1st doctors appointment

[babydust27]

i got my bfp yesterday and have a doctors appointment on wednesday but this is my first pregnancy, can anyone tell me what to expect?

[BornToFolk]

Probably the GP will just tell you to make an appointment with the midwife. I saw the GP when I was about 6 weeks, just after I'd tested at home. He just asked me how many tests I'd taken, said there was no point testing again as I'd had two positives and told me to see the midwife for booking in at 8 weeks.
It was a bit of a let-down but looking back on it, I'm not sure what I expected the GP to actually do!

[iklboo]

Not a lot really. They'll likely just congratulate you (if they know you're happy about it), arrange your 'booking in' appointment with the midwife and maybe arrange your prescription exemption form.

[piprabbit]

You will be very excited and the doctor will probably be a bit blase.

The doctor may check your BP, but really all that will happen is that he should refer you to your community midwife (who will be in touch to arrange a longer booking in appointment before week 12) and arrange for your 12-week scan. If you have an exciting medical history, he may also refer you to the hospital for an appointment with the consultant.

I was hugely disappointed at both mine. I don't recall even getting a 'congratulations' at either of mine, possible because they don't like to assume you are thrilled.

[Badgerwife]

I was lucky that I saw a locum who seemed genuinely thrilled for me and chattered to me about what to expect. But in actual fact, there was hardly any content to the appointment, GPs will just refer you to a midwife.

[patagonia09]

My GP was very nice, but it was all over in about 2 minutes - just told me not to smoke or drink, filled in some forms, and that was it. Told me the midwife would call me to arrange booking appointment (which at 10 weeks I'm still waiting for!!).
Is it just me, or is it slightly nuts that the NHS strategy seems to be basically to ignore you until you get to the end of the first trimester and THEN kick into action? I know there's not much to see in there to start off with, but considering the first 8 - 12 weeks are the most important in terms of organ development etc, it seems important to give us all the right info early on! I spend hours and hours googling everything I can and can't eat and there are loads of things I would have done wrong if I hadn't taken the time to find out myself. I'm not too impressed with the blase attitude...

[janinlondon]

If you have a hospital you definitely DONT want to give birth in, or a strong preference for one in particular, this is the time to make that known. Otherwise the ball starts rolling (slowly...) and you may end up somewhere you really didn't want to be. (Congrats, btw)

[Flisspaps]

patagonia09 I think the lack of 'interest' before 12 weeks is generally due to the number of pregnancies that end before then, as well as an overstretched NHS.

[supergreenuk]

Not much point in a doctors appointment unless you have issues you want to discuss. Just go straight to arranging your booking in appointment.

[Cattleprod]

I didn't bother with the doctor, just made the first appointment directly with the midwife.

[piprabbit]

patagonia, if you are still waiting for an appointment for your booking in session it is probably time to chase the community midwives.

[benne81]

It is such a shame to hear such negative experiences of your initial GP appointment. In the first appointment a GP should run through a number of areas with each woman and usually a double appointment is required for this. They will give you basic advice regarding diet, alcohol, folic acid, smoking, what to expect at booking appointment, further investiagtions etc and should usually provide written information. They will ask about previous medical and gynae history and previous pregnancies - this is to highlight 'high risk' patients & pregnancies who require more specialist intervention earlier on in the pregnancy. They should do a basic examination - blood pressure and BMI at the least as these are also issues which need to be highlighted to the maternity team. They will run through medications that you on on. Ask about preferences about which hospital you are to be referred to and arrange the referral. They should also allow time to answer any questions you have, provide you with written information of what to expect and any prescriptions required and prescription exemption certificate. The GP is going to be your main point of contact postnatally and can be a very useful point of contact antenatally so use them as a resource! If people have had shorter less intensive appointments it may be because they are fit and well and lower risk and therefore don't need to spend so much time with the GP and medicalising the pregnancy too much at this point is not particularly beneficial. Write down a list of questions that you want to ask the GP before you go - they should be happy to go through it with you and will be happy to arrange further referrals as required.

