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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Hello Doctor I'm pregnant!!

48 replies

Twinkie · 25/03/2004 10:21

Is that what I say - have my appointment in an hour and not sure what is going to happen - DD is 3.5 so seems ages ago.

Am also scared that he is going to say that it is pointless seeing him this early as happened to me with DD.

What will he do - normal blood pressure check and what else??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

motherinferior · 25/03/2004 11:53

Mind you, first midwife appt not always fun either. Mine was like a production line - in, out, there's your Bounty pack, here's the info about the hospital. I swear I only asked about home birth at that point to be an awkward sod. Then I walked out and burst into tears

WideWebWitch · 25/03/2004 11:54

Here is the thread

Original poster

Twinkie · 25/03/2004 11:56

Bobsmum - all you have to do is say to the receptionist that you are not going to tell her because she does not need to know - they cannot ever ask you in order to decide wheter you need an emergency appointment either - as I have said to mine - if you are a qualified doctor I will tell you and you can make a decision if not and you make a decision and something happens to me or my daughter I will sue you before I kill you!! Luckily I moved house shortly before they threw me off of their list!!

Our receptionist are lovely though - something to do with them having seen me in tears so often!!

OP posts:

Marina · 25/03/2004 12:03

Twinkie, at a pinch I'd say you could get into Queen Elizabeth which is where I had Tom and dd. Nowhere's perfect but my general view is that it is a lot better than Queen M or the PR.
You can insist, I think. A big plus of opting for QE in my view is that you then benefit from the hospital's community midwife scheme and would be seen at Passey Place clinic in Eltham High Street. The Tudor Team covering our patch are all nice and some of them are exceptional.
If you stick with QM they don't have a proper community scheme for antenatal care at any rate.
Good luck with getting your early scan. I have experience of the EPUs at QM and QE and the QE is heaps better if more crowded and hectic. The staff there generally are so lovely, especially in Ultrasound.
I don't know Woodlands but would have been up for derecommending at least one of the GPs at no 12! Their antenatal care options were less than scintillating. I should have realised you were at a different practice when you referred to a "lovely" Receptionist

Original poster

Twinkie · 25/03/2004 12:09

Ha ha - where is Queen Elizabeths - Bromley??

OP posts:

Marina · 25/03/2004 13:16

No, it's on Woolwich Common here
Website is not bang up to date as the Early Pregnancy Unit is up and running now.
Pretty easy to get to from New Eltham/Sidcup but further than QM.

jmg · 25/03/2004 13:20

Twinkie - its in Woolwich - the new one!

beansprout · 25/03/2004 13:58

Mine asked me if I was pleased and then knocked my urine sample all over her desk

(I don't think the second bit is standard procedure)

bobsmum · 25/03/2004 14:00

lol twinkie at death threats for nosy receptionists

katzguk · 25/03/2004 14:31

i had a very stressfull time trying to get my pregnancy confirmed. I rang my health centre only to discover they had removed me from there books since i was no longer a student, so i spent 10mins on the phone trying to tell the dozy cow that i was a student and she said let me look on the system, no your not a student came her reply!! ahhhhh, i think i would know, i wasn't just attending university for the goodness of my own health.

so i rang my local GP's practise who were wonderful, got an appointment for a couple of days time. GP was great on the day, normal stuff how do you know, possitive test and threwing up! was told about food, given prescription for folic acid and asked about long haul flights, very helpful. Then passed onto midwifes, we're part of a fanstatic scheme which is called one to one, same midwife from booking in visit to last postnatal ckeck, plus all done in the comfort of your own home.

Toots · 25/03/2004 18:12

motherinferior, 'then I came out and burst in to tears'. Sorry, but that brought me out in a loving chuckle. As you know, it happened to me the other week. It's a real pregnant woman's catchphrase

PotPourri · 11/04/2004 18:32

What should happen when girls? I went to see the doctor thinking that the doctor had to do the pregnancy test for them to know for sure (not sure where I got that from - I guess I don't know many people with babies so am a true novice). Anyway, they don't do tests and would need to send it away and it would take a week, and I would need to come in the next morning with an early morning sample. So the doctor asked me if I wanted to do that or get one myself from the chemist. She asked in passing if I was taking Folic acid. I said yes (not sure why I knew that was important but I knew that and got some pills at the supermarket). Then she talked for ages about the different scans you can get, and said the first scan is at 12 weeks, then other ones, one you need to pay for privately cos it's not on the NHS. She was trying to give me teh contact details for a clinic that does that extra test when I told her I won't be wanting it anyway. So when I asked her what I need to do, she said do the test, and let her know what hospital I want to have the baby in (West Middlesex or Hammersmith).

