how often do people see their midwife??

[newby29]

Hello all. I am 14 weeks today, and had my scan a week and a hlaf ago at 12 + 4 and all was well. I have my next scan booked in for 22 weeks, and then next see my midwife after that - with nothing in between (as told by my midwife at my booking appt). I'm assuming this is fairly normal (and that it varies around the country) but 10 weeks feels a very very long time to not be checked out. heartbeat listened too etc when you are a serial worrier like me! (Not helped by previous mc). Wondered if anyone else was in the same situation and can give me wrods of reassurance that all will generally be OK in that time! (I had a colleague who went for her 2nd scan at 20 weeks to find the baby had died, and I think I am feeling very anxious partly because of her experience). Anyway - any help/thoughts/ressruance that things probably will be OK would be very much welcomed!!!

Does seem a long time, I think I saw my midwife every four weeks (it might have been six, but it definitely wasn't 10).

Can you just book yourself an appointment for, say, 18 weeks and turn up and present yourself? I don't think the midwife checks in advance to see if you are 'due' to see her, if you see what I mean.

I think I might, you know. I am going away for a week (only in the UK, but still) when I am about 18 weeks, I might book an appointment a bit before that and say I just wanted to have a check up before I was away from home...

First of all congratulations . You probably won't want to hear this, and I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who had the minimal amount of mw care during their pregnancies and still had healthy babies, but I personally would like to be seen more often than just every couple of months or so.
As much as I love the antenatal system in this country for being very relaxed and letting you enjoy your pregnancy...sometimes I also think that it can be very neglectful.
If I was you, I would go back to my mw and demand to be seen once a month until the end of the second trimester, after which it's usually twice a month, then every week in the last month. On second thoughts, don't even talk to them, just make the appointments. Once you turn up, surely they won't send you way...

Thank you thank you! I am now thinking I will not even wait that long!!! I wanted to gauge what was normal - this is my first pg so dont know what is normal and what isnt. When I saw my mw she was very nice and I'm sure she might have said I could come back if I felt anything was wrong - overall extreme level of anxieties might have to count for wrong! At what point can the mw hear a heartbeat? I guess the real reason I would want to go to see the mw is to get that checked out. What else would they do at this stage? Check the position of the uterus or anything like that?

That's the spirit! With my daughter, they first checked the heart rate at 16 wks. Other checks they did for me each time: blood pressure, checking for protein and sugar in urine, all of which are very important!!
However, for me it wasn't until 24 wks that they first checked the height of the womb.

Right! Thanks murcimari! Tomorrow I am going to ring for an appointment at 16 weeks. I'll say I'm going away and want to get everything checked before I go. They would be extremely mean to say no. And in any case I could probably just book in to my GP anyway I would have thought.

(I am normally a big fan of the NHS and felt they were really good with me with my mc and also in general get peed off with people who waste NHS resources BUT it does feel unfair how much it varies from region to region).

Great plan - good luck with everything!

Heh - once a week in the month, not even in my neck of the woods. I took matters into my own hands because I was worried about the bump size, so just booked myself in at 39 weeks when I wasn't due to be seen again til 40. Just as well I did as my blood pressure had shot up and I ended up being induced 2 days early. I'm not saying there would have been any clinical risk in it not being diagnosed sooner, but I would definitely do the same thing second time around (even though pre-eclampsia not generally a risk in second pregnancy).

Saw mine every week down the coop

Where I live it is appts at 12/22/26/30/34/36/38/40 weeks

If you want to see someone you can always go to your GP to have BP checked etc

Sorry, I wasnt very useful was i?

About the same as Theblonde here.

I wonder if you are booked in at Kingston? I too had nothing between 13 wks and 22wks; at 22 wks i was told by the ultrasound operative, who didn't seem to have any particular qualifications, 'oh, you should just go to your GP now every 4 weeks; you don't need to come here'. This despite the fact that in my notes, which she had open in front of her, was clearly described my first and only previous pregnancy - waters broken at 30 wks, ruptured placenta, gestational diabetes and all. If she had read my notes, she should not have been passing me off to my GP; if she hadn't read my notes, she should not have been setting out a care plan.

Basically, nag for more. If necessary, ring and say that you've had bleeding, or pain, or have stopped feeling the baby move, to get the reassurance of being checked out.

Well, I must be extremely lucky then living in SE London lol. Just checked my previous pregnancy book (asked for a copy from the hospital after I had my daughter) and I was seen at wks 8 (booking appt), 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, 39, then I gave birth on my due date .
Since then we'd changed surgery, but I'm still being seen by the same group of community mws, so expect (hope) it'll be the same this time around, too.

Nice to find this thread because I'm also not seeing anyone between 12 and 22 weeks and having had a fairly stressful first 12 weeks now feel a bit abandoned! Thought maybe I was just being a bit pathetic but it is a long time!

I am booked into Kingston - any thoughts or tips dueat44?!

Are you not having 16 week bloods done to test risk of dows/spina bifida?

I was in the same position as you and felt a bit abandoned and worried. I ended up booking an appointment with my GP at 16 weeks to make sure everything was ok. She was happy to check me out and it made me feel a whole lot better that all was going well. It turned out that the midwife should have made a review appointment with me for 16 weeks but hadn't, so in the end I was glad to have sorted it out for myself.

When I eventually saw the consultant at the hospital he told me that the main thing is to make sure you get your blood pressure and urine checked regularly so they can check for diabetes, pre-eclampsia, etc. It's every 4 weeks to start, then 3, then 2 as you get nearer your due date. Mine rotate between the midwife and the GP.

