question for UK expectant moms

[nyldn]

Hi there!
Living in the UK having moved over from the States a couple of years ago. this is my first pregnancy and I'm 7 weeks from the first day of my last period this thursday.

Ive been given dates for my nhs booking appt in mid Jan. This seems very far away to me. Is it normal to not see a dr at all until 12 weeks? It feels weird to be basically a third of the way through a pregnancy without seeing anyone.

I see on other boards that american women are getting their blood tested for HCG levels four and five times before the first sonogram to make sure the pregnancy is progressing well. Does that not happen here? Or does it and I need to be requesting it?

Would love some feedback, I'm just a little confused about how this all works. I haven't been able to talk to friends over here about it because my husband really doesn't want to tell anyone yet....

Thanks!

Yes this is totally normal here! I didn't see my midwife until I was 12 weeks. She will go through some paper work with you, weight you and measure you and the paperwork will take around an hour and a half. Then you will go back for the scan around a week after (I did anyway)

Norfolk I didn't until I was in advanced labour (my choice though!) and I was considered 'high-risk'. I didn't even bother getting the GP to refer me to to MWs, I called them myself

Go private and you can have whatever you want.... it's about £15k though! The NHS does what it minimally needs to... there is only so much money to go around and as a result they do only the very minimum necessary to avoid disasters!

I remember being so anxious when first pregnant and expecting things 'to happen' with doctors and midwives etc. But in my area you are not seen till 10 weeks or so for booking in and 12 weeks for a scan. The simple reason is that all the blood tests in the world won't make any difference if a miscarriage is to happen and sadly a high proportion of pregnancies doesn't even make it to 12 weeks. Nothing at all they can do if this is the case.

When I finally got a pregnancy past 12 weeks I had an extra scan for reassurance and was also put under the care of a consultant because of an existing condition. Absolutely first class care. But if your pregnancy progresses normally with no indications of problems you only see midwives. We don't see doctors here really for pregnancy related issues because midwives and the appropriate registrars/consultants are the specialists in this field.

As others have said, in the US you may get more tests because they are billable, not because they are necessary.

And congratulations!

to clarify - if a miscarriage happens before 12 weeks (and probably after) there is nothing they can do to save the baby, but you are given care and hospital treatment if necessary because of the miscarriage. The nhs doesn't just do nothing if a woman is miscarrying.

I've gone the other way to you and I'm in the US.

The hcg testing is not for normal pregnancies. I've never been tested. At my ob-gyn's office they usually ask women to come in at about 8 or 9 weeks for the first appointment.

They are more hands-on in the US but outcomes are no better - and you don't get a bill at the end in the UK :)