Midwife appointment advice

[MissLaurz]

Hi,
Just wondering when we are supposed to have midwife appointments. I have only met my midwife once at my 16 week appointment (another midwife covered my booking appt) and I didn’t really have chance to ask any questions as she spoke really fast and I felt I needed to leave once she had the information she needed as she was so rushed.
I do have underlying health issues and when I spoke to my midwife about this she didn’t seem phased, however my other consultant says I should be treated as high risk and seen more to check baby’s heart rate. I just feel like I am a bit in limbo.
I’ve had my 20 week scan and was referred for a more detailed scan with an obstetrician- which were fortunately fine

Has anyone else been in this position as I’m a bit lost who I need to be contacting for each appointment and I can never get through to speak to my midwife?

I feel a bit guilty because maybe I should know all of this but this is my first baby and I just want to ensure I am doing everything I can to ensure baby is happy and healthy.

Thanks x

The standard appointment schedule is usually Booking appt then 16, 25, 28, 31, 34, 36, 38, 40 weeks

You should have this info in your notes. Mine are all at the front of my folder

You can always ask for more appointments if you feel you need them. I and another high risk friend had weekly appts to check the heartbeat.
Your maternity pack should have a number on it for community midwifery. If you ring them they will get your midwife to call you bavlck and you can discuss your concerns.

Thanks all. Difficulty is getting through to the midwives, they never seem to answer the phone! I think I will pop in tomorrow and ask the receptionist to book my appointments rather than me waiting on hold

If your consultant thinks you need more appointments, you should be under consultant led care and they should be liaising with your midwife themselves to consult on your care.

Usually they book your next appointment when you see them, so in my case, I book directly with my midwife at the end of the appt (because I only see her, I'm with a home birth team, so slightly different). If you have your appts at the surgery, then I always just booked with the receptionist on the way out as those community midwives don't manage their bookings; the surgery does it for them. Are you leaving messages for them?

That said, you may not see the same midwife at each appt, so if you are ringing one specific midwife, that might be the problem. With my first, when I was under the normal community team, I saw a different midwife every visit so you get to know them all. I only saw 'my' midwife twice. I think that is still pretty standard most places in the UK, though they are trying to move towards relying more on named midwives. At any rate, I would call the surgery. They can likely book you in.