Telling parents their baby has an abnormality is never easy

Consultant obstetrician Nóirín Russell says routine fetal anomaly scans for all pregnant women should be a basic standard of care and must be implemented without delay    

When parents are told they need to see a fetal medicine specialist, they are surprised and shocked. They don’t know what to expect or how best to prepare.

Mostly, they are filled with an overwhelming nervous anxiety because a midwife or doctor has discovered an unusual ultrasound finding. Until that moment, they had thought that all was normal with their pregnancy but now there is a suggestion that their baby may have an abnormality.