GP/midwife appointments

[Lemondrop09]

So I'm a bit confused about appointment. So far I've had

March
8 week booking appointment with midwife
12 week scan

Currently booked in for

April
16 week midwife appointment

June
20 week scan (awaiting appointment date).
Also appointment with consultant booked in for after this scan (is this normal???)

At the booking appointment the midwife said I would likely alternate appointments between them and the GP. I've not been told to book any appointments with the GP. When would these normal be?

In my trust they usually pre book the consultant after 20 weeks if you have a higher BMI or any other risk factors. I guess it's easier to pre book it an cancel rather than wait till a problem arises.
My midwife alternates the clinic at the midwife centre in a health care clinc and at the gp surgery but in my first pregnancy and again with this one it's always been the midwife who has seen me never the gp.

I'm in a health trust that also alternates GP and midwife particularly for first time mothers. My GP appts are 25, 31 and 38 weeks. From what I've seen on MN, this is actually fairly unusual as a lot of women only see midwives so don't rely on what anyone else's area does as being the same for you!

I have a list in my notes folders of which appointments are in which week and who with. I also get told at the end of each appointment who to book my next one with. Might be worth asking if they can give you a list if you don't get one automatically (I find it useful to have the list as the midwives are very busy here so I sometimes have to book two appointments ahead rather than waiting to be told at the preceding appointment ifswim).

Ah ok. Yeah, my BMI is higher so I think that's why the consultant.

Sounds like if I see the GP, these appointment are likely past 20 weeks, which haven't been booked in yet. I guess it might come up later

Honestly, my hospital haven't been great at explaining things. I can't see a list in my pack. I think my April appointment might be the glucose test, but no one has told me whether it is and if I'm supposed to take Lucosade with me etc. All a bit confusing

Just remember that unlike consultant/scan appointments, GP and midwife appointments are unlikely to be automatically booked for you so if you aren't getting told to to book them (and when), do ask!

When I was briefly sent to see a consultant, my hospital letters were also useless for telling me what exactly the appointment was - they just said turn up on x floor on y date at z time! I took to phoning the consultant's secretary/other contact number on the letter and asking them to tell me what they thought I was seeing them about...

Yeah, this is the problem. I don't know what appointment are expected, what each one is for, what gets booked automatically and what I have to book.... sigh

Think I'll ask for some clarity at the April appointment

Where I live, it's the same sort of arrangement. The appointments are shared between my midwife and GP. My surgery actually have a handout, which indicates at what weeks I should have appointments and with whom. I'd speak to your surgery and see if they have something similar, cos it's really helpful.

At your 16 week midwife appointment, ask them which weeks you need to book gp appointments for. Was given a list at my booking in confirming i needed to book which were 24 weeks, 31 and 38 weeks. Was also informed which weeks i had midwife appointments for too.

For your glucose tolerance test you don't need to take anything with you. You don't ear or drink anything other than water from midnight till your appointment, then the nurse will take your bloods then prepare a glucose drink which you have 5 mins to drink then wait 2 hours then see you again for more bloods. That's it.
I've had gd with both pregnancies.

Hi Red, I read online people complaining that at my hospital they had to take their own Lucosade with them, but hadn't been told and got told off by the midwife Alyhough looking on the NHS website, I might not have that test until closer to 24 weeks.

Think I will take Lucosade, a notebook and a pen to my 16 week appointment and try to clear this up!

I expect it's another thing that changes depending on where you live! Yes take it so you're prepared!
As I had gd with dc1 I was tested at 10 weeks with this pregnancy and that was clear then I was tested again at 24 weeks.

As you get further along you will get more advice about making your next appointment and what the purpose of them will be. You dont need to take lucozade for your 16 week scan, your GTT if you need one will be at a hospital and probably around 28 weeks. The consultant will assess at 20 weeks if the GTT is necessary. They wont generally give you a list of appointments so early on because what appointments you have will be liable to change depending on your needs. If you have GD for example you'll be seen for growth scans every 2-4 weeks in the third trimester but if you don't then you may not have any scans at all.