Update- Scared about 20 week scan - club feet. Please help

[Rose1978]

My 20 week scan is on Monday and I'm so so scared that they could find out something's wrong with the baby. I had a loss at 7 weeks nearly 2 years ago and I don't think I could cope with something being wrong now. I was anxious and worried before the 12 week scan but I feel worse about this one.
I think I've felt the baby move over the last few weeks. It started off like a muscle twitching and now feels more like being flicked from inside but it's not regular and it's not always every day. Also, I just don't feel big enough to be 20 weeks pregnant. I've only put on about 9lbs and on a morning my already small bump is tiny.
The worry is just getting worse and it's making me feel ill. Rationally I know the chances are that everything will be fine but that's not helping how I'm feeling now. I'm a worrier anyway and I know this could be the beginning of a lifetime of worry but I'm so scared and nobody seems to understand just how scared I am. Has anyone got any advice?

 

[laura109]

Hi hun babies over 12 weeks rarely miscarry and most babies are fit and healthy. How many people do you know who have had a child with a problem? Not many i bet :-.

I got a doppler yesterday. Its heart was pumping away. Maybee go into town today and treat yourself to one. Or has anyone got one to lend you?

Everything will be ok hun xx

 

[labgal]

I posted the same thing before my scan, and our baby was perfectly healthy! I had these feelings of dread, that something was going to be horribly wrong, or I had a mmc or something. Then I saw him squirming all around, and I knew I was just being a worrier

I'm prone to worrying too, so I bought a doppler online the other day. I'm sure your scan will go great, but that's something to consider for the afterwards!

Looking forward to hearing about your healthy, happy !

 

[Rose1978]

So my scan could have been a lot worse and I'm very relieved it wasn't but I was told my baby's got 2 club feet, poor little thing. The rest of the scan was fine but they now want to refer me for a second opinion to check it's not related to something more serious even though there weren't any other problems. The other hospital didn't even see the need so I really don't but I'm worried about what this could mean and how bad it will be when it's born. Does anyone have any experience of talipes? Also, they're concerned that I have a 10cm mass blocking my uterus. The sonographer seemed pretty convinced it was a fibroid and wasn't concerned but the consultant terrified me by mentioning lumps and tests and benign or not benign so I need another scan for that too. I just wish I could have come out feeling happy and relieved but I'm still scared and am trying not to google bad things.

 

[ab75]

My dd2 had positional talipes (think thats what it was called) when she was born as she was squashed in my womb. Thats the only experience I have. In her case I just massaged her feet every day and they corrected themselves. I know its not the same as club feet but maybe your second opinion will show that all is ok. Xx

 

[Rose1978]

Thank you for the reply. They did call it talipes but then said I might have heard of it as club foot. Just worried now that it could be linked to something else more serious as well as stressing that the fibroid might not be a fibroid as they can't say for definite about that either. The thought of something growing inside me that isn't my little baby isn't very nice and after spending all of my pregnancy not allowing any lingering health anxieties to surface this has brought them all flooding back. Forums like this are great but I sort of wish the Internet hadn't been invented as I'm a nightmare at googling things I shouldn't. I've now started worrying about c sections which they already think i'll probably have to have and I'm only 20 and a bit weeks. If only we could all have minimum stress pregnancies.

 

[ab75]

Hopefully the fibroid will be just that and won't cause you any harm. I agree that pregnancy is a worrying time without having additional things to stress about. As for the c section, I haven't had one, and wouldn't wish to have one, but if it gets baby out safely and means less risk to both of you then thats the main thing. You'll still have your little baby to cuddle regardless of how they made their way into the world. I hope you get more definite answers soon xx

 

[Nina83]

I had club feet when I was little and had that awful brace. I wore it to bed every night for a few years. I hated it and ruined a lot of walls on the way but my feet are perfect today. It's something I thank my mother for until this very day.
If a C-section is the safest way to get the baby out it's the only way. I've had 2 losses before and would not want to risk anything. A csection is one of my worst birth fears but if that's what it takes...
I hope the mass disappears or moves up over time, you've still got time for that to happen!

 

[AnonymousCAT]

I'm sorry you are going through all this stress

I don't have any experience with club feet or the mass, but I too had a complication show up on my 20 week scan and may have to have an early csection. I'm waiting for an appt at a high risk unit for more tests. I'm also nervous about a csection and over all just not knowing what's going on and not having control over anything. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in how you are feeling. If you ever want to vent feel free to shoot me a message

 

[moter98]

My oldest boy was born with Right Club Foot and he was and is perfectly healthy. Like you, I googled and scared the crap out of myself and wondered the whole rest of the pregnancy if he would have other problems. I had a few scans after they found the Club Foot and each time they said they hadn't found anything else wrong with baby except the Club Foot. They were right, he just had the Club Foot. We started the correction process at 2 weeks old and after about 5 castings he went into the boots and bar. He is now 4 years old and still in them. We will brace till age 5 because he tolerates it well. In fact, its just a natural bedtime process for him. Brush your teeth, put on pajamas, put on shoes. No big deal.

