Carrying urine sample in a cup across busy Dr surgery...ok?

[MrsMargoLeadbetter]

I went to my local midwife today. Last time I saw her was for booking in, rest of my appointments have been at the hospital due to high risk. The hospital provided sample pots for urine.

So today I asked for a urine sample pot and the local midwife mumbled something about not weeing on the stick (not really sure what she meant, it sounded a bit made up to be honest!) and to see if there was a "cup around the corner".

As it was I'd brought a disposable cup to aid the process, so used that. But that resulted in me walking with an open urine sample across the busy surgery & then back again when she asked me to get rid of it at the end of the appointment.

At 35 weeks most of my dignity has gone to be honest (!) but I did wonder about this process and would have patients (eg not pregnant women) be asked to do this?

I did think it is probably to do with cuts. I would (and will) happily take in a re-usable bowl (cleaned between uses) for next time.

Why I posting is that I am planning to attend my local Maternity Service Liaison Committee on Friday at the hospital as I am free and I know from getting involved on behalf of the NCT last time they are always desperate for actual service users to attend.

However, I am not sure if I am being precious about this. It is only wee and I am sure some approaches in healthcare have gone too far due to health & safety etc.

What happens at your appointments?!?!

With DD i was given a new pot for each appointment, terrible waste i thought. This time i have the same one, i empty it into the loo after each appointment and clean if by putting it in a cup and leaving it in boiling water (cup then goes in dishwasher).

Takes 2 mins and saves waste, what's the problem? How can carrying a sealed pot of wee be embarrassing but pushing a baby out in front of strangers is not? It's only a big of wee :-)

I would raise this as a H and S and a dignity issue.

At my old GP surgery if the Dr wanted to check a sample - you went to the loo, left the sample on top of the toilet, then the GP went in , dipped it, and disposed of the rest of the wee in the toilet. Genius.

my spies tell me the cost is

I think that's part of the issue - not being told how to clean said pot for reusability. I just rinse it with hot water, and again before use, and then make sure it's dry before round two.

It would be helpful if they at least indicated how clean it needs to be...

We're asked to reuse the pots too. I just tip out and rinse at home.
The things that they test for don't need a sterile sample. If here there is a problem then you get given a fresh one for the lab.
Much more sustainable than producing even more rubbish and paying for clinical disposal

With my first pregnancy I was given a new pot at each visit.

This time, I was sent to the loo with the uristick to wee on and bring back.

I assumed it was cost cutting - thanks David Cameron .

In the womens health centre I go to, they have a little cupboard in the toilet. You put the sample in, and then the mw goes to the back of the cupboard and opens it from behind and tests it there. But I am in Sweden.

Had to reuse a pot last pg too. I wouldn't mind except that it was a pot with a sticky label on the outside that wouldn't come off, and avoiding getting said label wet was nigh on impossible - Yuck. The pot was so narrow too, like a test tube.

OP, it sounds like midwife couldn't be bothered to go looking for a pot, I don't think you should have to do this again! They must have sample pots somewhere, if you nag enough they should give you a proper one.

I get the white screw lid sample tubes from the GP surgery. The receptionists there are happy to hand them out in advance - usually you pick one up as you leave the MW appointment ready for the next appointment - and then I just take a full sample tube along to each appointment with me.

I got given a plastic pee pot at 12 weeks and told I had to keep hold of it for all my appointments. Yes, they even gave me my pee back each time too. They said they were recycling. I lost it by 24 weeks and had to beg for another one! x

I had to reuse mine too, and was also given my wee back to dispose of myself! Once I forgot to empty it and found it in my work bag on Monday morning, after a whole weekend of sitting around... Bleurgh! I binned it and said I needed another one. Yuk!

I have to reuse my wee pot as well. Couldn't find the pot last time so thouroughly cleaned an old lush shower jelly pot and used that. Found out that day that flash with bleach contains leukocytes, oops!

OP here. I complained about this and enquired about what the agreed policy is to what I thought was the right place, the local hospital.

They have forwarded to Public Health England, who inform me that they'll respond in 25 days. By which point I'll hopefully have a baby and no need for any more urine samples!

Thanks for all the responses. I am not against bringing my own, but mu issues is that I haven't been told that nor is the experience uniform across different sites.

Will update if they say anything interesting or helpful!!

Thanks again.