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Original poster

Booking in appointment and lack of symptoms ??

26 replies

Cakehan · 23/04/2014 13:52

Tomorrow I FINALLY have my booking in appointment- which I can't wait for however just wanted to get some advice regarding the appointment
-what happened at yours?
-is it advisable for my partner to come or is it just form-filling?
-did you walk away from your appointment wishing you had more info on a certain topic?
-did they book your 12 week scan there and then?
I'll be 9weeks at the appointment

Also abit worried cause I have no symptoms!
For the past few weeks I have had really sore boobs- sometimes itchy, sickness without actually being sick and been very tired. But now I feel fine- despite still being tired but I can't work out if this is pregnancy related. I have no reason to worry and even had a scan at 7 weeks and saw a lovely flashing heartbeat- so is it journal for symptoms to die down?
Thanks!

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TwigletFiend · 23/04/2014 14:04

Hiya, I am 10+3 so had my appointment recently Smile.

We went in, MW took height, weight & asked about any pregnancy history etc. My first, so that was fairly quick & easy! Calculated BMI, then went through a whole lot of questions for my notes. It is quite useful to have your partner there for that, if only because there's some health questions about his/their side of the family that you might not know, but you can always fill those bits in later if you're not sure.

Once the forms were done, MW gave me the standard info-pack from the NHS; a lot of bumpf, including info about testing for disorders/genetic anomalies. I wanted a little more info on the options there, and MW was happy to clarify about various tests that can be offered etc. and what was NHS-funded & not.

Then we basically just chatted! I asked about diet etc. One thing I would have liked to clarify was what exactly I could expect at each appointment in terms of testing, scans etc. as I felt a little unclear on it & was a bit nervous about it all!

Make sure you ask for free supplements too - my MW offered me the Pregnacare without prompting, but it's not that cheap to buy so if it's free, why not ask! Grin

twiglet2 · 23/04/2014 14:11

I finally have my booking appointment on Monday (will be 10+3). I've been feeling pretty sick since week 6, but this seems to be easing off a bit, so I just feel a bit knackered and off a few different foods.

I'm planning on going on my own but asked my mother in law in advance for any family info.

Do they do a blood test or anything like that?

TwigletFiend · 23/04/2014 14:15

Not as a standard at the booking appointment, as far as I'm aware. They didn't even test my urine, though maybe I would take a sample just in case? Once you're booked in, they like to do a scan at 12 weeks so you will definitely have a urine test at that point & possibly a blood test, though I'm not expecting that until my next community MW appointment at 16 weeks Smile

twiglet2 · 23/04/2014 14:21

Thanks for the info Smile I'm hoping I won't have to wait too much longer for the scan...

TwigletFiend · 23/04/2014 14:24

It should be fairly quick if you're that far along - they try to aim as close as possible to 12 weeks as they can't do the NT after about 13 I think. Fingers crossed you don't have to wait too long! Grin

twiglet2 · 23/04/2014 15:00

Sorry for jumping on your post cakehan hope you're appointment goes well tomorrow...

Original poster
Cakehan · 23/04/2014 15:10

It's fine good luck for yours too!
Just don't want to come away from it wishing I had asked something and desperate to know when my next scan will be :)

OP posts:
splendide · 23/04/2014 15:19

I had my booking at 11+6 and my scan at 13+1. They can do NT till 14. I had no symptoms at all really and was really worried but it was all fine at the scan.

Good luck?

splendide · 23/04/2014 15:19

Err I mean Good luck! Sorry about the odd "?"

TwigletFiend · 23/04/2014 15:19

There's an office hours & out of hours number for community midwives with the paperwork, but maybe ask her to write both numbers on a piece of paper you could stick on the fridge or something as well? That way you always have a way of contacting someone if you're having a panic.

I think it's fairly normal for symptoms to slow down then go - think it's quite an individual thing & sounds like you're still getting the tiredness anyway. I was horrendously sick up until last week with unbearably sore boobs, but since the weekend I just feel a little queasy now & then and there is minimal boob-ache.

Other than that, everyone on here has been very welcoming & plenty of knowledge to draw on for non-emergency questions! Smile

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 23/04/2014 15:22

They took my blood, dipped my wee, not to test that you're pregnant but for infections and glucose. They take your BP.

Take your DH if you can as they go through both you and your family's medical history. It takes a little while. They chat about diet, folic acid, that sort of thing.

