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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that 12 weeks is an awfully long time to go without seeing a midwife?

35 replies

Georgimama · 12/03/2011 08:43

And let's just clear up right away that I don't mean the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

I am pregnant with DC2 (although this is pregnancy 4 due to MCs) and I last saw MW at 16 weeks. I have anomaly scan at 21 weeks and then I am not to see MW again until 28 weeks. My urine and blood pressure won't be checked at the anomaly scan, so that's 12 weeks without either being checked. I think that is too long.

Would it be unreasonable to make a GP appointment for about 24 weeks and just ask for a urine sample to be dipped and my BP checked?

OP posts:
JennyPiccolo · 12/03/2011 08:45

No, it wouldnt be unreasonable. That does seem an awful long time, and i had pretty crap care when pg.

LeroyJethroGibbs · 12/03/2011 08:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

WidowWadman · 12/03/2011 08:53

I think it's ok to be honest. It is a long wait, but if you don't encounter any difficulties then there's no need to see a midwife. If you experience problems by all means ring your midwife, but taking up GP time just because you don't like the length of the wait is unreasonable

I think some pharmacies offer bloodpressure checking against a small fee, but again, if you don't have any reason to suspect yours is raised, there's no need to do it.

If you were at any increased risk, e.g. due to obstetric history, they would have put you onto closer intervalls.

(I'm doing the same waits myself btw, but feel ok about it, as I know the midwife is only a phonecall away should I need her)

Original poster
Georgimama · 12/03/2011 08:55

I figured that if I made an appointment that wasn't scheduled (there is a timeline in the front of my notes which it seems is set in stone) the MW will get pissy, as yours did. That's why I was going to opt for my GP. I don't really care if he gets pissy with me Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Georgimama · 12/03/2011 08:58

If this was my first pregnancy I would have had 2 MW appointments in this interval. I don't see what is supposed to be intrinsically safer about this pregnancy just because my body has done it before. I'm four years older than I was then, frankly I weigh more, and I've had 2 miscarriages since then.

12 weeks is an awfully long time for my body and the baby to wait if I am developing pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes, either of which could happen and I wouldn't know.

OP posts:
JoyceBarnaby · 12/03/2011 09:00

I'm also in the same boat as you, but sorry, I think it's perfectly reasonable to wait 12 weeks to check those things under normal circumstances.

I say normal circumstances because obviously they do check certain women more often, for example those with a history of high blood pressure, and that makes sense.

I, however, am perfectly healthy and I don't feel I need any extra checks. As a previous poster has said, I know my MW and Dr are only a phonecall away if I have concerns, but as yet, I don't!

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 12/03/2011 09:01

I was quite shocked when I found out about the long gap as well. No doubt statistics have been looked at and the pary line would be that statistically all should be fine, blah blah blah. However I feel it is a spending cut in the wrong place.

How can woman get to know their team of MW's if there are hardly any checks for the duration of the pregnancy?

I believe that to get an accurate picture of growth you need to plot a trend. A 12 week gap does not allow you to see a trend.

The biggest cost of regularly taking BP and dipping urine is the cost and time of the MW, and there's the problem. There aren't enough to do the job. Sad

Bogeyface · 12/03/2011 09:02

There are these guidelines because there isnt any need to see a normal pregnant woman any more often. As it says in your notes, if you have certain symptoms that you feel need checking then you can make an appointment but as long as everything is normal then there really isnt any need.

I remember when I had my eldest, I had to go once a month from booking in until a couple of months before EDD when it went down to once a fortnight, then once a week. And it was a PITA!! All they did was test urine and listen to the heartbeat, which was nice but as I had no other symptoms, a complete waste of time!

As long as you are feeling regular movements when you start the get them, and are in good general health then there is no reason to be concerned. Read up on what signs and symptoms you should be aware of as needing attention, but dont waste surgery time for the sake of a dipstick test.

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 12/03/2011 09:03

If people don't need the reassurance of seeing a MW then that's fine, but the majority of people do. Pregnancy can be an anxious time for some people and they find talking about it with their MW helps, what doesn't help is a MW being pissy because you've booked an extra appointment.

JoyceBarnaby · 12/03/2011 09:03

I don't think pregnancy is 'safer' second time around - just that they ate over cautious first time around because they have no idea how your body is going to react.

Would it help you to worry less if you read a bit about gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia to help you to recognise other symptoms? Then, if you have reason to believe you might be at risk, you will be armed with knowledge when you visit your Dr?