At the time, I was devastated, but I can assure you the second my son was born, it simply didn't matter anymore. And today his feet are perfect, never had any problems with them at all once they were corrected. I have gone on to have another son with no club feet and currently pregnant with my third son, scans showing no club feet. It tends to most common with first born males for some reason. Let me know if you have any questions, I will answer anything I can. I hope all goes well with your pregnancy. Please try not to worry!

 

[Rose1978]

Thank you all so much for the replies. It's good to hear other people's experience or even just support as I feel like I'm driving myself mad with all my thoughts and questions at the moment.
I've got another scan next week to double check that everything's ok with the baby apart from the feet and then yet another scan in about 4 weeks to check on the growth of the fibroid/mass/ whatever they're calling it this time. The consultant really isn't the most friendly and my midwife is on holiday for a fortnight so I feel a bit lost. They mentioned MRI today and I freaked out slightly. My latest fear is that the reason I've suddenly got much bigger isn't because of the baby but the other thing and that it will get so big that they'll have to take it out before the baby's ready to be born. I think too much and worry too much and am driving my OH mad with my constant stresses. He is trying but he doesn't understand just how scared I am.
Were your little ones ok with the different treatments they had to have? How soon did the drs know how severe it was and what they would need to do? I'm hoping that because it starts from birth it's what they're used to and becomes part of daily routine like you said Moter. I just really don't want it to have any pain or discomfort which obviously nobody wants. The whole thing is so alien to me I don't really know where to start. Can it have baby grows with feet, do I need to buy anything different from normal, what about when it goes to nursery when it's older? I just go on and on.
Motor98, it's good to know your little boy is fine now and that your other son and baby are ok too. And nina, thank you for letting me know you dealt with it as a child. I know it's correctable and people deal with much worse things but I just wanted things to be as easy for my baby as possible and now feel slightly selfish that I'm worrying about myself too.
To anonymouscat, I'm sorry you're going through stress and worry too. It's so hard when you don't know what's going on and all you want is for your baby to be safe and healthy. I hope things get easier for you too. Message me if you like and maybe we can worry together?!
Sorry for the length of this post and thanks again.

 

[moter98]

My son did just fine with the correction. We traveled out of state to get it done. I asked how severe my sons clubfoot was and he said it was just average. Most will need to have 3-5 castings and a lot will need a tenotomy, my son did. It is just a tiny incision made to lengthen the heel cord, which is tight in many cases of clubfoot. A simple 10 minute procedure, and baby isn't put to sleep, the area is just numbed. While the process isn't as easy as having a newborn without it, I promise you it's not a big deal and as time passes it's even less of a big deal. My son's foot was corrected without any major surgery and he will have no lifelong problems from it. In fact, he is totally done with the boots and bar in about 9 months and that will be all he ever will remember from it, if even that! Please join the yahoo group "nosurgery4clubfoot". The parents there can answer any and all questions you have as they've all been through it and you will likely have questions as you go through the process and before.

I didn't purchase any sort of clothing with feet in them because from 2 weeks on, baby will be in casts and then right after that, the boots and bar, so unless you want to cut the feet out, they really aren't needed. I used onsies and baby gowns when DS was a baby. I also got a bunch of cute boy leggings to put over the cast. Not for any reason other than I liked to dress them up a little.

 

[petitpas]

I had a club foot that was corrected with a special little boot. I still have it. So cute.
My son was also born with a club foot that resolved itself with some exercises (mainly tickling the side of the foot) and was almost gone by the six week checkup. My friend's daughter has the same. I think that in most cases it is resolved early. Since your baby's talipes have been discovered so early maybe it will need more treatment, I don't know, but it seems like your doctors are on top of it and will do everything they can to help.

As for a c-section, I had a planned one and it was great! I'm looking forward to having another in January. I've read a lot of horror stories about c-sections but they tend to be emergency sections, which are a completely different kettle of fish as they come with the fear that the baby is in trouble.
At my section we had music, skin to skin and I breastfed straight after. I was home within 48h and was surprised that I could climb steps and pick socks up off the floor, no problem. I sometimes watch one born every minute and it seems so alien to me, the whole pain and exhaustion thing just completely passed me by