[nickelbabe]

when I rang my doctor's, i couldn't think how to say "BFP" in any other way, so I ended up ummming and ahhing for a minute or two while I tried to explain what I had done (bloody MN!)

anyway, they jsut told me to ring the midwife "all very well and good, but how the fuck am I supposed to know who the midwife is and how to get hold of her when I've just told you that it's my first pregnancy????"
(thought not said)

[YBR]

bennie: All that you said is done at the booking in appt by the Midwife where I live.
supergreenuk I can't bypass the Dr as the surgery won't give a MW appt until the GP has confirmed the pregnancy (how? you tell him you've done a test and he/she believes you - waste of time).

So what to expect varies from very minimal to comprehensive and helpful!

I suggest you ask the GP about the prescription Exemtion Certificate and a Folic Acid prescription. If you take anything regularly, then ask the GP if it's still OK. Ask what happens next - MW appts, scans and rough timing as it varies in different areas - so that you'll know if you're waiting too long to hear from them and can chase it up. Ask any other questions you want to also.

Feel free to take someone with you if you want (I generally take my DH along to help remember the questions and take note of the answers!)

[hermionejgranger]

I was a bit nonplussed with my GP appointment tbh - like others on here it was something and nothing. I suppose it depends on the postcode! I rang my surgery and asked whether I needed a GP or midwife appointment and the receptionist said to book in with the GP first - so I did - and he asked me why I thought I was pregnant and asked me about smoking and drinking and folic acid. And then that was it. He sent me back to the reception to book an appointment with the midwife - no other information or explanations. Oh - apart from a leaflet saying "welcome to your community midwife service" which says "take folic acid and vitamin d, get help to quit smoking, only drink a little bit and if you have cramps or bleeding ring the midwife"...in slightly more words of course, but that's the essence of it! I got the impression he could have given me more info had I asked but because I didn't know what to expect I didn't have a list of questions at the ready - so I'd definitely recommend that before you go.

Congratulations, btw! :)

[H007]

My first doctors appointment consisted of him telling me I shouldn't have bothered making an appointment with him and should have booked straight in with the MW. It was very deflating.

Congratulations though

[benne81]

yes unfortunately there seems to be alot of variation - what I wrote is what I do everytime I see a patient for there first antenatal appointment but disappointingly there looks to be massive variation in the standard of care recieved. Where we are based it can take quite a while to get the booking appointment (11 weeks at the local hospital) so seeing the GP early gives you the basic information and a point of contact earlier on in the first trimester. It also lets GPs highlight high risk patients who need to be seen urgently by the hospital based maternity team. The appointment is mainly an information gathering and providing exercise and ensuring a appropriate referral is made to relevant teams.

[supergreenuk]

How annoying YBR. Seems like a bit of a waste of the doctors time.

[melliebobs]

what to expect. An overwheliming anti climax. I was in and out in 2 minutes.

is this good news?!
Do you smoke?
Do you drink? Do you intend to drink?
Any other medical conditions?
Here's how much folic acid to take
I'll refer you later.

Oh yerr 'congratulations'

Gee thanks!

[nunnie]

This is my 3rd pregnancy, and each GP appointment has varied drastically. 1st I had to take sample to receptionist to test before she would make appointment with GP, he went through what happens next and referred me to midwife, but I had problems and had to attend hospital EPU and because I picked a hospital local to my house and not GP, they refused to provide me midwife care so all my care was done at hospital. 2nd pregnancy new surgery, GP appointment avoid smoking and alcohol, take folice acid.
3rd pregnancy 20 minute appointment, BP, chat, history discussed lots of information given, referral to Obs Consultant and midwife much less of a let down and came out knowing more about the care I would receive during this pregnancy due to my history.

[mummyzoe2012]

i rang them up told them i just found and got told to pop down to sign a form for a referal and got given midwifes number and told to ring them in the morning for a booking in app. rang then the follwoing morning and had booking in app the following week!