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Pregnancy

Help! First pregnancy and GP clinic not being helpful

9 replies

bugista · 10/08/2015 18:02

Hi ladies,

I'm pregnant and just got back from my GP. I think I'm 7 weeks pregnant but asked if I could have a scan as my LMP was 26th of May so I could be further on than that (I have irregular cycles so need to confirm).

I'm totally confused by some of the info she gave me so was wondering if anyone could help:

  • midwife appointment: she referred me but its to a specific hospital midwife. We aren't sure if we want to go to this hospital but doc said, if I wanted somewhere else, it would be a different midwife and I'd need to choose now. I wanted to have a look around the maternity wards etc and do some research but I wasn't expecting to have to do this so early. Is it possible to change at a later date?!
  • the earliest appt to meet the midwife is over 4 weeks away. I'll be 11 weeks by then hopefully but it could be more if I've got my dates wrong. How long will it take to book in the 12 week scan once I've met the midwife?
  • can I push to have an earlier scan given I don't know my dates? The GP clinic weren't helpful and said they couldn't do anything and it would have to go through the midwife but I'm not seeing her for ages. Has anyone had a private scan?


I feel a bit alone and desperate for info now - if anyone can help or just reassure me that I'm doing what I can then that would be great! Confused

Thanks xx
OP posts:
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AbbeyRoadCrossing · 10/08/2015 18:11

Congratulations!

You can move hospital but you'd need to book in and do all the paperwork again so I wouldn't move around scan time.

The dating scan (often called 12 week scan) and tests are between 11-14 weeks so it doesn't matter if your dates are slightly out as this is whern they'd date you.

Every hospital is different, with my 1st they booked me in with the midwife after the scan. At my second hospital it was 8 weeks, just depends on their policy and how busy they are.

Not all hospitals will let you look round wards because of the patients but you can often get into online. To be honest if you're going to be on the ward (rather than birth centre) most wards are pretty similar

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MummyBex1985 · 10/08/2015 18:16

Have you considered paying for a private scan? Some places say they can date you from 8 weeks and they're pretty reasonably priced Smile

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bugista · 10/08/2015 18:35

Thanks AbbeyRoad! I actually don't know if we will go for a ward or a birthing centre - clueless and dont know what the differences are, hah. I think the hospital we are looking at has a consultant led ward and a midwife led unit so wanted to get more info on the differences etc. I'll def look at some reviews online, thanks.

mummy bex thanks would def consider a private scan. Do I have to go through my GP for that?

Thanks for the responses ladies!

OP posts:
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Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 18:40

Congratulations!

Firstly, stop worrying - this sounds very normal.
You will get a dating scan between 11 and 14 weeks so, if you're seeing a midwife at 11 weeks, she can presumably book that straight away.
I first saw a midwife at 10 weeks and my "12 week" scan, was at 13+2. No probs there. In my area they don't see pregnant women til at least 10 weeks now, whereas with DS1 I saw someone at 7 weeks. It changes all the time.

As regards the hospital, are you sure they do hospital visits in your area anyway? Where I am (on the doorstep of one of the best maternity units in the country, I'm v lucky) they stopped visits a few years ago as it was distressing for patients to have large groups of men and women gawping at them.

I have to say I agree - I lost nothing through not seeing the inside of the maternity unit before I have birth there, but I would have found it very upsetting to have gangs of people from antenatal classes doing the rounds while I was in labour, or postnatal.

A private scan is always an option if you're concerned. We had one with Babybond as, for various reasons, I didn't want to wait til 13 weeks for my first scan. Cost £99 and was reassuring, but not necessarily worth the money IMO.

I hope this helps a bit.

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Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 18:42

Just seen your next post - you don't have to go through your GP for a private scan, no. Just book online, direct with the scan company. They'll ask for your LMP and credit card details, and that's about it!

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annatha · 10/08/2015 18:50

It might be worth ringing the hospital and booking the 12 week scan with them directly. If you explain that you haven't got a midwife appt until 12 weeks and you aren't sure of your dates they may be able to get you in earlier. It seems a bit mad for you to have to choose where to give birth already, but if that's the local policy I'd give the midwives a ring so they can tell you your options over the phone- i.e hospitals, birthing centres etc in your area. You can see if they run tours (most do on sat/sun mornings but you have to ring up on the morning to see if they aren't too busy). Private scans are always an option but its worth seeing if you can get a regular scan first without paying out. Congratulations! I hope that the midwives are a bit more helpful, I didn't even bother seeing the gp for my second pregnancy as they were useless with my first!

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Hellochicken · 10/08/2015 18:56

As already said the first appt is around 11 weeks and scan checks your dates and isn't done until you are 12-14 weeks.
I did get a private 12 wk scan as they only did appointments on a day of week I was working and couldn't get off work at short notice (also would in effect lose my job).
I think you can decide where you give birth later on, i would wait and see if you are having a straightforward pregnancy (so at least after 20 week scan - where they check the babies anatomy for problems). Around this time you get to carry your notes with you.

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AbbeyRoadCrossing · 10/08/2015 19:05

Sorry, I was a bit unclear, for booking in again that's just if you completely change hospitals. Choosing midwife unit or ward happens much later in pregnancy so don't worry about that yet. Not everyone qualifies for the midwife unit anyway so it's not always a choice - it has to be a low risk pregnancy

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Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 19:24

Also, if your preferred hospital has a consultant-led and a midwife-led unit, then you may not get a choice - but equally, you might get a combination of them all.

I went from a room in the midwife-led area, to the birthing pool area, and then to the consultant- led area, all within 24hours. None of that was pre-planned "choice", it was just how things developed on the day.

So don't worry too much about choosing a specific place, as it may all change later anyway. And also, if you have a high BMI or other risk factors, then you may have to go for the consultant unit anyway.

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