Not being seen til second trimester

[rainraim]

Sorry I know this isn't the place to post

Am having a really tough pregnancy, it seems now you must fill in a self referral form for the midwife and they will be in touch with you. I didn't do this with previous pregnancies, I simply called my doctor surgery and they passed my details to a community midwife to be in touch with me.
Anyways am told midwife won't contact me til 11-12 weeks for the booking appointment and then arrange a date for the scan.
Is it bizarre that I won't see a midwife at all in my first trimester? I last had a baby nearly 3 years ago, has covid changed things? Am usually low on iron even after taking pregnacare vitamins, so I wouldn't know this as I am not being seen. This time I feel so so tired, nauseous all day, can barely eat, every smell puts me off, am so cold and that's with the heating on full blast, am so out of breath without doing anything, I don't have energy to even speak.
Can I be expected to be seen by a doctor? I really feel I need to have bloods taken in order to ensure am not lacking anything. I just can't see how am supposed to wait til 11-12 weeks. Am currently 7 weeks.

Agree my local midwife team won’t even accept a referral until past 8 weeks!
Booking appt 10-12 weeks
Scan 12-14 weeks

Still no harm in asking them if they would mind arranging for you to have bloods- if not then GP

This is how it was where I live when I had my now 3yr old. I had an initial appointment with my GP when I found out and she booked my scan. There was a problem with lots of long term sickness in the community midwife team so I didn't get booked in by them until I was 13 weeks and had had my scan. I did find it quite stressful to be honest. I'd try and see your GP if you're worried about anything in the meantime though l

Is this second baby? I believe you get fewer appointments after the first.

NHS website says you should be seen by 20 weeks

Sorry 10 weeks - swollen fingers!

Yes this is totally normal now, booking in appointment just before scan, in lock down done that was being done in the phone then the scan was the actual first contact. X

This is all stuff your doctors needs to do not your midwife.

No one, I have EVER known has been seen at 6 weeks! You could easily loose the baby and that would be sad for everyone involved and also not practical for this reason.

I'm not seeing my midwife till 13 weeks and scan is 14 weeks.

Any problems you need to go to your doctors.
And seriously filling in a form isn't much hassle at all

I have been pregnant 7 times in total (not all survived) and my booking appointment was always between 10 and 14 weeks. Two different districts, eldest is 11 and youngest is 15 months.

With my 1st I had to phone the maternity department to get booked in myself. Appointment was quite early if I remember rightly. They basically just took details, checked i was pregnant then I went back at 10 weeks for a booking appointment then scan at 12 weeks.

With my miscarriage I phoned after I found out again but they said they had stopped the early appointments and wouldn't actually do anything until after i was 7 weeks and it would be all over phone. That was April 2020 (lost in May 2020)

Then with my 2nd this time last year I waited until after 7 weeks to phone them (mainly because I kept thinking I'd lose it again) and it was all phone appointments until 16 weeks.

So far I’ve had a phone call for the booking in appointment, then 2 weeks later at 10 weeks had an appointment with a community midwife for height / weight / bloods. I’ve been told it will be 12 week scan, phone call with my midwife around 16/17 weeks, 20 week scan and then a face to face midwife appointment at 24 weeks.

It is very different to my first pregnancy in 2019, all due to covid.

Interesting that the NHS website says you should be seen by 10 weeks but that doesn’t seem to be many people’s experience even going back years. I guess they’re just chronically overstretched.

I can’t remember but I think I did have a booking appointment sometime before 12 weeks, over the phone.

Pre-COVID, I saw a midwife at 10 weeks but don’t remember having tests or anything. It was mostly being weighed, form filling, being told what foods not to eat (bit late for that), and checking I wasn’t in a bad situation at home.

But if you’re having issues you should see your GP or at least get a phone appointment to discuss. I paid for an early private scan too which didn’t tell me much but was reassuring.

@AutumnLeaves21

No way has it been routine to see the midwife from 6 weeks onwards for a very long time (at least 16 years!). Definitely not in the U.K. booking appointment , scan then regular appointment 16 weeks onwards. If you feel unwell you need to see a gp.

^^This

I had my booking appointment at around 10 weeks after self referral, all done over the phone. A week later I went to the hospital for bloods to be taken (organised by midwife). I had my first scan at 13 weeks which is the first time I've seen anyone face to face. I'm booked in to see the community midwife at 16 weeks and they booked my 20 week scan at the one I had at 13 weeks.

GP has done everything else in terms or changing my regular meds and managing symptoms of first trimester. I also informed my hospital specialists but they've left it all to my gp with the provider that if any issues arise I can review with them.