Just wanted to include my "gestational complication" in case anybody else is experiencing the same ... (I'm 40, first pregnancy)

My 12 & 20 week u/sound scans showed a healthy baby, no problems. My blood tests showed a Downs score of 1 in 5, but we decided against an amnio.

I had an additional u/sound scan at 21 weeks as part of the SCOPE research project. This included dopplers, and it was found that I had "notching" on the uterine blood-flow, i.e. my blood-flow to the placenta. Obviously this would affect the quality of the placenta and, as a result, baby's growth.

I was switched from Community Midwife care to a new Placenta Clinic set up here in Manchester, where I could have regular monitoring of this situation. I underwent dopper u/sounds every 4 weeks to start, and this would increase as the pregnancy progressed. Baby would most likely be induced slightly premature.

However, at 28 weeks the doppler showed that the resistance to the blood-flow had increased to the point of some reversal of flow - not good, life-threatening for baby. I received steroid injections to help develop his lungs and was given a doppler u/sound every 2 days for a week. Things did improve slightly.

At 29+1, the doppler showed the reverse flow had started again, and we received the warning that baby should be brought out at that point or we risked losing him completely. I underwent an emergency c/section that night, and Andrew was born weighing just 1lb 6oz (having IUGR).

Andrew is in NICU, he's doing just fine and we hope he'll be home soon.

The consultant at the Placenta Clinic carried out my 6wk post-natal review, and has warned us that the uterine artery notching will probably recur with each pregnancy, though probably not so badly next time as my body will be more used to the situation.

If anybody else has developed this situation, I'd be happy to discuss our experiences further.

What amazes me is that, were it not for me volunteering for the research project, it wouldn't have been picked up - our first clue would have been reduced movement at the point when my placenta eventually failed. We were soooooooooooooo lucky.

really glad your little boy is doing well.xxx

I am sorry you have experienced this but very glad it was picked up when it was and that baby is doing well!! Hugs

i had my 20 week scan at 21+3 and they picked up on notching so i am back up on thursday (29+3) for a rescan to see how things are

the thing i have been told most is about baby not growing properly - although according to midwife she is doing ok) - and to look out for pre eclampsia as i am more at risk
i was really worried when i first found out, but have managed to get through nearly 8 weeks now and had calmed down a lot but its fast approaching thursday so am slightly upping the worry again

Thanks for replying Suzi - in a way it's nice to hear from somebody else that's experienced this, as it doesn't seem that common!

I wish you all the best for your scan - and if you are at all worried, insist on regular doppler scans from this point onwards.

Nobody ever said I was more at risk of pre-eclampsia! But Andrew did have IUGR, even now (at term) he's only 4lb 8oz. However, he was fine - absolutely perfect, just small - and he comes home on Thursday, just two days after his original due date!

wow thats brilliant and fab to know he is doing so well will post an update after i have been, i was led to believe when they told me about the notching that it was common, but now i have realis its not a much as they tried to mak out

ooops didnt realise i hadnt posted - preg brain lol

all was well at the scan, and the notcking is no longer present, but i have to go back at 34 weeks for another

bbay is measuring 2 weeks bigger so they are keeping an eye on that

Woooohoooo that the notching has gone!

Hi all, just wanted to share my experience of this complication too.

I am originally from the UK, but had my first baby while living in NZ, so the maternity care here is a bit different from the NHS.

So I was 28 and had no trouble conceiving and turned up for my first 13 week scan thinking everything would be fine, and it was, apart from they thought baby had a single umbilical artery in the cord, which was enough to prompt an extra detailed anatomy scan at 20wks. NT measurement was fine. I felt great throughout pregnancy, no morning sickness etc.

At 20 weeks scan was told that cord was ok afterall, but that I had "bilateral notched uterine artery dopplers". My LMC was an independent midwife and told me that she would need to refer me to the obs at the local hospital.

So I went to the appointment, was examined by a lovely obs who told me they would see me every month, but not to worry. He didn't even mention pre-eclampsia/hypertension, so I did (ain't google a wonderful thing.) He told me that basically, they still don't know what causes pre eclampsia, and that during his career they had had all sorts of screening policies which had later been dumped for lack of effectiveness.

I saw the midwife, obs, every month and had an ultrasound every month to track baby's growth. My blood pressure remained at 80/50 (i.e. very low) At 36 weeks I was signed off by the obs back to full midwife care as I had no signs of pre eclampsia, or high blood pressure, on the last visit the obs said "if the baby was born now he'd be happy as larry".

One morning at 38 weeks I woke up to a puffy face, hands I could barely clench into a fist, and ENORMOUS feet. Strangely one foot was much larger than the other. I called midwife who told me to come and see her an hour later. My blood pressure was 140/100. I had to do 24hour urine tests for protein and attend hospital for CTG monitoring every 48 hours. I did not meet the official criteria for pre eclampsia but was told they thought it was just around the corner. I would not be allowed to go overdue. I went in to labour naturally five days early.

I didn't have a bad birth, had to have an epidural to lower my bp. DD was born a tiny 6lbs, smaller than you'd expect for my family. She was in prem sized clothes. I was told she wasn't an IUGR baby but she did have problems like low blood sugar, trouble feeding and trouble keeping herself warm, so I think maybe she did have mild IUGR. She spent a couple of nights in an incubator and had a couple of tube feeds. Interestingly the midwife said my placenta was very gritty and that means it has started to deteriorate, so my baby needed to be born.

...........but now she's absolutely fine. 11 months old and a terror! Has gradually caught upto the 40th centile for size. So I've written a novel but it has a happy ending.

With Nothching there is resistance also in this case.

My wife ent through the 24th week scan and found this to be one of the resons to be unhappy with a low level of amniotic fluid. Our visit to the gayne is tommrow but we are getting mixed signals on what is to be done. Some (inlcuding our ultrasonologist) recommends she should be walking more so that the blood flow and resitance is reducded (mainly beacouse this is only 20 weeks) and most of the websites surfred tell that she should be on bed rest (but those are for 30 weeks and above). Hopefully the Gynae witll tell us more tommrow.

But i belive the issue is clear here....1) there is less of amniotic fluid and 2) there is notching and ressitance in the Bilateral Utrine.
For 1 we probably would be prescribed ARG 9 a powder to be had thrice a day..(she will confime tommrow) and for 2) i am not sure...how impactful is this at this stage (20weeks) and what are we expceting now...

It would also helpo if someone knows about sites where there are doctors who respond to these queries.... your words and experinces surely help...

Cheers.!!