Urgh, first contact with maternity services didn't go well :-(

[Blueskyrain]

If anyone remembers my previous posts, I'm pregnant with my first (only 5 1/2 weeks), and very, very nervous. I've got a severe phobia of needles, and the prospect of pregnancy terrifies me. But I want it, so I'm trying to just get on with it. I don't have a GP as yet.

I saw on the midwife pages of my hospital that I could self refer, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling that way. Apparently, no I can't. I have to register with a GP first, and see my GP first. Some faff but ok.

I mentioned my needle phobia and that I'd need to speak to them, or see them first to work out some way of me being able to do the blood tests etc, and her response - we see a lot of women with issues with needles. They just get over it. You might need a lot of injections/bloods etc, and there's a lot worse to come with labour pain, so most woment just get over it.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

I'm now having a good cry and am in a complete panic about things. She didn't say it nastily, but she had all the tact of a block of stone, and has made me feel 10 times worse.

Good on you Bluesky.

Goodluck. :) How exciting!

Well you've made the first step which is to sort out how to register with the GP. Next step is seeing what help they can suggest. If your GP surgery has more than one GP it might be worth checking with the receptionist who the best GP to see would be. Some have special interests or areas of expertise.

It sounds silly but maybe there's a Paul McKenna hypnotherapy CD you could cheaply pick up?!! It's worth a try!

Really hope you can get registered and get the help you need OP. I think a lot of people think they have a phobia when they don't like something much. I was phobic about snakes. Couldn't look at a picture of one or see one on TV. Wanted to cancel a holiday abroad as there were snakes in the region. Couldn't have toy ones around me.
I once saw one in the wild. Yes the holiday I didn't bloody cancel. Nearly actually threw up on it and then passed out on it. Shaking and crying and hysterical. Yes. In public.
Saying to someone with anxiety that they will need to get over it is bloody unhelpful. If the OP could simply do so then she wouldn't have avoided hospital for a possibly broken arm.
OP you need and deserve professional help and support. People are right that the strength needs to come from you but that doesn't just mean you need to get over it overnight.
With a bit of luck you won't need much in the way of tests etc and this pg will all go smoothly. Good luck.

And congratulations too!

PS - I am also pregnant - congratulations, it is a very exciting time!

It was fine, but genuinely felt like an emergency which gave me the push I needed.

Perhaps if you read up on the potential consequences of not having the tests (ie damage to the baby if you are rhesus negative/have an STD/anaemia/diabetes/other condition that isn't detected and treated), that might give you a similar push? Imagine how you'd feel if your baby was damaged by a condition that could have been treated? I'm not saying that in a sarcastic way, genuinely wondering if this approach might help.

Hi OP,
I'm sorry that you haven't had a positive first experience with hcps.

Unfortunately as others have said, this is an issue which does need to be dealt with and managed by you, with the support of others such as a GP.

There is no indication to prescribe sedatives to you for blood tests, and that's without being pregnant. No GP would prescribe sedatives due to the risk to the baby and also because they're very strong drugs which must be used with care.

I think your first step would be to register and speak to a GP and explore your options for therapy to minimise your fear of this.

Do you think it would help to understand why blood tests are offered in pregnancy?

In the U.K. we take bloods to check your blood group and screen for antibodies in your blood, a full blood count is also done to check your iron levels and platelets, screening for carriers of sickle cell and thalassaemia is also done and then a screen for infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatits and Syphilis is also done.
These are done early on to make sure that if you need any extra care or treatment for any of these issues, you can be cared for appropriately and early on to minimise risks not only to the baby you're carrying, but also to you. While people will often say you've got to think about the baby, we also want/need to make sure that you are also fit and healthy.

Now, most NHS trusts use blood taking systems such a vaccutainers, which is a single needle and then little bottles are put on and off the needle - so it's be one needle into the vein, then several bottles/tubes filled from that. Each bottle holds a max of 5-6ml.

Your role in this would be to hold your arm still as any movement makes it difficult to take the blood and can cause injury to you or the person taking it.

I think it may help you to consider what exactly about having blood taken frightens you the most. If it's the though of the pain of the needle going in, then using emla cream may help. Also, if it's a pain thing, all you will feel is a sharp pinch, and then it'll be over. It'll take less than a minute and all you'll be left with is a tiny puncture wound which can be covered with some cotton wool/plaster.

It is important for you and baby to have these bloods taken, and ultimately the responsibility of this does fall to you. If you decide not to have them, the midwife will accept that, but she does have a duty of care to you to offer to take them again at some point during the pregnancy, since prepared that she will ask again.

No one will make you do this, but it is advisable, and attempting to overcome this will benefit you in the long run too.

But first things first, get to the GP and get that box ticked, then have your initial appointment with the midwife to get your booking done and if you're not able to have the bloods done there and then, perhaps make an appointment to try again a few days later?