Original poster
Cakehan · 23/04/2014 15:31

Thanks! Did they book your scan at your booking in appointment or is this another thing that I'll be pestering the postman for every day:)

OP posts:
TwigletFiend · 23/04/2014 15:35

Hmm, I didn't have urine test at my booking appointment. Wish I'd known that before, would have nagged for it haha! The midwife booked scan in with hospital for me so I didn't get the date at my appointment. I got a letter through about 5 days later confirming the date of it. I am in Wales though, so not sure how NHS here differs to England.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 23/04/2014 15:38

No, I got that through the post separately, both times. I only ever took DH to my scans and booking in appointment, they don't do much else on the other appointments apart from more bloods and urine samples.

Actually for DC.2 (who I'm currently expecting) I didn't even take him to the booking appointment as I remembered all the medical history from last time, poor DH!

Totally understand your impatience! You could get the mw to check the computer to see if your scan appointment is on it.

wispaxmas · 23/04/2014 16:52

Some trusts will book the scan at the booking appt, I have friends who have had that be the case. In my case when my GP referred me for booking in he also separately referred me for the scan as they aren't done at the hospital I was booking in with. Did you self refer or where you referred by GP? If the latter you can always call the GP surgery to find out whether it was already referred or what the practice is in your area. If they don't know, you can call the hospital and ask to be put through to the antenatal clinic and ask them.

I've got a friend who had her scan letter come through at 10 weeks for the scan at 12+1.

As for booking in, it was all form filling and risk assessing for me. Too weight to calculate BMI (for risk of GD, etc), gave me a cup to wee in, to BP and loads of bloods. All in all it took almost an hour for the appt. I needed to know H's family history of illness, but nothing too difficult to remember.

wispaxmas · 23/04/2014 16:54

Oh and as for symptoms, I can only offer anecdotal evidence, but for me I had some mild nausea, but no sickness, and only from weeks 6-8. My boobs were a bit sore, but not much, and didn't grow at all. All in all I escaped the first trimester without any real pregnancy symptoms and if we hadn't been trying and I had t noticed the missed periods I never would have known!

hotfuzzra · 23/04/2014 17:40

I've got my booking in next Weds. I'm 9+3 today.
Since week 5/6 I have had all-day nausea with no sickness, awful tiredness (literally wiped out and sleeping up to 14 hrs a day- not like normal where I could easily survive on 5-6 hrs a night!) and v sore boobs.
I have told some people at work as I need to be restricted in my duties, and one man helpfully told me yesterday about his wife's two miscarriages :-( and the symptoms being like 'having a flu'... Which made me feel a bit crappy.
Now I'm panicking about MMC and just want the flipping scan!
On the up side he did offer to give me a load of his used baby stuff now his littles ones are grown, which was very kind of him.
Fingers crossed to everyone, and please keep yours crossed for me!

Sleepyhoglet · 23/04/2014 18:26

What is nt?

Errrr2012 · 23/04/2014 18:57

Nuchal translucency? Test for Down's syndrome, usually done as a combined test with bloods and scan results. Can be done as just a blood test at 15 weeks if baby isn't in correct position at scan, as was the case with my wriggler! You get the results in the post.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 23/04/2014 19:09

Also for other chromosomal abnormalities such as Edwards and Patau's syndrome.

Sleepyhoglet · 24/04/2014 20:41

Oh he'll another blood test- having bloods done at 10 weeks can they do it from those?

Sleepyhoglet · 24/04/2014 20:41

Was meant to say oh hell!!

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 24/04/2014 21:17

There are many blood tests! Plus the anti D jab if you're a negative blood group (I am).

Depends. With DS I had my combined bloods the same day as my 12 week scan and just waited for the results afterwards to find out my risk.

With this baby I had booking in bloods, then more bloods about a week prior to my scan, then got all my results after my scan.

Depends on how your hospital do things. I've got more bloods coming up at 28 weeks.

Original poster
Cakehan · 25/04/2014 13:13

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone and explain what happened at my booking in appt yesterday for anyone that's got one coming up!
A lot of question answering, family history, personal illness nothing overly specific. Then I did a chlamydia screening but midwife told me this is only for under 25's and I also gave her a urine sample. She then wanted bloods she needed 4 tubes of it but I have awful veins and she really struggled- after trying 4 times in different places she gave up and I had to go to the walk in clinic at the hospital this morning for them. She filled out some pages of my notes- what hospital I'll prefer to labour at and talked me through upcoming appointments in addition to parenting classes that take place at about 28 weeks onwards
She then took my notes off me and told me I'll receive these back when I go for my first scan- she handed me a number to ring to book my scan on and discussed whether ill opt for the combined or the dating scan. I rung as soon as I left and they booked me in for 3 weeks time ( combined scan!)
Overall felt I gained a lot from my appointment but glad my partner didn't book a day off for it was basically all About me and form filling!

OP posts:
twiglet2 · 25/04/2014 15:15

Thanks Cakehan Smile - probably a silly question, but what's the difference between the combined and dating scan?

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