Should I book myself with a midwife already?

[Badgerwife]

I found out I was pregnant a couple of days ago (i'm 5 weeks) and booked a GP appointment. I'm not being seen until next Friday 3rd Dec. Should I go ahead and book myself to see a midwife, or should I wait until after I see the GP?

There isn't any doubt I'm pregnant, the nausea has already kicked in (grr), but I don't want to get ahead of myself and turn into a mumzilla.

What do you think?

I never saw GP, rang surgery, told them I was pregnant, was told to make an appt with midwife for around 9/10 weeks. That was my booking in appt. 3rd Dec is tomorrow week (aagh how did that happen ) I would leave it until then unless you have a really busy surgery, of course you will be running into Christmas/New Year holidays so may have to wait a while anyway. Ps Congratulations, is it your first?

Check your surgeries way of doing this. At mine, you see the GP and then book an appointment with the CMW.

They won't often see you before 6 weeks anyway as the risk of miscarriage is so high. You only need to see them in time to book the dating scan before 14 weeks, so you've got loads of time.

I'd check with your GP surgery. Mine wouldn't allow me to contact the midwives at all until I'd seen a GP to confirm, then they sent the paperwork to the hospital for the midwife to then contact me. I'd do it soonish so you don't get caught up in a Christmas backlog. For various reasons I wasn't able to see my GP until I was 8 weeks and its taken almost 4.5 weeks for the hospital to acknowledge my paperwork and give me a scan date (its tomorrow and I've only got that because I pestered them for it).

With Christmas in the way, I'd get in there now. The system can grind slowly in December and August!

I would just book an appt with the MW. GP's like you to see them first as I believe they get some sort of financial reward for seeing you, however it is totally unncessary to see them unless you have an ongoing medical condition that will affect your pregnancy.

Good luck

Would just like to clarify the GP himself doesn't get bunged a fiver , the practice receives some sort of reward or extra financial allocation.

Thank you all for your messages, my first thread!!
mrspickles, yes, I did specify with the receptionist that I was pregnant and she booked the appointment without asking any more questions so I guess that's what they want me to do. I'm also away in France during the Christmas holidays so I'll struggle to see a midwife then! Which reminds me I have no hope in hell of hiding the pregnancy once I am surrounded by my family. They'll know as soon as I refuse the first glass of champagne...

Wigglesrock, yes it is my first. I stopped the pill in July with my fingers crossed that I would miraculously get pregnant so I'd give birth during the summer holidays (DH is a teacher) so it's worked a treat

We used to book to see the doc who then referred to the mw. But when I went to see the doc at 6 weeks, she asked if I had already booked the mw as its left upto us now apparantly. I hadn't as at one time, they wouldn't see you before 12 weeks minimum. Which was where the dating scan came in.

Can I just point out though that it has all changed and the reason they now say asap, is for blood tests that need to be done (I think) between 8 and 10 weeks, so the earlier the better.

and I forgot the :) at the end of my post sorry lol.

In some hospitals (quite a lot now actually, certainly in London) you can just book yourself in online - just go to their site and fill in the booking form and you will be sent an appointment.

Not widely known yet but will be progressively rolled out in the near future. The hospital where I work is now getting quite a lot of online bookings without having seen a GP.