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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

16 week midwife appointment.

14 replies

Writerwannabe83 · 10/10/2013 08:32

I had my 16 week appointment yesterday with my midwife (who is very lovely) and we had a good chat about how things are going etc. she dipped my urine and took my blood pressure, discussed my blood results with me and that was it. It was only in hindsight that I realised she hadn't weighed me, measured my bump or tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat.

Is this pretty standard??

I did learn my risk of having a baby with Downs Syndrome is only 1:90'000 though so I was very happy with those odds

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vichill · 10/10/2013 08:49

My midwife wouldnt attempt listening to the heartbeat until after 20 weeks. She said that it is too hit and miss to detect due to the small size of the foetus or overweight mums. And if not able to find despite reassurances to the mother, we will assume the worst, which may mean a meaningless additional scan.

vichill · 10/10/2013 08:52

They won't weigh you unless you appear quite over weight. seem to trust drs records or your word when calculating bmi if youre a nice healthy size.

Haribolover · 10/10/2013 08:55

Same here. Never been weighed since booking in appointment. Heartbeat not listened to until after 20 weeks. Midwife meausred my bump for the first time this week and I am 31 weeks.

Appointments do seem to be quick chat, dip urine and measure blood pressure and off you go.....

Wuxiapian · 10/10/2013 08:56

My MW won't start measuring before 24/26 weeks. The same with listening to heartbeat.

ananikifo · 10/10/2013 09:00

They don't weigh you after booking unless there's a problem. I don't think they measure fundal height until 28 or 30 weeks. A mw can try to find a heartbeat at 16 weeks but many avoid it because it's still difficult to find and mums can get unduly worried if it's not found. So what you had is a perfectly normal 16 week appt. Congrats.

onedogandababy · 10/10/2013 09:00

Yep normal. I've only been weighed at 12 week scan and then at 38/40 weeks.
No measuring until 25 weeks, but they have listened to heartbeat from 16 weeks where I am. Actually with dd and due to spotting they listened to hb at 14 weeks, though I was in epu so scanners were there anyway.

Shellywelly1973 · 10/10/2013 09:01

Your appointment sounds like the standard 16 week appointment.

buttercupski · 10/10/2013 09:03

Also wasn't weighed or bump measured at 16 weeks but she did listen to heartbeat after making me solemnly promise that I wouldn't panic if she couldn't find it. I'd asked her about it during the appointment so I don't know if she would have offered to do it if I hadn't.

She also discussed antenatal classes, describing the different options in my area and suggested booking soon for NCT classes, if that was what I decided to go for, as they get filled up quickly.

Julietee · 10/10/2013 10:47

Sounds like just different practices in different areas. Mine did do the heartbeat and she measured my fundal height, but no bump measurement (I think that comes quite a bit later).

ananikifo · 10/10/2013 11:37

Julie fundal height is when they measure your bump with a measuring tape. They didn't even put a fundal height growth chart in my notes until 20 weeks.

Julietee · 10/10/2013 11:50

Ah, she just felt it and said it was normal then. Fundal height is top of womb, no?

fluffyraggies · 10/10/2013 12:06

My 16 weeks appt. was over with in about 5 minuets flat. Literally.

Urine dip, BP, then - 'everything ok?' question while she wrote in my notes.

I waffled about ''feeling very very tired but ok'', and about my major bleed at 15 weeks and how i'd been hospitalised, and was still fretting, but that i suppose i'm ok now ... and all the while MW was just silent, head down over the notes, writing.

Eventually she sat up and just said ''Great! See you in 10 weeks then''.
End.of.appointment.
I felt like i could have been sitting there saying anything! ... ''I've grown another head, and a couple of my fingers have dropped off - but hey ho, i think i'm ok!?'' for eg!

At my recent 25 week appt. it was a different MW. Still in a tearing hurry, but she chatted with me, did urine, BP, measured my bump and listened to heartbeat, asked about my diet, gave some advice .... i came out feeling happier.

(havn't been weighed since booking in)

ananikifo · 10/10/2013 12:11

The fundus is the top of the womb, fundal height is a measurement from the symphysis pubis to fundus. Basically it's the length from the brim of your pelvis to the top of your uterus.

fluffyraggies · 10/10/2013 12:12

Oh and the MW at my last appt. asked me about my relationship with DH. I was surprised and said all was fine. She laughed and that's good. She said that by this point in the pregnancy a woman should have been asked 3 separate times about tension or domestic violence in the relationship by a health care worked. No one's ever asked me before

She was also miffed by the fact that none of the results of my previous blood tests had been recorded in my notes. She rang the hospital there and then, got the info, and recorded it.

Sadly i wont be seeing her again, she was covering my usual MW who was off sick.

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