Waiting to see someone - is this normal?

[lumberjane]

Hi everyone, sorry if this is a bit of a rant, I'm just feeling so frustrated!

Last week I found out that I'm finally pregnant after over a year of TTC. I've been to my doctor plenty of times while we've been trying, and was even tested for PCOS recently, but around here you have to wait about 3 weeks to see a doctor about anything.

Anyway everything that I've read and heard told me that the first thing to do after getting that bfp was to talk to my doctor, but it was a Saturday when I tested so I had to wait until Monday before the doctor's was open! When I did I spoke to the receptionist at my local surgery I said I needed to see someone to take a pregnancy test. The receptionist's response was 'Have you taken one from a chemist? In which case you don't need to see anyone here, we'd only do the same thing.' She was really rude and talked to me like I was wasting her time. When I asked her who I should talk to she put me on hold and then came back to me with the number of a midwife. I had never heard of this before but apparently in Shropshire everything to do with pregnancy, from the first appointment, is dealt with by midwives.

So of course I called the midwife and spoke to another receptionist. This one wasn't quite so rude and took my details. She told me my local centre would call within a day or two to book an appointment. Well nobody called, and it was 4 days later when I got a letter to say my first appointment would be at 10 weeks. I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it does but the letter was also really badly spelled which made it look really unprofessional.

So I'm now 6 and a half weeks pregnant and I haven't been able to speak to a single medical professional about it, and I won't be able to speak to anyone for over a month. No one has even confirmed that I am pregnant, no one's given my any advice for the first trimester, no one has even checked that I'm not doing anything to endanger the baby. Is this normal? I feel completely unsupported, and it's making me worry about my care for the rest of the pregnancy.

Congratulations!

I didn't bother to tell my GP, just self referred to the midwives at my local hospital - even though I'd been ttc to conceive for the best part of a decade, am pretty ancient, and had an mmc last year. As long as you're taking your folic acid and not drinking or smoking, there's not much they can do or tell you until your booking in/12 week scan anyway.

Bearing in mind the huge number of pregnancies that don't make it past the first few weeks, I think it's completely understandable that the already stretched NHS don't roll out the red carpet, wrap you up in cotton wool and start policing your every move the minute you poas.

According to my mum, in her day you waited until you'd missed two or three periods before you even went to your doctor.

Don't worry, soon enough you'll have appointments coming out of your ears.

Hiya - Congratulations!
Very similar experience to me - I am 5 weeks 3 days with my first baby.
I had an appointment with my GP yesterday who said congratulations and gave me a number for the self referral unit.
I have an existing health condition that increases my risks so I thought they would be more bothered than that; but no, I have to wait to see a midwife at 10 weeks to refer me to a Consultant - it just doesn't feel very pro-active...I guess because its the most exciting news ever for me and OH, and can't speak to anyone else about it just yet!

Hi congrats. It is definitely a culture shock - for is we had IVF privately so lots of appointments but once in the NHS as others say: no need to see a Gp - as you are not ill ( thankfully) and they do not do pregnancy tests or any ante natal care in most areas.

Midwife/scan appointments are usually:
Booking in apt
12 week hospital scan
16 midwife apt
20 week hospital scan
24 week midwife apt
28 week midwife apt
32 week midwife apt and I forget after that as much depends one how you are.

Hopefully you will have a healthy pregnancy and no need for anything else.