Ante natal care - does this seem right?

[Juno77]

I'm wondering if I am missing something...

I am 25 weeks pregnant.

I have seen a different midwife at all 3 of my appointments.

I was told in my booking appointment that I would be sent to see a consultant regarding my ELCS. Heard nothing since.

I don't have a hospital to go to. They've just said it could be one of 3.

I haven't had a MATB1 form.

I haven't been given any information on ante natal classes (not that I intend to go anyway)

Is this normal?

It will be an emergency section by definition if you are in labour. The terms are really misleading to lay-people. It would be better to say 'pre scheduled' and 'not pre-scheduled'.

If you turn up in labour (having agreed a section) you join the queue of people who need a section 'now, today' and not the queue of people who are not in labour and have been booked in (and who themselves may have to wait longer or even into the next day if there are lots of 'emergencies').

If you turn up at the hospital without a section agreed then it is likely to be a battle to get one for 'maternal request'. That's why it needs to be clear in your notes that this is what is happening for you, so you immediately go into the queue! No, if you turn up 5cm dilated and say 'I want a section please' it is not likely to be a simple matter of them saying 'okey dokey I'll call theatre' in most hospitals.

EXACTLY what I was trying to say (I don't think I explained myself well!)

I am fine with either, meaning that if I go into early labour and have an EMCS, that's okay.

However, assuming that doesn't happen (as it isn't likely, really) then I will have a planned CS.

Both absolutely fine.

My issue, I guess, is that if I do go into early labour, they won't just take me off to theatre, as you have rightly pointed out.

So, I really need to get this sorted and into my notes ASAP. Any one have any suggestions? I have tried calling but they've told me I can't see the consultant until April. That really only gives me 3 weeks to play with (assuming it's at the beginning of April..)

Yes, you do need it sorted

As I said before, I think your best bet is to hunt down one of the long running threads on getting a section agreed, or start your own. I don't have any advice I'm afraid, but there are lots of women who have been 'through the system' who are very generous with their time and advice.

Thanks penguins I will do that.

Thanks for your help too.

I'm not sure how to go about sorting the section earlier as I have my consultants appointment at 36 weeks and I think that that is standard, but your HR department are wrong. They need you to state in writing to them that you are pregnant by 25 weeks but the MATB1 can be handed in at any point up to one month AFTER the baby is born. (It would delay your payments if it was handed in that late but you would still be entitled to them). Giving it to them at 30 weeks shouldn't pose a problem at all. They might be in a flap but that is not your fault or your problem.

Juno your GP can do you a MAT1B form, too. I got mine from GP as my midwife appts+Christmas would have meant I was 25+ when I went back to work. Had a quick phone chat with a doc and picked it up from reception late that day.

I'm meant to see either of two midwives but have seen four different ones so far. But they've all been lovely so I haven't minded too much.

I had a choice of hospitals but was asked for my preference at booking.

Mind you, my antenatal appts are all at the hospital - which is obviously not the same for everyone.

I'm on second pregnancy now and my experience with both is that you have to be pretty proactive in asking for stuff and reminding people at all your appointments. I wouldn't have got my MATB1 or maternity exception thing sorted out if I hadn't specifically asked for them - they weren't just offered. But fWIW I got my MATB1 this time at 25 weeks and that's been fine for my employer. I've had to have a couple of referrals for extra scans and a consultant appointment etc and have ha to specifically request them - if I'd just assumed they would know because it was in my noted then I wouldn't have been referred for anything.

I agree it's a bit weird you dot know about hospitals yet though - that's definitely something to check.

So should I ask them to specify a hospital?

They've just said thus far that it could be either.

Do you have a preference as to which hospital? You do need to know because if you do go into early labour you need to know which hospital to turn up at! I would ask them exactly that question - where do I go if I go into early labour before I have had the 36 week appointment about the ELCS?

I guess I would call the midwifes?

I have a preference - one hospital is 10 minutes away from my home. The others are both around an hour.

Yes, I would, I think. If it's like the midwife team that I had for my pregnancy you could phone their answer machine number with a non-urgent query. They would ring back to let you know. Or if you don't mind waiting you could ask at your next midwife appointment, end of Feb I think you said. I would also insist that at that appointment that they write in your notes that you are requesting an ELCS and with the reasons why. Then at least it is recorded there in advance of discussing it with the consultant at 36 weeks.

Don't give up on maternity pay though. If you can get your HR people on side, they can sort it. Do you have a nice boss?

I am on my 2nd pregnancy, last saw the mw at 16 wks and will see her again next week when I'll be 28 weeks. Haven't received MATB1 form. I didn't know you were supposed to hand it in by 25 weeks. I'm a teacher, does anyone know if this might affect my maternity pay? The paperwork I have simply says I need to return it three weeks min before I go on leave.

(Sorry for hijack!)

Jelly

HR often conflate two different things:

• Formal notification of pregnancy, which must be given by week 25; and

• Providing the MATB1, which only has to be done something like 21 days before SMP starts to be payable.

Because the MATB1 is often given if you have an appointment between 20 and 25 weeks some people are in a position to do both things at once, and obviously it is administratively easier for HR if they are done together. Sometimes this gets wrongly translated as saying you have to give in your MATB1 with your notification and by week 25. But there is no requirement to give in the MATB1 by 25 weeks.

It would in theory be possible for an enhanced maternity policy to say that the MATB1 has to be handed in by week 25 (because it's an enhanced policy, so they can basically say what they like), but the MATB1 is irrelevant to processing enhanced pay and I've never, ever seen a policy which says that. So I very much doubt a big scheme like teachers' maternity pay says it. It sounds like your policy just follows the law - which IIRC says that the MATB1 has to have been received 21 days before you start paying SMP (and even if it is late, it delays payments, not cancels them).

As long as you've done the notification of pregnancy you are totally fine