19 week scan abnormality- Talipes

crl145 · July 2015

We went today for our 19 week anatomy scan. The baby was all curled up, holding his feet nearly the whole time. The US tech made me walk around and jump up and down to try and get the baby in a better position to get some vital pictures of his legs... When I finally picked up the report, we found out that they noticed a mild inversion on one of his ankles. Which raises the possibility of talipes, aka clubfoot.

Side note: My mother was born crippled with two club feet and had to have surgery and braces until she was 4 to correct it. It's definitely a genetic thing that has been passed down. I feel so distraught because this was passed down from my side of the family... I know it's not life threatening and I'm soooo happy that all of his organs etc are working properly. However, I've read clubfoot can lead to further genetic problems.

I can't get into my doctor for two days so I'm a bit of a nervous wreck.. Has anyone else experienced this or know someone who has? I just hate the thought of a sweet baby getting surgery, being in casts for years, and having to wear a brace till he's at least 4... It's breaking my heart that I can't do anything. I appreciate any advice!

Peanut1128 · July 2015

I'm sorry you are dealing with this, I don't have any experience with this issue specifically but also got some scary news during my scan. I hope you can get back into the doctor soon to get better confirmation. The waiting is the worst part. Please don't beat yourself, there is nothing you could have done differently. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

MrsBwIVF · July 2015

No experience but wanted to send you my thoughts and support.
If there is something wrong, keep in mind how much medicine and technology have changed. Perhaps it won't be as bad for your little one as it was when your mother was young.
I'm sorry you can't get into your doctor sooner but good luck and please keep us posted.

spottedginger · July 2015

I don't have any experience in this area either, but second @MrsBwIVF. Medicine has come a long way in the past 50-60 years. Please don't feel guilty and distraught- you have no control over this situation and are doing all you can to get ahead of it by getting prenatal care. This isn't a situation like smoking all during pregnancy and then having a preemie- none of your actions have caused this.
Edited for spelling

fiorip · July 2015

I understand your anguish but I encourage you to stay positive. Clubfoot is usually not linked to other genetic defects, it's an isolated issue. Also, the severity of the deformity will determine wheter your baby will need surgery or not; even though it looks painful it's actually not painful at all. The baby won't feel it, and he can have a great recovery. There's nothing you could have done to prevent it, so what if he has to wear braces for a few years? It's an otherwise healthy baby, look at the positive in all of this and it'll make the experience easier for you. Best of luck to you!

ETA: it is important that you set your mind from now and be prepared for the braces, most parents feel sorry for the child and don't have them wear the braces as instructed and treatment isn't as effective which consequently hurts the child more. Hold on to your breaking heart and do everything as doctors recommend, your child will have a better outcome.

Mother0fDragons · July 2015

No experience here, but I wanted to let you know that you and LO are in my thoughts!

AlejandraN2 · July 2015

No experience here but I second what @fiorip said. I'm sorry you have to go through this worry but hope if it's just the club foot that it'll be easily treated. She's right that medicine has probably advanced greatly in the last years on this. Good luck and thinking of you and your little one.

Angelface225 · July 2015

My mother was also born with two club feet, so I've done som research into it. Therapies have changed a lot since my mom went through it in the 60s, there's a few types that don't eprequire surgery at all anymore. My anatomy scan is one Friday, so this has been on my mind a bit this last couple of weeks.

taysun · July 2015

I have no experience with this, but my thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your LO. I am hoping your doctor will be able to give you some peace of mind.

sbbreen · July 2015

We received the same diagnosis after our ultrasound. I got a call from our doctor the next day and was surprised to hear this news - we have no history on either side of the family. That said, of this that could happen, I feel lucky that this will be a treatable condition. We are having a second ultrasound tomorrow so that a specialist can evaluate the severity. Our regular doctor has been encouring us to consider genetic testing (which we opted not to do early on). I am not sure how I feel about doing it still. Do you have thoughts on if you will @crl145?

