They showed up announced?!

I've done finger pricks for GD and it does slice your finger sometimes. The lancet is supposed to cut pretty deeply.

Avoid the middle of your finger pad and parts too close to the nail.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, please talk to your HCPs about it. There may be someone among the four teams who is approachable.

You should not have been disrespected but I assume they got frustrated with your casual attitude. You can't go 3 weeks without a blood test in your circumstances. Being ill can also make it worse. Your posts state that you were annoyed at them simply for turning up and that's a concern. You even suggested you'd not let them in if they come again that's why posters are being a bit harsh. You don't need to do anything you don't want to but surely you want to minimise risk to yourself and your baby? You should bite your tongue and ask for more support for your blood tests, or you could end up in hospital to monitor it. Try doing it after a bath or shower. I hope you feel better soon and the rest of your pregnancy and your labour goes well.

It's not. Maybe once if twice but not for weeks, Christmas was weeks ago - it's not difficult to take readings

They have a duty of care to both you but also your baby.

You didn't show up and you've not been taking your blood sugar readings - which in all honesty isn't difficult even if you've got Covid - there's really no excuse. GD is a serious condition not just for you but also your unborn child.

If you've had this attitude before then they're right to be concerned. Also if you're under 4 teams as well as having GD then I'm assuming you're quite high risk.

When you prick your finger, do you add a little pressure and squeeze to get the blood out?

I also am in a service provider job (legal aid) where I come into contact with very vulnerable, often very upset, and defensive people. They are often angry with me (or appear so)- the person trying to help them. Their anger can get in the way of my assistance.

Being patronising and suspicious is no way to build trust and rapport- which are essential for good service provision.

Service providers in public health who treat people in the way described by OP are acting unprofessionally and are ultimately damaging the relationship between vulnerable mums and the medical system.

You said "That you're angry and talking about refusing them entry is utterly bizarre, and if anything it'll (correctly imo) ramp up scrutiny."

Someone being increasingly scrutinised (or threatened with such) because they're naturally upset and frustrated at their poor treatment in their own home at the hands of service providers is punitive and unfair.

Free choice only has meaning if people are free to make choices that others consider bizarre. There would be little point in OP bringing up free choice if she was just going along with what other people want of her. And there would be no point at all in consent being a central tenet of health care ethics if people weren’t free to make choices that did not align with their HCP’s idea of what is best for them.

The midwives could have given OP information about the consequences of not getting tested without coming across as rude. It is perfectly possible to educate people without being condescending if you accept that it is up to them how they act on the information you give them. But nothing OP has said suggests they gave her any information she didn’t already know, so that’s a bit of a shot in the dark on your part anyway.

These midwives will have seen stuff that would break your heart; most registered clinicians have and do, on an all too regular basis.
None of them are in the job because it gives them 'authority' either (you're getting your emergency services mixed up. A not uncommon phenomenon tbf, as any fire fighter who has worked bonfire night would attest).
Your talk of institutionalised punishment is beyond bullshit; fuck knows how an impression like that is even formed.

Can your DP/relative/friend get a nurse at your surgery to do it. I have awful veins those nurses I swear could get blood out of a stone. I presume it's your DP the midwife lectured. Well partners do need a kick up the backside sometimes.

General care like food, fluids, changing bedding, washing, tidying, hoovering. She may have clocked something you haven't noticed being so ill. A midwife once told me that they do observe things.

Have you tried other parts of the hand? The side of the hand or thumb pad (do I mean thumb pad? I mean the palm just below the thumb but can't think what to call it) might provide a better sample. I expect the side would sting if you used it for months, but for a few readings just to get an idea of whether you have spiking sugars, it might not be so bad.

I'm sorry you've had a rough experience today. I hate being talked down to!

OP with regards to trying to get blood for the testing can I recommend keeping your hands really warm beforehand. Either sit on them, have them on a hot water bottle or hold a cup of tea etc, even wear gloves. Sounds silly but it’s so chilly at the moment & even in general it will help the blood to flow better. Good luck with the testing, I hope it gets easier. If not you could possibly ask if they’d consider a monitor instead!

You possibly have GD and havnt monitored for 3 weeks - not surprised mw turned up.

I suspect they did have your best interests at heart, but bloody hell people can be condescending too, it drives me crazy sometimes. You meet them in all walks of life, NHS etc. Sometimes we are able to challenge this and sometimes not (no time, or we’re too shocked to confront and draw a boundary, or we just let it slide). It often leaves me fuming regardless of whether I challenged the condescension or not.

I’d definitely complain! Legally you don’t even have to see a health professional let alone midwives all through your pregnancy and that includes health visitors unless you have some sort of social services involvement. So yep, write a strongly worded letter,to their manager

They didn't need to be condescending and rude while they were there though

So you don't actually have GD? Have you had a GTT at all as surely this would be the best way to decide if you need to monitor your blood sugar?

Have you managed any readings at all and how have they been?

Some info is being left out as I'm unsure why the HCP's are insisting you test your blood sugar.

I'm also surprised you can't get a reading at all? You cannot get a few drops of blood at all? Is your machine faulty?

Who do you live with? What help have you had for your illness? Have you seen a GP?

Sorry for all the questions. Although I'm just a random on the Internet so I imagine if this is the (lack of) info your MW has then no wonder they are sending people to check on you. You can't tell them you are too sick to collect a script / can't get any readings / miss an appointment / be an incredibly high risk pregnancy (if you are under 4 teams it must be high risk?) and not expect anyone to at least check on you.

So send your family member to get the lancets or ask your family member to bring you to A&E to get your covid treated.

Don't just sit there fighting with the HCPs. What do you think you'll gain by that? Do you think they'll just shut up and go away?

Get help if you can't do what is needed. If you're feeling overwhelmed and ill, get more support and seek treatment.

There's a bigger picture here that you're completely missing.

The UK is utterly mental with its hero worship of authority 😂 OP should be punished through institutional scrutiny because she didn't like inappropriate (demanding proof on a phone, as though they're the police) and patronising contact? For goodness sake

And do not even consider pretending you're not home if there's a follow up visit.

I agree.

GD isn't something you can just blow off because you're ill.

If you have covid and are pregnant, it would have been a good idea to seek treatment.

The HCPs visited (unannounced) because statistically speaking, you are at greater risk for domestic violence if you are pregnant, and you mention you are young and this is not your first pregnancy, so that risk is magnified. You have very likely been flagged for risk in your circumstances. That would explain why they berated the family member for not looking after you, and frankly, your family are not looking after you if nobody has taken your covid or your GD testing or your appointments seriously.

It behooves you to communicate with all the teams involved in your care, and not to depend on one team to let the rest know what's happening. If you're not able to do this, maybe family members could help?

In general, if you're so ill or confused that you lose track of appointments, it would probably be a good idea to seek extra support (are there patient advocates?) or try to figure out ways of keeping track - calendars, reminders on your phone, roping in a family member to keep track of it all.

Just to clarify, are you being asked to do the readings to see if you have GD? Because I recall in one of my pregnancies doing them twice a day and feeling really anxious about the idea I might have it. I may well be wrong, but I’m wondering if they are concerned that you are not doing these readings so they won’t be able to establish if you have GD or not? Apologies in advance if I’ve misunderstood