The appointments should go roughly 12, 16, 20, 25, 28, 31, 34, 36, 38, 40.

I should have mentioned that those dates are only for a first baby. I think they check you less once you get on number 2, assuming your first one went smoothly.

Thanks everyone - glad to see I am not alone in this! I wonder if I should go for a GP appointment instead of a mw at 16 weeks then?

I am definitely NOT supposed to be seen at 16 weeks - I remember the mw telling me explcitily that "it would feel a long time" but that that was the way it was. definitely will take matters into my own hands.

Mucimari - I am in SE London too! So it obviosuly varies a lot even within. I am in Greenwich. But my sister is too, but had a different team of midwives and she did get a 16 week appointment.

Ugh - so frustrating. Hello weddingcake - seen you on the due in July threads - sort of reassuring to know we are in the same boat!

PS no - no 16 week bloods. Had the Nuchal Scan done at my 12 week scan and I guess that is instead of that.

Newby - you should still have 16 week bloods done. I had nuchal fold test done too but they can still do alpha protein whatsit for spina bifida at 16 weeks and find out if you are high risk for thalasaemia and sickle cell and they should discover your blood type eg Rhesus + or - and whether you are anaemic or not. Unless they did all this at your 12 week appt I would be asking someone some questions.... HTH.

Had booking appointment at 12 weeks, then 16 weeks (for bloods, not just triple test but full blood count, blood type, glucose levels, HIV, Syphillus (sp), hepB, anaemia and urine for abnormal bacteria) and 24 weeks. 28 (at hospital as I need antiD), 31, 34, 36, 38 and 40 to come. I had the impression that the blood tests just have to be after 14 weeks and no end time so I guess they will do them at 22 weeks.

I have to say waiting for initial 12 week appointment was the worst but I feel it's all too long when you worry about it all. Now I'm feeling the baby moving (from 17 weeks) I'm not so worried and there really isn't a lot they can do for you. 16 wks til 24 wks was a long time too but I just have to keep thinking it's good that they don't want to see me as there's nothing to be concerned about!

To reassure yourself come on here, ask questions and read as much as you feel is good for you. There's a lot of positive things out there as well as the horror stories and it really helped me feel in control.

Things do differ between me and a friend who's baby's due 10 days after mine and we are in neighbouring counties so I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are getting just what you feel happy with. As others have said you can make an appointment with doctor if you feel uneasy.

Good luck and congratulations on your scan!

I have had all those bloods done - syphillus, HIV etc, blood type, glucose etc at 11 weeks on my first appt (and got results back a week ago) so I guess thats that.

Cinnamongreyhound, thanks for your reassuring words. Thats it - I dont feel theres anything 'wrong' with the care at all. I feel its just a huge London borough with a massive demand, and yes, thats what I try and tell myself, there cant be that much that can go wrong without me knowing about it, and therefore going to them. BUt, as you understand, it just feels such a long long time when you are worrying about everything little thing anyway (and again, as you say, when you look on mn al the time and do see all the things that can go wrong). I will give my mw a call in the morning and see if she will elt me go for a check. if she says no, I will make a dr appt and be done with it!

Hi newby 29, we really are at the same stage aren't we, I think I was exactly 14 weeks yesterday! - think I will also try and touch base with my Gp because I have been wondering about blood tests at 16 weeks although I think as my nuchal scan was ok they don't bother.

It's so hard though knowing what you should push for (and maybe be considered difficult!) and what it's ok to let pass you by.

On the whole I'm trying to take the attitude that if I'm feeling relatively ok (apart from the sickness that refuses to disaapear!) then that must be a good thing! I'm sure it'll be easier to feel reassurred once we can feel our babies moving around.

Yes, just checked my notes (which are generci for the hosptial) and there is space for bloods at booking appt and then not again until 28 weeks - and reading through the accompnaying booklet on the maternity care provided it does say that. So I dont know where that leaves the spina bifida thing (whcih seems ot be the only thing that sint covered, but I guess thats left til the anamoly scan).

thats exactly right - once I feel the baby, I will have that. And if I'm honest, my worries are simply that I will have a missed late mc and not know about it. I dont worry about abnormalities in the same way (not saying its not a concern, of course its not, but for me, the thing that keeps me awake at night is a late mc or still birth, rather than other problems with the baby - perhaps that will be my obsessive worry at a later time!). So really its just wanting to hear the heartbeat and know that eerythings OK.

I saw recently someone on here who said they lived by the mantra "no bleeding, no problem" and thats what I must just keep telling myself!!!

Exactly as you say though weddingcake - hard to know what to push for. Good luck with the GP - let me know what they say. I am going to give the mw a call in the morning, and I'll let you know too!

thanks everyone for your advice

Newby, I'm in Brockley therefore belong to Lewisham. A few of my friends had their babies in Greenwich, so I understand your concern. However, I see from the other postings that the kind of care that I receive in Lewisham is NOT the norm. Never thought I would have a reason to consider myself lucky for living here, but the day has truly come LOL. I never had a reason to go and see my GP re. my first pregnancy but agree with the others, that's always an option. They too can do the important checks on your blood pressure and urine, probably won't be able to listen to baby's heart though. Also, at Lewisham hospital there is a Day Assessment Unit, which is a walk-in-centre for women in their 2nd and 3rd trimester. This is usually not for routine appts, but if you have the same in Greenwich it's good to have their number in your mobile . Not that anything will go wrong, of course!