Bleeding at 18 weeks

[thesmallbear]

Hello looking for some advice on behalf of a friend. She approached me today with tears in her eyes as there was a bit of bright red blood when she wiped. She also says she's had some pain at the top of her bump.

When I MC'd I started bleeding at 8 weeks so know how to get a referral to EPU, but is it EPU she needs at 18 weeks? Said to contact her GP or midwife & if she can't get an appointment go to A&E (that's what my docs said when I couldn't get an appointment for over a week). I actually ring EPU as I didn't want to waste A&E's time and they just saw me in the end.

I've told her bleeding doesn't always mean anything, but she knows what happened to me so is shitting herself. I'd like to offer some advice.

She needs to get to antenatal to get checked out.

Hope all is ok.

Will they scan her? Does she need to be referred by her GP i.e. I know EPU are unlikely to see you without a referral. Is antenatal the same (and I assume that's a hospital department - sorry for being thick)?

In our local hospital we are told to immediately ring up our scanning unit (ours is called the maternal and foetal assessment unit) and they will squeeze you in. Otherwise if you can't get through, go straight to a and e. Seriously, don't worry about wasting anyone's time, they prefer you to be over cautious when a baby is involved.

She should be seen by maternity assessment at 18 weeks (EPU under 16 weeks) which is 24hrs - she should call the number in her hand held notes and they'll tell her to go in.

Reassure her that bleeding does not always mean a miscarriage - I bled all the way through my pregnancy (having had a miscarriage previously so it terrified me) and I now have a 3 month old.

Hope everything works out ok for your friend.

If her a and e and scanning department are in the same place, then she could just go straight to a and e as they will send her straight up to the scanning department if it is open. Tell your friend not to wait. When I was pregs and had problems I was told off for mucking around with out of hours GPs and midwives - they said I should have gone straight to hospital in a taxi.

I second what MNippy says above - I went to the hospital around ten times during my pregnancy. They'd always rather see you than not, however minor it turns out to be.

Thanks for all the responses. She's sent me a message to say she's contacted her midwife who has said if it gets any worse to go to A&E. There has been no further bleeding since she got home from work which I think is a good sign. If it happens again she will go straight to A&E.