A call for a change to be made to the 'no-doppler policy' at 16 week midwife check

[Mythreeknights]

I've just had the most pointless 16 week midwife check ever (this is 3rd pg so I know from experience that this was completely pointless).
Other than dipstick my pee and prod me in the tummy, she did nothing, asked nothing other than "keeping well?" and wrote nothing down other than "keeping well" (seriously). It took me 25 mins to drive to the appt and 25 mins back, a total including appt time (and pre-appt waiting time) of about 1 hour, 10 mins.

She was quite defensive (obviously gets it in the ear a lot from upset pg mums), and said "but what would I do if I couldn't hear a heartbeat?" I replied, "Well, I'd hope you'd send me for a scan so they could see if I was carrying a live or dead baby". She replied "no, I'd get in trouble for that" and I said "well, I'd rather know at 16 weeks that the child had died rather than carry it around for another 4 weeks and find out at the scan".

My suggestion, if the NHS / Royal College of Midwives is so worried about not hearing heartbeats at 16 weeks, that they just send us dipstick packs, so we can dip our own pee (3 minutes), write our own notes (3 minutes) and not spend 45 minutes sitting in the car.

Anyone feel the same?

[posybunchof]

But isn't that the point that your GP friends made though...?That as there is a chance that it won't be found at 16 weeks because it is too early (as in poor jacquelines's case), so unnecessarily stresses out mothers, but sending someone for a reassurance scan would be over-stretching already pressed sonographers.

When I went for a mini-scan (one of those mobile scanners) at the day unit for poss breech, I did think, why don't midwives have those in their offices - money is the reason of course, but if they were able to whip those out for a quick check in the event of uncertainty...

It does sound though like you have got a midwife who maybe doesn't suit you (or other women by the sound of it!). It's such a shame you have so far to drive to find any midwife and that the one you have you don't 'click' with.