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Pregnancy

No midwife appointments available?

8 replies

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 18/06/2016 08:13

Hi all

I am just over 14 weeks pregnant with my first. Have not been at all impressed with NHS care so far - everything seems absolutely chaotic, appointments never on time, GP surgery was useless about referring to midwives. I am consultant-led and seeing the consultant a week on Monday for the first time where I will be requesting an ELCS. There are multiple reasons for this, including prior surgery after which CS was recommended, so I am not too worried about them saying no I also suffer from extreme anxiety as a result of nearly dying last time I was in hospital as a result of misdiagnosis and medical negligence. It has made me a bit of control freak so I appreciate that I may be overreacting and/or my expectations may be too high.

My issue is that the midwives called yesterday. The lady I spoke to was - by any standards - rude and unhelpful - she basically said "we should be seeing you at around the same time as you see the consultant, but we don't have any available appointments, and anyway it says in your notes you are requesting ELCS". I politely suggested a date range of about 2 weeks when I would be available but the answer was the same - no appointments whatsoever. I asked what I should do and she just sighed theatrically and said "just call us if you need us".

I am really surprised by this - my question is why and how often I would need to see the midwives if I am consultant led and having ELCS? Does being consultant led mean I don't need to see the midwives? I am a bit concerned that things like growth scans and measurements will be overlooked. If the midwives won't see me, who will do this? I have been told to book my 20 week scan when I attend the consultant appointment but I am now really concerned that I won't get an appointment for that either!

Should I complain? I am in Wirral if anyone has any direct experience.

TIA!

OP posts:
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Goingtobeawesome · 18/06/2016 08:16

My having to see a consultant didn't affect midwife appointments.

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YesYABU · 18/06/2016 08:18

You should still see the midwife for your antenatal appointments in key weeks.

Is the one to one midwife service available in the wirral- //www.onetoonemidwives.org/enquiries

It is NHS funded and you can book direct with them for your antenatal care. They even do appointments at your house.

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Jenjen85 · 18/06/2016 08:19

Iv registered with the one to one midwives who are brilliant. You get your own midwife (its free) and can call/text whenevrr you need them, also appointments can be done at your home. Im 99% sure they operate in the wirral area too so maybe look into it. You should have a 16wk appointment with the midwife even if your consultant led and having a ELCS shouldnt make a difference

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HopeArden · 18/06/2016 08:19

You should be seen every 4 weeks to check blood pressure, urine and growth. The midwife doesn't necessarily have to be the one to do this, so long as it gets done by someone. They should also listen to the baby's heartbeat. If your midwife can't see you, I would feel no hesitation in booking a GP appt. The 20 week scan is really important and shouldn't be left - ideally you should have it before 20 weeks so if they do say there are no appts (I don't think they will though) then you need to kick off and massively complain. Tbh though, they will probably prioritise the scan over routine appts if you seeing the consultant anyway.

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YesYABU · 18/06/2016 08:21

Oh and I'm consultant let but still see community midwife as often as everyone else. At your booking appointment you should be given a generic overview of antenatal appointments in which weeks depending on whether its your first baby or not.

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YoungGirlGrowingOld · 18/06/2016 08:28

Thanks for the replies - basically that confirms what I thought! The issue is with the community midwives. I saw a midwife at the hospital who was really helpful.

I think I have seen something about one to one midwives at the hospital, so I will check that out as well. She was just so dismissive it made me think I was overreacting Sad but it seems ridiculous to just say "there are no appointments, sorry"...

TY all Flowers

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Idontknowwhoiam · 18/06/2016 08:33

Good luck with sorting it out.
I was seeing my obstetrician and diabetic consultant 4 weekly, my diabetic nurse fortnightly and my community midwife as planned in my notes as well.
To me it seemed like too much but my obstetrician insisted on me seeing the community midwife too x

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DrWhy · 18/06/2016 08:39

I was told by one of my midwives that they didn't need to see me if I was seeing the consultant (especially as I am getting growth scans to replace bump measurements) but the latest one I've seen wants to see me for them anyway even if I see a consultant the same week. They do seem to give totally different information in the appointments so I'd persist with trying to see a midwife if you can.

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