Its a long one but I need some advice

[Emilyjane11]

Okay so theres a few things I want to get off my chest and I thought that here might be the best place to do it?

From day one I have felt completely unsupported, not just by my midwife but the service im recieving from the NHS in general.

At my booking in appointment I had a cholestral, thyroid and diabetes blood test done (this was because it was scheduled before I got pregnant so my midwife just did it because my bmi was 35) I called for the results and was told that my thyroid was abnormal and that my midwife would be in touch if I needed to start medication... I didnt hear anything and to be honest I maybe irresponsibily forgot to chase it. Fast forward to my 16 week appointment and they told me i should have been taking levothyroxin as I have an under active thyroid. This was missed by my caregivers and i should also mention that at my 16 week appointment my midwife didnt show up so had to go back the next day and see someone different so i only saw my midwife or met her at my 24 week appointment so theres a lot of inconsistentcies.

After discovering that I had an under active thyroid my gp arranged for me to see a hormone specialist after my appointment with a consultant a our my bmi. The hormone specialist didnt show and the bmi consultant told me i didnt need to be consultant lead because of my bmi because it had gone down. I didnt think this was right but because I hadn't weighed myself for a while and I didn't see my weight when they did it (they weighed me in one of those chairs) I didnt question it. They also told me to keep taking levothyroxin and have blood done in next 4-6 weeks which I have done.

Back to my 24week appointment with my midwife, the first time I met the one assigned to me and she did my weight and told me i had to go back to consultant lead care because my bmi is now 36. At this time I told my midwife about the pelvic pain I had been getting and was seeing a chiropractor for, she refered me to a physio who rang on Monday, they said "we cannot see you for a session for a good few weeks because the lady who deal with pregnant women is off on long term sick so you will have to come to a group session with other ladies with spd and we will go through some exercises" this seems completely unacceptable to me and Ive actually been off this week because of how bad the pain has been and if it doesnt improve I dont think ill be able to continue at work for the 6 weeks I have left until I go on mat leave. And I feel as though im doing everything I can but no one is willing to help me.

On top of all this I have been doing hypno birthing and have a constant worry, because of the inconsistencies with my care, that I wont have the birth I want. And all I want is for it to be calm. I feel as though no one is listening to me and i am just a number, this is my first baby and im feeling very overwhelmed can anyone offer some pearls of wisdom?

Thanks a lot

Xx

Oh dear. You have had a rough time of it. I think your best bet is to go to the PALS office in the hospital and talk to them. They'll be on your side and can help facilitate trying to sort things out.
With regards to the physio, this is actually fairly standard in my experience as I had the same. When I went to the group I was already having to cut back my work (I'm normally on my feet all day but had to take more of a desk based role by the end) and the group session gage me some useful tips and it was then easier to get seen for a 1:1 session

Good luck

Are there not any other physios around?
How many of these things are considered to be risks for a more complicated labour?
I would make appointments to see my GP again to sort out the medical side - thyroid/Bmi issues.
And another appointment with midwife to discuss your fears.
Is there more than one midwife? Could you see another one if you want to?
It can tends to be those who shout the loudest get what they want.
Without commenting on these peoples ability to do their job I will say that all of them will be over busy and possibly struggling to keep up with their caseloads.
My other piece of wisdom would be to try not to get too hung up on one particular kind of labour. Birth is a very unpredictable process and in my experience setting your heart on it being a certain way can actually lead to feelings of failure and depression.
Have a plan and make your wishes clear. Makes sure your birthing partner knows what you would prefer but be prepared to go with the flow. Set your sight on the end point - a healthy baby.

Ah right okay thats made me feel a bit better. And whats PALS?

Thanks for your luck and your reply x

Patient Advice and Liaison Service. They are there to advocate for patients and can help you get to speak to the right people or navigate the system. It's kind of like a system to try and avert complaints as well so a good starting point.

Well my consultant did put me back to midwife lead care and shes refered me back to them. So now im just in lime. Id love a home birth but thought it was out of the question, I just want to talk to people about my options I just want to know whats going on.

I have a gtt test booked for Thursday so ill go to that and do what im told. In the mean time I will see if I can get in touch with PALS. Will someone speak to me about my labour plans and my wishes later on? Im so worried.

In regards to my spd I can probably do my job but sitting down makes it worse and sometimes it can take me an hour or so driving to and from work which means im in agony when I get to work and when I get home.

Thank you. I have a gp appointment on Wednesday so im hoping I can discuss these issues then.