Should your Blood pressure and water sample be checked at every antenatal appointment?

[YummyMummy247]

Hi ladies,

Attended my 28 week appointment on Thursday to be told it was running late!
Anyway after about 15 minutes went in to find it wasn't my usual midwife. She asked me some questions the usual ... Then asked me if i'd been for any growth scans. I'm not exactly sure why she asked this tbh as this was real first proper time she was measuring me. Also asked if I had been for any blood tests this week. Which I replied no, as wasn't aware of it.

Anyway.., after her measuring me, she said to come back in 3 weeks. It wasn't till I got home I unzipped my bag to see the water sample I had done previous to coming the doctors... Then thought she didn't do my blood pressure.
I phoned the doctors and told the receptionist and she seemed to think if she didn't ask for the sample she must not of needed it.
The more I think of it tho, the more wrong I thin it is, as on my notes she has put negative to both things they cheek for in water sample.
Wanted your advice on this problem as tempted to book in with the nurse to get her to check.
Thanking you for the replies in advance! xx

Midwife here.

I'd be inclined to contact your community midwives office, ask for the team leader and explain your concerns. Monday would be your best chance to do this as you can't guarantee that the team leader may not be working the weekend. If you get no joy with cmw team leader, then take it to the maternity matron. If you have no direct number for the community midwives office, call the main switch board for your local hospital and ask to be put through.

BP and urine should be measured at every appointment to check for several things, including but not limited to, pre-eclampsia, diabetes and infection.
Not doing those things and then falsifying information in your notes is massively worrying and could cause potential harm to you by delaying treatment if your BP was high or if there was something in your urine sample.

Also, you should be sent for iron level and antibody bloods at 28 weeks, so was that done? If not, did she give you forms to go and have it done?

This needs to be addressed really so please be brave and speak up.

Faking urine tests check for a number of things - protein (can be a sign of pre eclampsia), ketones (not sure but I think to do with kidneys/dehydration), blood and leukocytes (infection), glucose (can indicate gestational diabetes. So it can pick up indicators of a lot of stuff.

For what it's worth OP I reported a midwife who as well as being very dismissive in my appointment falsely documented a fundal height (it was too early to have done one anyway so not really important) and I know she was reprimanded. But this was a hospital team so it was through PALS. Missing the urine test is worse than that!

Thank you so much ladies for getting back to me. I knew it was weird when I phoned the receptionist at the doctors back up after the appointment to tell her that the midwife hadn't checked my sample and ask her if I should come back up to get her to check it. She informed me ...'Well if the midwife didn't check then it should be ok? '

I got the feeling the midwife I was seen by was new to the job as she spoke to me briefly about how she usually delivers babies. That's when she asked about my bloods if I had them done. When I said no she fussed looking for forms which she then told me she didn't have one of the forms and told me that I would need to go up to the maternity unit at the hospital to ask them about it. So feeling really confused about it all.

@GuntyMcGee thank you for your advice I will give the midwife team a call on Monday and see if I can get through to a team leader of some sort.

I was also going to contact my doctors to see if I could speak to my usual midwife who I have seen for the past two times and speak to her.

A midwife colleague of mine did this, falsified notes saying she’d done BP checks and urine dips when she hadn’t. She got referred to the nmc and came close to being struck off.

Just been looking at my notes again  and she has clearly stated that my urine sample has been provided by writing Yes but next to it she has wrote NAD. Any one know what that means?
@GuntyMcGee may need your expertise on this please! I have no clue. xx

No abnormalities detected

NAD means no abnormalities detected and would imply that you had provided a urine sample and that it had been tested and found normal.

I'd be inclined to speak to a team leader and also try to arrange a follow up with your usual midwife or a mw other than the one you saw recently so that you can have a BP and urine check and get your bloods done.

Thank you so much.

Yes I will be phoning on Monday, I just can't get over it? It's not even the fact how serious it is/could be its more of the way that it's been done.

Come to think of it, There was a girl that went in before me and had the same first name as me. It wouldn't surprise me if they were her results! As how do you pluck figures of a blood pressure out of this air?
Thank you again ladies xx

Sorry that should say.. How do you just type in any figures for the BP results.