weeks yest, having my scan on the 11th cant wait!!! You can get a scan done privately in Ultrasound Dimensions, see http: Hi Babycakes55, Congrats on your pregnancy!
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Would probably be a waste of money?? The few weeks will fly by[: Hey girls thanks for the replies! Yeah I think I will wait ur rite AK3 the few weeks will hopefully fly by! I think im just worryin coz its my 1st nd Im clueless!!! Actually AK3, I think it depends on the hospital or consultant and earlier scans are done in some hospitals, I know most of my friends who went privately in Dublin had them. Earlier scans are performed in the UK and most other European countries at 12 weeks as a matter of routine for dating purposes and a nuchal scan which can help to detect chromosomal abnormalities like Downs Syndrome can only be carried out between 10 and 13 weeks.
Good luck, seeing that baby at the scan for the first time is such a special moment! I was just giving my experience. It was the same on my other 2 children. I called them yesterday and have an apt for Tuesday. Best of luck on Tuesday!! I got my appointment 2day for sat the 14th of June which is only 9 days away! When I had my last baby in the Coombe was overrun with appointments and I was able to book one at very short notice in the Charlemont Clinic. Congrats on your baby. We went to Paula Tunneys clinic near Mount Carmel, for a scan when I was 10 weeks pregnant.
- Follow the Irish Examiner;
- Special Report: Four families explain the importance of the 20-week fetal anomaly scan;
- Early Pregnancy Scan?
- Topic | Private scans! | Moms community and forums.
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It was the best thing we did. Since we saw the baby on the screen time has flown by I am now 17 weeks. Seeing your little baby just reassures you. I had my first scan at 12 weeks and was told by the hospital that it was my one and only scan. Should I ask them about an anomaly scan? Hey folks, I had my dating scan at 9 weeks and then my anomoly scan at 20 weeks. I had a mini scan at 15 weeks when with the consultant.
It looks like different hospotals and consultants have different ways of operating! You are required to have an adequately full bladder for your early pregnancy scan. There is certainly no need to be uncomfortably full. We suggest that you go about your normal daily routine but just not empty the bladder half an hour before the scan.
There is a small chance that a transvaginal scan may need to be performed in order to get a clearer view. Some patients prefer this method of scanning as the resolution of the image is better, improving the accuracy of the measurements and the clarity of the pictures. Feel free to request this as there is no extra charge.