Dr said to self refer without having to see him

[FallenAngel82]

Hello everyone

Im 5 weeks pregnant with my first.

Eagerily, I called my GP here in London to book an appointment and he informed me that I dont need to see him and I should just self refer myself to my local ante natal service at my nearest hospital.

I feel a bit fobbed off and am now wondering, once I do the self referral, what happens next? As a first time mum, I have no idea of what im doing. Im up on all the vitamins, things not to eat, what to expect in first trimenster and usual stuff however I was expecting an appointment with my GP to check weight, blood pressure etc.

Has anyone else had this experience or has any advice on if this is normal?

Will I see a midwife straight away? What happens at the first appointment?
Thanks in advance. :)

Completely normal to self refer. You’ll get a letter for a booking in appointment.

This is normal. You ring the antenatal clinic at your hospital and ask for a booking appointment. They book you in to see the midwife for when you're approx 8 weeks pregnant, they do all your weight, bp, bloods etc. Mine sent me some info to read and fill in after the phone call but not sure if that's the same in every area. It feels like the longest wait in the world waiting for that appointment at 8 weeks! Congratulations

GP literally just confirms you know not to smoke or drink, that you’re taking folic acid and gives you a print out on flu jab and food to avoid etc. Midwife does all the actual checks- I would much rather have gone straight to midwife tbh!

This is very normal. Get yourself some folic acid tablets and a pregnancy book. You might be seen at 8 weeks or it might be at 12 weeks when you have a scan.

Completely normal. Just read the NHS website re diet and suppliments.

Here our GP surgery pass you directly onto the local midwife. All arranged through the receptionist. You don't actually need to see the GP. I saw the midwife around 8-10 weeks for my booking in appointment. A few weeks later I had my first scan at the local antenatal unit.

Utterly normal. No point seeing the GP unless you are ill or high risk and no need to see a midwife for a few weeks yet.

You can check your own weight if you're curious!

I'm in the same boat with the only difference that I made an online appointment with my GP. Total waste of time tbh. It was purely a chat with her congratulating me, advising me on what vitamins I need to take, telling me about Emma's diary (you can sign up for free online) and then telling me to self refer to one of three hospital options near me.

So I now need to figure out which hospital - I'm choosing between Kingston and St. Helier in S. London. Apparently once that is done they will send me a letter to arrange the booking in appointment. The first scan is at 12 weeks and before that I need to sit tight and wait.

Totally normal. Any test a doctor would do at this stage to confirm pregnancy is now as accurate as one from a shop so it's a waste of an appointment.
Call the midwife team but ours don't even want you to ring until 8 - 10 weeks then you get a booking in appointment with lots of paper work and tests and your scan between 12_14 weeks.
Good luck

Congratulations! If I recall correctly, booking appointments normally aren’t until around 9 Weeks. In some areas they do pre-booking group appointments at the surestart centre.

Congratulations! It’s very normal. Pregnancy tests mean that the doctor doesn’t need to see you, your GP has nothing to do with your pregnancy unless you have any health problems around it. At this stage it can be odd that no one is in a big hurry to see you! Before your 12 week scan you’ll get a booking in appointment with a Midwife, she’ll do weight and blood pressure etc and take medical history. She will book your 12 week scan based on your last period. This might not happen until 9 weeks or so. First trimester is a bit of a waiting game. If you feel that anything is specifically an issue (excessive morning sickness etc) then go to the GP, or if you have any spotting or worries you can call the Midwife team or early pregnancy unit. But really the first 12 weeks are about getting lots of rest, trying to eat, and taking your vitamins. After 12 week scan you will have a 16 week appointment with the Midwife and then 20 week scan booked in. Then no appointment again until 24 weeks I think, then they start getting more regular. You can find the number for the community Midwife team for your area online usually. Don’t worry, if you don’t need a lot of contact with the midwives tv it’s because you are having a normal, issue free pregnancy!

All normal, everyone basically takes your word for it that you’re pregnant up until the 12 week scan (provided no scares along the way). It would be a bit of a waste of a GP appt tbh

Wow! Thank you so much everyone! I feel much more at ease now.

My hormones have been up and down so to have some feedback from others who have gone through the same things is very supportive. We havent told any of our friends or family yet so I feel a bit isolated about asking for advice. Thank goodness for forums!

I can’t remember the earlier ones, but mine are 20 week scan then 28 weeks midwife.

Plus 5 consultant appointments in between, but that’s not normal.

I was surprised first time when the doctor didn't want to see me. Then when I got to my midwife appointment it all made sense. They were the people to speak to/see.

Congratulations and good luck.