TeaOneSugar · 12/03/2011 09:04

GPs rarely see pregnant women these days (unless they have a pre-existing condition that needs management).

If you want to see someone you need to make a MW appointment.

minibmw2010 · 12/03/2011 09:04

It does seem like a long time, but I'm pregnant with DS1 and so haven't done all this before. At our GP surgery the midwife sees you at 12 weeks, then I had my 20 week scan, saw the midwife again at 25 weeks, will see her again next week at 28 weeks and I don't know what other checks there will be. It has felt OK because I've been led by them as to what is the right amount of appointments. If I felt unwell (and thankfully I haven't) then I think I'd feel OK about booking extra appointments. They've been generally friendly so I'd hope I'd get a good reaction.

JoyceBarnaby · 12/03/2011 09:07

Sorry, just one other thing to add - although I still think the 12 weeks is a reasonable wait in a healthy, subsequent pregnancy and is a fair model for pregnant women, it's also true what people have said about the MW being there to reassure you. So, if for any reason you are a bit more anxious and would like to see them, it should definitely be your right to.

gastonscave · 12/03/2011 09:07

Make an appointment to see your Doctor if it will put your mind at rest. Hmm at you'll be wasting his time, that is what they are there for. You have a history of mc and want reassurance yanbu.

A very good friend has just recently had a beautiful dd and I am appalled at her care before the birth and after birth, it took the mw a week to come and see her at home after a CS. If I was ever to consider another pregnancy I would be put off by the lack of antenatal care that seems to be the norm now

TeaOneSugar · 12/03/2011 09:10

gastonscave GPs are there to see patients with a medical condition that needs diagnosis and/or management, midwives are the specialists when it comes to a standard healthy pregnancy.

littlebylittle · 12/03/2011 09:11

When I booked with no 3 they made it clear that although there was no clinical need to routinely see midwife between 16 and 24 weeks, if I felt I wanted the appointment they would see me. If you feel the need for reassurance even if nothing wrong, go ahead and book one.

VajazzHands · 12/03/2011 09:16

I hated going so probably went longer than that tbh, but I can see why you would want to be seen more frequently. Just request an appt, you are allowed to. congrats btw

pistachio · 12/03/2011 09:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Georgimama · 12/03/2011 09:39

It's not a spending cut Iliketomoveit - or at least not a recent credit crunch cuts one. I remember the same flowchart from 4 years ago and noticed then that you get fewer appointments second time around. I just don't see why. My mother said she say her MW with the same frequency (every 4 weeks then every 2 weeks then every week) for all three pregnancies.

OP posts:
Liskey · 12/03/2011 09:46

I'd say YANBU - you should be able to get that reassuarance. In my pregnancy I got pre-ecampsia without any of the symptoms apart from high blood pressure so I didn't know to go and get checked - it ony got picked up when I went for my 36 week appt and looking back I'd probably had it for a while but I hadn't realised my swollen hands and feet were a sign.

choccybox · 12/03/2011 10:18

But pregnancy is not an illness!

Having routine appointments when no medical need seem pointless to me. If you feel you need to speak to midwife then make appointment but it would not be good to increase the standardised care in normal pregnanies.

Also you have 20 anomaly week scan so atleast get to see baby in between.

valiumredhead · 12/03/2011 10:24

But pregnancy is not an illness!

Not for most people but for some it can be. If I hadn't seen a midwife at 26 weeks both ds and I wouldn't be here now. And I had no symptoms and hadn't a clue anything was wrong.

tallulah · 12/03/2011 11:12

YANBU

I had my DC5 4 years ago and hardly saw the MW at all. My other children were born 15, 17, 19 and 21 years before DC5 and things were very different then.

messylittlemonkey · 12/03/2011 11:22

Rightly or wrongly, I think that's normal for subsequent pgs.

I had very regular appts with mws/consultants with DD1 as I have a non pregnancy based medical condition which they wanted to monitor. I felt as though I was at the hospital every week!

Anyway, we moved cities in between children and when I became pg with DD2 (having had no medical probs in first pg), I had pretty much the schedule of appts that you mention OP. I suppose if you've done it once, you don't need hand-holding in the same way during subsequent pgs. I preferred not having so many appts, but knew that I could always ring mw if necessary (which I did on a couple of occasions).

good luck!

expatinscotland · 12/03/2011 11:22

Tallulah, how was it different, if I may ask? I had my third and last 2 years ago, but I always had lots of appointments because I had aneamia, high blood pressure and rather scary oedema with all my pregnancies.

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