jutondreau · July 2015

My brother was born with severe bilateral club feet. He had many castings and surgeries up through the age of 4 and doesn't remember and of it. My mother recalls it was a difficult time and the recovery was challenging, but now at almost 32, my brother has no limitations and unless you see the well faded scars, you would never know. I'm sorry you got this news @crl145 as any challenge you know your little one may face is never easy, but know that you are in a lot of people's thoughts and prayers during this time.

crl145 · July 2015

fiorip said:
I understand your anguish but I encourage you to stay positive. Clubfoot is usually not linked to other genetic defects, it's an isolated issue. Also, the severity of the deformity will determine wheter your baby will need surgery or not; even though it looks painful it's actually not painful at all. The baby won't feel it, and he can have a great recovery. There's nothing you could have done to prevent it, so what if he has to wear braces for a few years? It's an otherwise healthy baby, look at the positive in all of this and it'll make the experience easier for you. Best of luck to you!

ETA: it is important that you set your mind from now and be prepared for the braces, most parents feel sorry for the child and don't have them wear the braces as instructed and treatment isn't as effective which consequently hurts the child more. Hold on to your breaking heart and do everything as doctors recommend, your child will have a better outcome.

I've done some research and read that if its not able to fixed a lot of the time it can be attributed to the parents not making the child wear the brace as directed. There's no way I would hinder the outcome by feeling bad for him. Such a great point to bring up!... It's a good thing to know going into it.

crl145 · July 2015

sbbreen said:
We received the same diagnosis after our ultrasound. I got a call from our doctor the next day and was surprised to hear this news - we have no history on either side of the family. That said, of this that could happen, I feel lucky that this will be a treatable condition. We are having a second ultrasound tomorrow so that a specialist can evaluate the severity. Our regular doctor has been encouring us to consider genetic testing (which we opted not to do early on). I am not sure how I feel about doing it still. Do you have thoughts on if you will @crl145?

I found out today my grandmother was born with it also so it definitely runs in my family. I'm going to speak with my doctor tomorrow but if they encourage genetic testing then I'm going to do it. Do you know what exactly the doctor wanted to test you for? I already had a NT scan to check for some chromosomal abnormalities. But I don't know what else they'd like to test for. I'd love if we could keep each other updated. The more information the better!

seahawksfans · July 2015

No personal experience but I do remember a kid in my elementary school that had braces and got them off by the time we finished elementary. And that was a long time ago so technology and physical therapy have come a long way. Knowing about this ahead of time also gives you extra time to research and look at treatment early on for your LO. So sorry that they found something worrisome. It might mean you get more scans to check and reassure you. I would not worry about other possibilities until you know there are other issues if any. It is possible the tech just didn't have a great view or baby was iin a weird position and next time they check all is well. We will all hope and pray that for you.

Mizuiro007 · July 2015

My FIL was born with clubbed feet on both sides. As far as I'm aware it required a surgery and some casting but he admits to not remembering it, his mother shrugged it off as there could be much worse things. Now you'd never know.

An ex-coworker's second child was born with clubbed feet and her son had a series of casts and did not require surgery. Now he's a happy, healthy toddler and you'd have no idea. They said the hardest times were when they'd get new casts and there would be an adjustment. He'd be fussy and uncomfortable for a while but it would pass.

I wish for you that it is not severe and there are no other obstacles. As mother's it's impossible not to worry. I have Tourette's Syndrome and know there's a 50% chance of each of my children having it and/co-morbid disorders. It's scary to think there's the same same chance as baby being boy/girl or having blonde/brown hair or blue/brown eyes. That I would have passed it.

I find it helpful to remind myself that there could as easily be any number of other things they could have that aren't inherited. Since my husband and I know what to look for we have a better chance of getting an early diagnosis and being able to live with it (since we are already). I've already done treatment research for myself and know of doctors and resources. I'm prepared and that is a blessing in itself.

sbbreen · July 2015

Let's definitely keep each other in the loop! I'm headed to our appt. now - will keep you posted!

crl145 · July 2015

sbbreen said:
Let's definitely keep each other in the loop! I'm headed to our appt. now - will keep you posted!