OP please ignore the nasty judgemental and downright spiteful responses from some of the posters on this thread. You have an underlying medical condition which means that receiving injections and having blood samples taken is traumatic for you. You are right to flag this up to the health care professionals who will be supporting you during your pregnancy in order that a strategy can be worked out. This may mean referral to psychological services. Your midwife can and should do this as it involves the wellbeing of you, the patient in her care. I am really sorry that your first contact with the midwife service left you feeling unsupported. You deserve better and you are absolutely right to ask for it. Congratulations on your pregnancy, speak to your GP, and speak to your midwife and keep on going.

A phobia isn't an underlying medical issue?

Is that a question or a statement?

No, it isn't. And OP ISN'T a patient in the midwifes care.

And keep the sanctimoaning to a minimum.

Either way, not sure of your point.

It's a statement. The point is OP needs to recognise it for what it is to deal with her prenatal care maturely

A phobia is a recognised medical condition as set out in the DSM-5. If you have an issue with that, take it up with the APA.

It's not an underlying medical
Condition. You are talking rubbish

emedicine.medscape.com/article/288016-overview#a1

The article includes a couple of verbatim quotes from the DSM-V manual re diagnosis of the condition known as phobia. Of course you may know better than them as to what constitutes a medical condition. I'll take my chances though

Hi Bluesky

I work as a phlebotomist, and believe me you are not alone when it comes to having a severe phobia of needles. I'm so sorry you didn't have the supportive reaction you were looking for

I always tell my anxious patients to let the person at reception know about their phobia and when we can we would fast track you before the anxiety builds any further. Try not to go first thing in the morning as there will be lots of fasting patients waiting and you might feel more rushed and under pressure.

Bring somebody calm with you, drink lots of water before you arrive to help your veins, and ask your GP about EMLA cream. You apply the cream an hour before your test and then wrap your arms with cling film where the cream is. It numbs the area and you can see the skin change colour as it works.

We don't mind if you cry, if we have to sit with you for half an hour before you even let us feel for a vein, but just take it one step at a time. Some of my patients like to listen to music through their earphones, or watch something funny on their phones - that's fine too! I promise you that once you have done this, you'll feel so proud of yourself - and quite rightly so! Good luck

Charles I'm not reading your link, because life is too short. An underlying medical condition is a second condition that causes the first condition ie a heart condition causing insomnia.

I don't think a phobia caused the OP to get knocked up, do you?

I understand, matching - you have more important things to do with your time. Like berating frightened pregnant women.

OP I hope that this first contact hasn't dissuaded you from the discussions with either your midwife (when you get one) or alternatively with your GP that you can have, that you are entitled to have and which can help you. Take it easy, try not to think about catastrophic scenarios and you can do this - you really can.

No, just correcting people
Who think a phobia can make you pregnant

OP there's a book I did with my CBT called "Overcoming low self esteem" it's 1p secondhand on Amazon or most local libraries have it.
If you do want to start that's the best place.

The medical profession is going to a mixture of hit & miss with your phobia but you need to be prepared to deal with the ones who "won't care," so to speak.
It's harsh, it's annoying but as you know you're pregnant now & you're doing well to take it a step at a time.

But I do have questions about vaccinations are you going to have them? They are later on in the pregnancy & what about the baby, are you okay with them having injections?

Hope you find a treatment plan that works for you in all this.

OP, I only have a mild needle phobia so I don't know if this is helpful but I am all too familiar with the eye-rolling HCP scenario. I have found it is much better to go in with a list of what will help, for me that is:

• a cup of water available for straight after
• i will be counting loudly a series of possibly non sequential numbers, please don't ask me why I'm talking gibberish
• i need to look away
• I need somewhere to sit after for ten minutes, presume I'm ok to go in the waiting room.

I used to feel awful and rude going in with my demands but as well as helping me feel in control needle appointments have gone a lot better since the list. I think because HCPs are usually willing to accommodate people being odd, less willing to sit and have what they perceive to be a chat about how scary needles are.

Hi BlueSky, just to let you know, I'm fairly similar - for me, injections are fine, but taking blood really isn't. When I went for my first set of blood tests (with DH) I panicked so much we didn't even try. I then saw a community midwife who was brilliant - I wanted to ask which tests were vital, and which less so, and she started the discussion with 'you don't have to have any tests; you can refuse'. That really helped me. I did have some blood tests, and used emla cream - it numbs the surface of the skin. That helped, though it still wasn't great. I wasn't having abnormality screening done anyway, so it mattered much less that I was a bit late having the blood tests.

I completely get that it's not about the pain; incidentally everyone at my local surgery is great (including the receptionists!), so it's worth trying to find community care that's sympathetic.

Hey OP - congratulations on your pregnancy. Enjoy!

There's nine whole months of being pregnant and only a few seconds of it (if any at all) might involve injections. Try not to let the fear of a (possible but not definite) few seconds spoil the entire of that nine formonths.

Now go and start window shopping those gorgeous baby bits and bobs in the shops.