3 different consultants 3 different answers?

[Rosebug258]

I think I want to rant more than anything, during this pregnancy I have now seen 3 different consultants and been given 3 lots of conflicting advice :( also lots of midwives butting noses in too

Consultant no 1 - was over 2 hours late for appointment and discharged me from consultant led care as my midwife recommended for me!

Consultant no 2 - said they will not induce due to size (was referred by midwife as my measurements are off the charts) nothing else was offered

Consultant no 3 - by far the most helpful has decided I need another scan in the next 2 weeks and also need a gestational diabetic test thingy after my scan he's also taken into consideration my crippling spd and previous rapid labour

I'd go with number 3 then - if that's the answer you like!

In medicine, there's often no right or wrong answer... they are all entitled to their opinion.

Sod it pressed the wrong button on my phone....

No 3 was happy to consider induction at 38 weeks

It's all so confusing and I feel like all my appointments are rushed and my questions are never answered

Feel so fed up now sorry rant over :( going back to trying to get some sleep before my sister drops my 2 year dd off!

I just wish I had some continuity of care which is almost impossible with this trust.

No 3 was the most helpful but am still confused by all the conflicting info I'm being given and the chances are at my next appointment on Christmas Eve it will be yet again a different consultant again!

It's just medical opinion.

DD2 stopped growing at some point between 33 weeks and 35 weeks. When I was scanned at 35 weeks, her growth had increased by....0...since the scan 2 weeks before. The registrar wanted to adopt 'wait and see'. I wanted to adopt 'don't let's wait, let's see the baby!'.

The consultant came along to mediate and said 'well either option would be sensible and acceptable.' So I said 'if you can't promise me the baby will still be alive next time you scan, s/he's coming out.' I was induced the next morning.

The registrar wasn't wrong. She just preferred a conservative treatment plan and I was more on the side of intervention (probably because of my history of working in NICU and seeing 'what goes wrong'.)

Just all so confusing :( I guess everyone's knowledge is different as are the views just need to accept I won't know anymore until Christmas Eve

All 3 are probably right in different ways. In that they have their certains methods of treating patients and stick to them. That is not uncommon across all areas of medicine.

it's frustrating though, no doubt about that.
Try and relax and enjoy your last few weeks.

Although in your position, i'd be like a woman possessed, so i dont know why i'm even saying that !

We've cut huge corners in lots of areas to pay extra and go private- as i just couldnt live with that kind of treatment plan personally.

Thank you for the replies I think I'm just a bit miserable today, and the pain killers are not helping with the spd! I think as long as baby is ok I should stop being so melodramatic about it and be grateful :)

All I can do is try and relax and worry more once I've had another scan and seen another consultant at the end of dec, going to try and enjoy some time with my dd and put it all out of my mind!

Thank you again :)

Consultant no 3 isn't following NICE guidelines and consultant 2 was.

I've seen two properly experienced consultants (not registrars) this pregnancy - one was happy for me to have my ELCS at 38-39 weeks, the other won't go before 39 weeks. I do have medical reasons but clearly the second doesn't believe they're sufficient enough to overrule the NICE guidelines of 39 weeks, but the first one does. So much is down to opinion as the facts never changed!

If I'd listened to the opinion of one senior consultant at a particular top London hospital, I wouldn't have DC3 now either.. I got a second opinion at another top London hospital and the new consultant who did the surgery said I was right to come to him as it would have been impossible to save DC3 with the surgery the first consultant wanted to do. But again, the facts hadn't changed, it was just the interpretation of them and the first consultant didn't believe the facts were sufficient cause to have the more invasive surgery it turned out I did need.

I'm a big fan of doing my own research and going with a consultant that thinks along similar lines to me.. so much easier said than done though, practically impossible with the NHS in fact as you don't know how they think until you meet them!!

Shall I try and get an appointment with the actual consultant then and not a registra? And see what he/she says?

Would it be too late to try and get to see a private consultant if I can convince hubby to part with the cash? Or dig into my savings I've done for maternity leave if he says no?

You can try and get an appointment with the consultant but you may not be successful! No harm in asking. I've been lucky this time out, partly due to being high risk, and I have been seeing the consultants (think one took a shine to my ridiculously complicated obstetric history, ha ha!) but with my previous three pregnancies I only ever saw registrars for routine appointments (the consultants I saw who disagreed were one-offs for other reasons). Even when I was high risk with two of those pregnancies I still got registrars, different ones each time too so no continuity. Ironically I'm actually more low risk with this pregnancy that I was with the previous two but I get the boss now. I guess it depends on the consultant and if they fancy taking your case on for themselves.. I am not privy to their methods!

It's never too late to see a private consultant. But try and see your current one first.. after all most private consultants are NHS consultants too.