Long wait for booking appointment?

[Sophia1984]

Hi everyone, I'm about 5 weeks pregnant. I made an appointment with my GP as soon as I got a BFP. She was lovely but didn't do much except check I was taking my vitamins and discuss the medication I'm on.

She has said she's going to refer me to the midwife and she'll ring me to make a booking appointment, but that they are short of midwives (!) at the minute so it might not be till late September - I'll be 12 weeks by then and would have hoped to have my first scan by then, not just the first meeting with the midwife.

Is this normal? Can they organise the booking appointment and scan at same time when they ring me? It's my first pregnancy so I'm not sure what I'm meant to do till then! I'd really like to have had my scan before end of September as it's my mum's birthday and I want to be able to tell her then :-)

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

It depends on the area - in London I had my scan before the booking appointment!

[CarShare]

I had three referrals go missing and in the end I called the hospital to book my scan and asked the GP to speak to the midwife directly (I got an apt the next day). In the end I saw the midwife at 11 weeks and had my scan at 12 weeks but I had to persevere a bit or I've no idea when I'd have seen anyone!

[LorryHen]

I had my booking at 11+5 and was fine :) x

[TenForward82]

That sucks. If I was forced to wait that long I'd have a private scan, although I appreciate they're not cheap.

[Sophia1984]

I'm in Newcastle - I think I assumed London would be more overstretched than here. I'm really tempted to get a private one - will wait and see how long it takes the midwife to get in touch with me.

[BadgerFace]

The scan and booking appointments can be sent out at the same time - after my GP referral I got two letters with the appointments as they are different departments so you don't have to have the booking appt before they give you your scan date.

Your scan ought to be before 14 weeks +1 day so they can do the Downs tests (if you want the test). My "12 weeks" scan was at nearly 13 weeks despite my booking appointment being at 10 weeks.

[mummyneedinganswers]

Where I'm from its protocol in every hospital that we don't see a midwife or have a scan until 12 weeks (our booking app) but if an earlier scan is required it has to be referred to epu x

[mrschatty]

I was advised standard for booking in 10-14 week and my hospital isn't overstretched seems to be norm!

[SoozeyHoozey]

Saw the midwife at 9 weeks, scan booked for 12 weeks.

[TenForward82]

I booked in at 8 weeks, scan at 12+4. Next scan is at 22w

[Hopefulnewbie]

It does vary depending on where you live but from my experience and what I’ve read – that’s fairly normal
I had mine at about 10 weeks then had my scan at 13 weeks(ish)

If you did want to rush a scan I think you would have to book a private one

[LumpyCustard69]

My booking in appointment was at 10 weeks (midwife at local surgery), but luckily my midwife called me 2 weeks before to discuss referring me for a scan. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have got one 'til after 14weeks as the hospital is rammed permanently! Receptionist apparently should have advised me regarding booking my scan and timescales.
If your hospital is a busy one I would call your midwife and ask her to book a scan for you before you go to your booking in.

[Sophia1984]

I'm feeling all anxious about this today. We don't actually live within the catchment area of our GPs anymore, but have never had to tell them that because we've never needed referrals sent out to an address. We don't want to move as this one is convenient and my partner has a really good doctor there for ongoing issues. Also, we might be moving back into catchment during the pregnancy. I'm now worried that I'm going to have to tell them my new address so they can send out booking appointments etc, and they'll kick us off the list! I've also started the process of referral to community midwife here, so don't want to have to register elsewhere and waste time starting again. It's as easy and quick to get to this surgery as one we'd be in the catchment area of.. I thought everything would just happen at the hospital and GPs wouldn't be involved :( The receptionists at this surgery are absolutely awful and really rude!