Ante natal care .... does this sound right?

[PandaBear]

Hi All,

I am 18 weeks pregnant with our 2nd child. I also have high blood pressure (not pregnancy related). With DD this meant that I had to have quite a few extra hospital appointments, and had 2 additional scans later on in the pregnancy.

This time, I've been told I don't need to see the midwife until I'm 23 weeks, and apart from the normal 20 week scan, they don't want to see me at the hospital until I'm 37 weeks.

Nothing has changed since my last pregnancy, so does anyone know of a reason why the ante-natal care is so different?

Thanks

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But the new guidelines aren't being followed,either. My pregnancies are indisputably low-risk, but I would have had 14 (not just 7!) antenatal appts. if I booked when the MWs kept telling me to book "the next appointment". This is in Leicestershire & Norfolk. They are still following old protocals. I feel horrified at taking so much NHS time/resources, when I know I'm low risk, and genuinely higher risk women should be focused on. But some low-risk women might want, even demand, all 14 appts.... if they found that reassuring. I feel sorry for health professionals, having to make these decisions about clinical need.

The guidelines aren't being followed where I am either (London). I am a high risk pregnancy, and am 12 weeks (I think)- haven't even had a booking in appointment or scan or blood tests or anything. In fact haven't even heard from the hospital or the midwife (I will see the midwife in my gp's surgery every month once we get going). I wouldn't mind not going to the hospital for my appointments, but I would like it to be confirmed that I am still pregnant and to have the first scan at some stage soon!. My SIL is at the same stage as me and has had 3 scans already. The difference? She lives in France.

Samcj- I don't think that many people who have problems with the NHS have problems with the staff on the firing line (except occasionally but it would be like that anywhere). It's the whole set up.

For example in my PCT NO cover- none at all- is provided for maternity leave- in any position (I have this in writing)- so if you need to access help from any female dominated profession- SALT, OT, midwifery- basically you're stuffed as they are always understaffed. Working conditions must be routinely horrible.

But am I right to think that it actually is the case that "not much" can be done during the first trimester of pregnancy? In terms of helping make sure the pregnancy is successful, I mean?

If so, I think this thread boils down to "Should a woman have antenatal appointments just to reassure her (which is I think is about all an early scan is good for), or do we accept that health care is rationed and reassurance is a very low priority?"

I honestly don't know what I think the answers to those questions are, btw!

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When I last read up on it the progesterone treatment to prevent miscarriage didn't seem to be proven or effective... is there more/better evidence about it now?

zebra- I kind of think that reassurance should be a lot priority- but it does bother me if people who are bleeding can't get access to scans. If they are rhesus negatve for example and having a m/c they may need anti D.

I do get concerned now that when things go horrbly wrong in whatever area- the NHS often seems to struggle to cope. Mainly of course because of chronic understaffing- not the individuals working within it. It is a real problem.

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Just to post another view - I have no problem with the NHS where I live. The midwives are great. I see them every four weeks - my "normal"midwife is on maternity leave and they have another one covering her case load and it has not affected my care. The hospital I had dd in was clean - infact it was probably better than my house. The food was horrid - but no worse than school. My midwife is always availible for stuipid questions etc. I am low risk, but my friend is high risk having had a still birth and the care she has had is amazing - lots of scans looking for anything wrong, appts. with doctors/midwives. She can't fault them either. Another friend of mine had her baby in the NICU again she had no compliants about the standard of care and she is Canandian!

So I guess it just depends on how your NHS trust funds their care!

Jimjams is exactly right.
Samcj, please don't think I'm slagging off the NHS staff, I'm not. I admire them for what they do, I feel for them for the amount of hours they have to work... In fact, regarding the incident of the blood test, I never complained to her, I even made a joke about it, and kept saying "Don't worry about it!" when she kept apologizing. I know not all midwives like to take blood. It's an accumulation of things that put me off.
As Jimjams said, it's the whole set up that's wrong.
I appreciate what you said about the results. I was not expecting to get my results within the hour, but I KNEW that it could be done, that's why I found it a bit strange that the midwife shrugged her shoulders and laughed at me when I said: "Can I phone you tonight to see if the results have arrived?". She told me they normally take about 10 days. When I said to her: "that's strange, last time I had the results within the hour" she soon changed her tune and told me to phone the day after.
That's what annoys me. The NHS attitude is too relaxed, not concerned enough. I certainly don't have the pretention to demand better care than anyone else. I know some people are a higher risk, what annoys me is the whole attitude of "If you don't ask, you don't get." or "if it's not life threatening, it's not classified as 'urgent'".
Besides reassuring a pregnant woman can be very beneficial for her and the baby.

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