After all that, I have come out not really any the wiser. Is the above normal and I am just being impatient, or should I have more information or be expecting something before the 12 weeks scan? I guess I will get invited to that scan (have not called the doc yet due to Easter break)...

mummytojames · 11/04/2004 18:41

potpurri i found the idea of the 12 week scan very strange or it might have been because of what happened to my first child because i had a test down the clinic seen the doctor the next day told her i was pregnant she went through have you got enough folic acid because i can prescirbe you more then had me in for a dateing scan with in a week then i had the 18 week scan

PotPourri · 11/04/2004 18:49

Thanks M2J. So do you think I should have something happen before teh 12 weeks then? I will be calling on Tuesday to confirm I am pg, but wanted to check what I should be asking about/for. I don't know if that doctors surgery is just tight and doesn't pay for things like the pg test. I am sure I have had a couple fo tests in the past at an old surgery before I moved when I had stomach problems... Oh I guess it will all become clear, but I feel a bit out of my depth.

eddm · 11/04/2004 19:08

The NHS guidelines spelling out what services should be available for pregnant women are here:
guidelines

The pregnancy tests GPs use are no better than the over-the-counter ones. So these days GPs don't bother testing you because people have usually already done a pharmacy test.

mummytojames · 11/04/2004 19:10

potpurri would you please ask your doctor for me how would they know its a twelve week scan if they dont know how far gone you are strange very strange

collision · 11/04/2004 19:13

PotP.....I had ds at the West Middlesex and they were fab.....where do you live?

PotPourri · 11/04/2004 20:02

thanks Eddm. This will give me confidence to know what I should be getting support on. Mum2James that is a very good point about hte 12 weeks, especially when I told the doc that I am not actually sure when my last period was - just a rough guess... And Collision, I live in Isleworth, I could walk to West Middlesex (not 9 months pregnant I guess), so that settles it - I;ll have the baby there.

Oh what a big help this site is! I am so glad I saw that article in Sunday Times the other week.

collision · 12/04/2004 09:52

I used to live in Isleworth too! We moved last year......what a shame.....we could have had coffee, I mean, herbal tea!! West Midds are great and very supportive and their SCBU was excellent. (DS was early) They help with BFing and everything and the food is good if you like curries!!

WideWebWitch · 12/04/2004 19:05

Hi Potpourri, this is the 3rd time I've tried to post to you on this thread - twice internet explorer has crashed, taking my message with it so it's a minor miracle if you're reading this! Will v quickly retype the gist of it: have you considered home birth? You don't have to go to hospital, even for a first baby and it doesn't sound as if your doctor mentioned it as an option. About scans, do a search on the word scans on here to get a better idea about them. It all depends on what you'd do with any information you're given really. Phew! No crash so far, I know what I had to say wasn't particularly exciting but ooh I was getting frustrated not being able to say it!

littlerach · 12/04/2004 19:17

Hi, PP, with DD I went to drs at 5 wks, they told me to make an appt for when I would be 13 wks to see MW. So I did, then saw her at 16 wks, scan at 20 wks, then 4 weekk appts.

Dating scans are only offered here if requested, no 12 wk scan.

I don't think they see any need to see you before 12 wks unless there is a medical reason.

With this pregnancy, I requested a dating scan, also had 20 wk scan, but have seen MW even less, which ios fine, but have the option to call her or make extra appts if necessary.

HTH.xx

jellycat · 12/04/2004 21:50

Hi PP, we have 12 week scans at our hospital - they use this as the dating scan. Since your doctor has mentioned a scan at this time, you may be offered a nuchal fold scan which is done between 11 and 13 weeks. They will measure the nuchal fold at the back of the neck to screen for downs syndrome (it will not give a diagnosis one way or the other, just a probability. You would have to have a CVS or amniocentesis to get a definite diagnosis, which they may recommend if they think the result shows a high probability of down's). They do not have to do this at the scan if you don't want it, it can just be used as a dating scan.

We also get an anomaly scan at 20 weeks (where they check for things like problems with the heart).

We get our booking in appointment with the midwife at about 9 weeks so they have time to arrange the scans. I would ask your surgery about getting a booking-in appointment when you go back.

HTH.

PotPourri · 13/04/2004 17:28

Cool. I will ask about the booking in appointment as soon as I talk to the doctor (she is on holiday all this week - hmph!)

I went and bought a couple of pregnancy magazines yesterday adn they are really useful telling you all about hte baby development and what the differnt scans are and show you will feel etc. It was reassuring to see that I recognised the early stages (and am not just a grumpy moo!) I talked to HR in work today about what I need to do about maternity leave etc and it is amazingly generous! And it has been great to get advice from you lovely girls.

So all in all I feel a bit less stressed now. I am just going to chill and go with the flow from now on.

I just need to decide when I am going to tell everyone (will need to be in the next few weeks as I have a hen night coming up and can't blag my way out of no vodka!)

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