Prenatal diagnosis - terrified and looking for hope

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and we found out yesterday at the anomaly scan that our baby has unilateral clubfoot on the left side. I haven't stopped crying since.

I know logically that it's treatable but right now I just feel so scared and guilty. My partner is being positive but I can see he's worried too.

Did anyone else feel like this? When does it start to feel ok? 😢

I could have written this 2 years ago. Word for word. I was DEVASTATED and cried for weeks.

I'm now watching my 18-month-old run across the living room chasing the cat and his corrected clubfoot is the last thing on my mind.

It WILL be alright. Clubfoot is one of the most treatable conditions. The prenatal waiting is genuinely the hardest part. Once treatment starts you feel SO much more in control 💙💙💙

Oh sweetheart. Let yourself feel it. Cry if you need to. That's all ok.

My daughter was diagnosed at 20 weeks with left clubfoot. She's now 3 and she dances, climbs, does gymnastics. Her foot is beautiful. You would never know.

Join STEPS charity and ask to be matched with a buddy. Speaking to another parent who's been through it made THE biggest difference for me 💙🦶

I have clubfoot myself (treated as a baby) and I'm a happy, healthy 26 year old. I play sports, travel, work a physical job. My clubfoot is just a thing that happened - it doesn't define my life.

Your baby is going to thrive. The treatment these days is SO good 💙

I'm a clubfoot specialist. Clubfoot affects approximately 1 in 1000 births. The Ponseti method has a success rate of over 95%.

Your baby will likely need 5-8 weeks of casting, a minor tenotomy, then a brace at night until age 4-5. After that, the vast majority have completely normal function.

Please contact STEPS charity for support during pregnancy. You're going to be ok 💙

The guilt thing. I felt SO guilty even though there's literally nothing you can do to cause or prevent clubfoot. It's not your fault. It just happens.

My therapist helped me work through it. I really recommend talking to someone. Prenatal anxiety is real and valid 💙

another mum checking in - it WILL be alright ❤️

my boy is 4 now, out of boots and bar for a year, just started school. his teachers dont even know about his clubfoot because theres nothing to see. hes the fastest kid in his class 😂

the worry you feel right now is the worst part of the whole journey. i promise.