can't get 16 week appt, is it crucial?

[nightowlmostly]

Hi, have just been on the phone to the doctor's surgery to find out whether the midwife would be calling me to make a 16 week appt for me or if I needed to do it. Receptionist said that next week and the week after are all booked up already, so by the time I could get one I would be 18+4. She seemed to take great delight in telling me this as well, for some reason.

There are drop in clinics but they are really inconvenient for me as they fall on days and times that don't go well with my night shift work pattern.
I guess what I'm asking is should I make an appt for 18+4 or should I get time off and go to one of these drop in clinics sooner? I just don't know how important this appt is and whether I need to be seen sooner rather than later.

Thanks so much, am a bit stressed out! I don't know why there is so little information about what we need to do, if I'd known I had to make the appt I'd have done it ages ago, but I thought that because they have all my info and dates now that they'd automatically schedule an appt for me! Oh well, you learn something new every day.

At mine we just went through the results of the blood tests taken at the booking in appointment and the 12 week scan and then listened to the heartbeat. If I were you I would want to get the test results but they could give you these over the phone but. if you haven't any major concerns then I should think the rest can wait a couple of weeks.

My midwife books in the next appointment when I see her, so the 16 week one was booked when I had my booking in appt. So when you do see her next make sure she books you the next appointment while you are there.

If it's your first pregnancy, you'll need to make appts with the midwife at weeks 16, then 20 wk scan will be sent to you but chase it from now if you don't have a date for it. Then you have to make appts at 24 wks with midwife, 28 wks, 32 and 36.

Every 4 weeks, basically. I wouldn't worry about this one being a bit late - mine have usually been a week or so out, as the midwife clinics are only every fortnight at my surgery.

All they do is check your pee, blood pressure and listen for baby's heartbeat anyway. At 28 wks I had a blood test too and she measured my bump, neither had happened before.

It's really routine stuff, so if you're feeling ok then don't worry at all! You can always ring the midwives directly if you need to see them for something specific, like reduction in movement, morning sickness, or whatever.

Worth asking the midwife if they can squeeze you in somewhere - I know mine gets booked to the eyeballs with her scheduled clinics - but when I wanted to delay booking my booking in appointment until I knew the pregnancy was viable (lots of miscarriages and weekly scans and I wanted to wait till the heartbeat had been spotted) she just told me to do that, and if she was booked, get a message to her via my GP and she'd schedule another time to see me (which she did). She knows I'm not likely to even book my 16 week one till I'm clear of the first trimester and has said to do the same again if I want to (I've got the week she wants to see me written down - just haven't actually made the appointment slot yet for fear of it all going wrong again) - but she's incredibly helpful and a real good 'un.

In fact I have my '32wk' appt this Thur - I'll be 33 + 2

They just want to see you regularly, basically.

I was on holiday for this and ended up being 3 weeks late as wasnt actually aware i was supposed to see the midwife! Not an issue and no problems at all being late - as long as you feel fine and have no major issues (which lets face it, you could always go see your GP over!) I wouldnt stress!

Thanks everyone, I feel better now. I'm mostly ok mood-wise, but sometimes things seem really much worse than they actually are and I get upset. Bloody hormones! Thanks again for all reasurance and advice, much appreciated.

I was told to book between 16 & 18 weeks, so it doesn't sound like you're too late with it. It was a very simple check up - blood pressure, urine test for any infections, results from bloods taken at booking in and a listen to the heart beat.

The midwife booked the next appointment with me then and there, which is just as well because I'm so forgetful. I nearly ended up at the wrong hospital for my consultant's appointment last week - 40 mins in totally the opposite direction from where I was supposed to be!

My 16 week appt was very quick too; results, BP, urine test and heartbeat. All my scans have been out by a week 12 and 19 instead of 13 and 20 seems to be the way our hospital does it) and my 28 week appt is at 29+4, so as long as everything is going OK I wouldn't worry.
I do book them when I am there though so try and do that next time so you don't have to remember to ring.

How far along are you now?

Where I live at the 16week appt they take bloods for the triple test of you've opted to have that done.
Not sure if that's the same everywhere though.

most of my appointments have been "late"
my 20 week scan was at 22+4, and my appointment today was the first one that's fallen into the correct week.
(I had one at 29+3 weeks, which was supposed to be 28 weeks, but the original booking (27+5) was cancelled because of a home birth,

This is my first pregnancy and I saw the midwife at 14 weeks and then not again until 25 weeks. She didn't do one inbetween because I didn't want the downs blood test and said she'd be in touch should there be any issues with my other blood tests.

Mine was a waste of time. She was running 40 mins late. Took my BP (could
Do that at home) checked wee and tried to listen to a heart beat but struggled. Was only in for 5 mins. If ur mega concerned you could go at 18 wk just to put ur mind at rest

Don't forget thought that urine tests can be quite important as an infection could cause complications, that's why everytime you see your midwife they will get a sample. Although I'm sure it could wait until then or maybe see the doctor and do one?

What about just making a GP appointment instead to get your test results and have blood pressure / urine done?

I should add actually that our GP insists on seeing all pregnant women at 20 weeks, so that is perhaps why we don't get one inbetween the 14/16wk and 25wk appt.