They are having me go next Wednesday for another scan. A more in depth one and to check for any other abnormalities. Fingers crossed yours goes well today!

crl145 · July 2015

Mizuiro007 said:
My FIL was born with clubbed feet on both sides. As far as I'm aware it required a surgery and some casting but he admits to not remembering it, his mother shrugged it off as there could be much worse things. Now you'd never know.

An ex-coworker's second child was born with clubbed feet and her son had a series of casts and did not require surgery. Now he's a happy, healthy toddler and you'd have no idea. They said the hardest times were when they'd get new casts and there would be an adjustment. He'd be fussy and uncomfortable for a while but it would pass.

I wish for you that it is not severe and there are no other obstacles. As mother's it's impossible not to worry. I have Tourette's Syndrome and know there's a 50% chance of each of my children having it and/co-morbid disorders. It's scary to think there's the same same chance as baby being boy/girl or having blonde/brown hair or blue/brown eyes. That I would have passed it.

I find it helpful to remind myself that there could as easily be any number of other things they could have that aren't inherited. Since my husband and I know what to look for we have a better chance of getting an early diagnosis and being able to live with it (since we are already). I've already done treatment research for myself and know of doctors and resources. I'm prepared and that is a blessing in itself.

I've come to terms with it now. I was really sad before but after tons of research I'm feeling more positive since it's not life threatening. I hope everything goes well with your LO. It is reassuring knowing we have the tools to be able to handle anything since we have had time to prepare.

preggoandglowing · July 2015

My little brother was born with club feet on both legs. Unfortunately my mom never had an ultrasound as they weren't offered to everyone back in the 90's. Nobody else in our family has it so doctors chalked it up to her sedentary job. My brother was born perfectly healthy other than that. He wore casts for several months starting at 6 months old but it didn't improve his condition. So at only a year and a half he underwent surgery and wore casts for several more months followed by orthopedic shoes. It improved his condition in that he can walk flat footed but has some issues due to over-correction which is or was very common with this type of surgery. Overall the average person can't tell especially when he wears pants and he is able to play soccer regularly.

I hope everything turns out okay but feel free to message me if you have any questions.

cherrybloss · August 2015

I went in today for my anatomy scan as well and received the news of club feet for our little boy. We are scared to death as we don't know what to expect and don't want our little boy to suffer. We have a specialist appointment tomorrow to get a better look. After the news of the club feet sunk in, the doc decided to hit us with "there's a small chance of Down's syndrome" associated with this condition. We opted out of all genetic testing at the beginning but got the harmony test today and now wait a whole week for the results! Just try to stay positive! If you'd like, email me and we can discuss/follow up via email heidirose1705@gmail.com. Keep us updated with your appointments and your LO's progress. Sending well wishes your way!

Mother0fDragons · August 2015

crl145 said:

Let's definitely keep each other in the loop! I'm headed to our appt. now - will keep you posted!
They are having me go next Wednesday for another scan. A more in depth one and to check for any other abnormalities. Fingers crossed yours goes well today!

Good luck to both of you!

cherrybloss said:

I went in today for my anatomy scan as well and received the news of club feet for our little boy. We are scared to death as we don't know what to expect and don't want our little boy to suffer. We have a specialist appointment tomorrow to get a better look. After the news of the club feet sunk in, the doc decided to hit us with "there's a small chance of Down's syndrome" associated with this condition. We opted out of all genetic testing at the beginning but got the harmony test today and now wait a whole week for the results! Just try to stay positive! If you'd like, email me and we can discuss/follow up via email heidirose1705@gmail.com. Keep us updated with your appointments and your LO's progress. Sending well wishes your way!

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow!

sbbreen · August 2015

Hey @crl145 and @cherrybloss it would be great to keep each other up to date on news/appointments. My email address is sburnham5@gmail.com. We had a good meeting with a specialist last week who confirmed one clubbed foot and recommended a genetic test which came back normal. We feel encouraged by the fact that it seems like an isolated occurrence and very treatable. The specialist is recommending monthly ultrasounds to track the growth of the baby and the foot. We will likely schedule an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic specialist for sometime in November as we are told casting of the foot may start as early as one week after our guy is born. Hope you two are both getting clear information!! It was about three weeks of feeling unsure before we reached this point. Thinking of both of your families!

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