A pregnant woman was left reeling after doctors highlighted a concerning discovery during her 20-week scan. Vani Garcia, a Florida mom of three, told Newsweek she was expecting little more than a “regular ultrasound.” That’s how it had been with her first two pregnancies. However, she would soon learn things would be different for her unborn son, William.
The purpose of the 20-week anatomy scan is to check the baby's major organs and body structures for signs of birth defects and assess overall development. It helps identify issues that may require further testing, monitoring, or specialized care before or after birth, although it is a screening test and cannot detect every condition. It’s a crucial step in any pregnancy journey but, for a small percentage, it can be a significant one.
That was the case for Garcia. During the scan, a doctor came in. Garcia can still remember the “matter of fact” way they were told “we do not see any hands in the ultrasound.” “It was the doctor’s medical opinion that our son would be born without hands,” Garcia said.
She and her husband were stunned. I remember crying hysterically.” The CDC estimates that limb differences affect about one in every 1,852 babies born in the U.S. In the vast majority of cases, the cause is unknown.
Garcia and her husband sought a second opinion and booked a private ultrasound. This time, the results were different: they were told William had a right hand. A follow-up appointment at the hospital later confirmed this and shed light on the cause of his limb difference.
Garcia underwent painful amniocentesis testing to determine whether the cause was genetic. Eventually, they learned the cause was entirely beyond their control. That didn’t stop her from feeling guilty.
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