3 weeks and still waiting. No word yet from midwife is this normal? (And extra sneaky question about scans)

[loubylou8]

Hello there
I'm 8 weeks / 5 days with my first baby. I saw my doctor on April 11 and let him know I'm pregnant and I've heard nothing from a midwife since. I've spoken to the doctors' surgery twice this week and both times they have been shocked I've heard nothing yet and chased it up. Still nothing!
Is this normal and should I be concerned?
Also can anyone advise whether the NHS scan at around 12 weeks is usually a combined scan with a blood test for Downs Syndrome? I have provisionally booked a private combined scan as I'm concerned I've had no word from the midwife and I know this scan has to happen in a very narrow window. I'm 37 so this is a concern to me.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Loubylou

I had this same problem and when I eventually had a call from the midwife I missed it by less than a second and they never bothered calling back for days I'm the end I had to call the maternity department at my local hospital and they found out what team of community midwives I was under and have me the number to call myself so I would recommend doing this if you can. And I think the scan has to be done between 11 and 13.5 weeks but you could ask about that too if you phone the hospital. Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy

Thank you! I think I will do that. That's what I thought about the combined NT test - I've got one booked at a private hospital but of course I'd rather save the 250quid if I can, as it's a lot of money.

As Red suggested, I would either call the community midwives direct or just ring the GP and book an appointment with the midwife - in our area, Thursday is the community midwife clinic at the doctor's surgery, maybe ask if there's a day they are visiting your GP and say you need to see a midwife urgently, please book me in on that day as soon as possible? Our midwives don't call out, you have to call them to book appointments etc.

As to scans, depends on where you are! I'm in Wales, where NHS doesn't fund the nuchal translucency test so it's not offered. Here they just do a blood test at 16 weeks (the 'quad' test) which they give you a Down's Syndrome risk from once results are back. In England, I think they do the same but they also take the nuchal measurement at your first scan (between 11 & 14 weeks) & combine this with the blood result to get a risk factor.

HI there, Twiglet is right about the England procedure giving you a combined test between 11&14 weeks. I had much the same experience as you hearing nothing for ages after we initally went to the doctor. I only just had my booking in appointment this week (at 11+4) and my 12 week scan is next Friday at 12+6. The scan date came through at about 8 weeks but I had to chase via my doctor about the booking in appointment and being able to talk to someone about my pregnancy. My midwife finally rang me during week 10 to book in the booking in appointment. I was in such a state by this point having heard nothing from anyone (I'm 39 and this is my 1st pregnancy and I've been worrying myself silly) and panicking that there was no baby that she very kindly found me an early scan appointment. Once I'd spoken to her I felt much better and the scan and seeing the baby made everything even better still, but I totally understand how you feel.

I think it depends on the area you're in as well. We live close to the border of two counties and a lot of my friends have come under the neighbouring county where they seem to get on to things a LOT faster - they were booked in at 8 weeks or earlier. Keep chasing, and don't feel like you're being a pain. Good luck!

Thank you all again! I've called the hospital and they have no record of the GP referral but I think it's because in my area the GP deals directly with a separate midwife unit - so the GP faxes the midwives who then in turn send the information / register on the hospital main system. From what I can tell the issue is with the midwives unit - ie either the fax hasn't come through or it has and they haven't done anything about it. The GP is now re-faxing the midwives unit AND sending it directly to the midwife unit at the hospital so hopefully something will happen...

What a palaver. I'm not worried on the 'is anything happening front' because I've been for a dating scan (that I paid for), heard the heartbeat and seen a very small jelly bean. I recommend this for anyone waiting for news - it's v reassuring and wasn't expensive. I also have a combined NT scan booked for week 11 but I don't really want to pay for this if I can get the NFS appointment booked in.

Thisisimpossible I feel the same as you as I'm 37 - I don't want to have to wait until 16 weeks or so for the quad test if I can have a combined NT scan at 11 weeks. Not that I have any idea what I'd do if the scan comes back with bad news, but I'd rather have as many facts as possible, as possible...

After a lot of chasing I finally got my midwife booking in appointment through. I'll be 12 weeks on the day!

I am in London though and I think everything is very heavily oversubscribed.

Hope you hear back soon.

I also had to do a lot of chasing to get my first mid-wife appointment and as I'm 38 and this is my first pregnancy I was also really nervous about not missing out on this. I was eventually able to make contact with my GP when I was about 7 weeks and it then took 2 weeks of me chasing to get an appointment with the mid-wife...I eventually saw her at just over 10 weeks.

Thing that bothers me now is that she said she would be available if I needed to text or phone her and she get straight back to me...hmmmm, not in my experience. Have been suffering from a very painful lower back this week (at one stage could barely move), I sent her a text. Nothing. Followed it up with a voicemail 2 days later. Still nothing. So, am hoping that everything is ok and have my fingers crossed til the 12 week scan in just over a week...

Hi haventgotaclue1 I also now an appointment for 10 weeks. Maybe that's when they plan to actually see people for the first time? How long after this was your scan date set for and what sort of scan did you have?

Sorry to quiz you. And congratulations!

Hiya Loubylou - congratulations to you too! In answer to your questions here's the timeline I've had: Found out I was pregnant 20th March; called GP next day to tell him I was pregnant but had to wait until 1st April to have a phone appointment for him to basically tell me to take folic acid (already was) and to tell me he'd refer me to the midwife. By the time I spoke to him I was about 7 weeks and having read up that the 1st midwife appointment should be around 8-10 weeks, when it got to Friday 11 April and I still hadn't heard anything I chased the surgery. Receptionist said it looked like he'd "forgotten" to refer me and she's do it immediately. (REALLY started to worry at this point!). By Tuesday 15th still hadn't heard a dicky bird so called again (now into week 9) and midwife did call me back later that day. Had my 1st midwife appointment Thurs 24th April (week 10).

My 12 week scan is on 12th May (so just over 12 weeks - can't wait - very excited, but equally very nervous!) but this wasn't arranged by the midwife. We'd been about to go down the fertility treatment route when I found out I was pregnant (literally the day before!) but as a result of this I had a couple of early scans that the fertility clinic organised (all NHS). So it was they who booked me into the 12 week scan and they asked me whether we wanted a nuchal dating scan as well. We've opted to go for anything they're offering as being slightly older (38) and a first timer, I'm pretty nervous. But I guess everyone is different.... I don't know if this is offered as standard practice to everyone??? Maybe it depends upon the area you live in? I'm in Hampshire and am happy to take anything that's going!
Good luck and hope you get your appointments through soon - don't be afraid to phone up and chase though! I'm sure you won't be the 1st prson to do this!

I'm not sure if you have this in your area but we have one to one midwives instead of community midwifes which you can self refer yourself too. Have a google of it

I can recommend some cheaper places for a NT test as well - you could have a NIFTY or harmony test for that price!!

I had to wait until I was 11+3 before I even got a date for my booking in appointment!

I'm in London too and they told me in no uncertain terms that I had chosen a busy month to give birth in :S Luckily the appointment itself was great, as was the scan at 12+5 so I have good faith in the system and the individuals working in it!!

I never had a booking appt at all! I'm diabetic so my consultant arranged scans for me at 7 weeks and 12 weeks but the community midwife never got in touch so the first time I saw her was 16 weeks. At least I'm in the good position of having a separate, diabetes midwife as well as a regular one too though.

Try not to worry too much; I didn't find out until I was 7 weeks, then moved house the next week so in the haze of getting registered with new doctors, my first mw appt wasn't until 11 weeks. All they did was put through an urgent request for dating/NT scan, I was scanned at 12+3.