More a bit of an AIBU really...
I'm terrified of blood tests. As in I feel sick and dizzy as soon as a nurse/whoever starts getting the equipment out, and often end up panicking and breaking down in tears and hyperventilating before they've even touched me. Anyway, a year or so ago we found out I was much more relaxed having blood taken from the back of my hand with a butterfly needle (and easier on the nurse as the veins in my arm are practically non existent), to the point where I just stick my hand out shut my eyes and let them get on with it, usually with no panic. All the healthcare professionals I've come into contact with I let them know and they just do it for me, never been an issue.
At my first appointment with my local midwife I mentioned my issues with needles and she told me she couldn't take it out of the back of my hand (I assumed because she didn't have a butterfly needle, although one GP used a normal one to get it and that wasn't too bad), so I was sent to see one of the nurses in the GPs surgery to have my bloods done - no problems, they took 4 tubes.
So I go for another appointment yesterday, I'm now 29 wks pregnant. She said she needed one tube of blood. I assumed because she knows what I'm like and what we've done previously she's got the butterfly needle ready this time (this is even in my notes). I sit on my hand and try to warm it up while she chats to me, and open and close my hand ready etc. When she asked if I was ready I said yes, and gave her my hand. She promptly pulled up my sleeve and went to put a strap around my arm, clearly going for there. I immediately panicked, broke down, and started hyperventilating. Luckily I took a friend with me and my friend reiterated I don't have bloods taken from there, as she knows, while I tried to calm down. Midwife looked extremely irritated and said 'well I can't do it then, I've never used a butterfly needle'. I was promptly sent for bloods over with the usual nurse in the GP surgery, who had no issues.
Now I've calmed down I feel cross that the midwife put me in that position knowing how bad I am and sat watching me get the vein up in my hand whilst she had no intention all along of taking blood from there. I'm also a bit shocked that a midwife has never used a butterfly needle - is this normal? I would have assumed she would have had to with babies? She can be a bit standoffish with me too - I've recently tried to talk about some of the factors causing me high levels of stress at the moment, for example, and she's not really offered any insight/advice/offered to put me in touch with anyone who can help. Are most midwives like this? I was in a large city hospital recently and the midwives in the maternity wing there were absolutely lovely and listened to you/took time with you despite being rushed off their feet. I just feel I can't ask her things because she just doesn't seem interested. I assume when I go into labour I'll have a cannula and blood will just be taken from there? (I'm having IV antibiotics during labour).
Any advice appreciated on dealing with awkward midwives or just tell me I'm being a pain in the backside for having unreasonable phobias :)