Green antenatal notes confusion

[KellsBells99]

Will keep this short. I'm due my 12 week scan on Monday. Letter came today and says 'YOU MUST BRING YOUR GREEN ANTENATAL NOTES' in capitals....

I don't have green antenatal notes. Never been given anything. Just a bounty pack and a prescription for anti-sickness.

I'll give them a ring tomorrow however am confused... should I have these notes? Midwife never mentioned them!
M

Your midwife should have given them to you at your booking appointment. In your green and white striped folder x

Is that your handheld notes perhaps? Mine were yellow/orange and were the notes (a4 book) that the midwife gave me at my booking in appointment. Have you had a booking in appointment yet (if so, unless things are very different in your nhs trust I would call your midwife as you really should have been given them) or did you self refer for the scan?

You should have been given them at your booking appointment. Are they definitely not in your bounty pack?

Yes, you should have a booklet that midwife fills in at booking- they are different colours in different places. You then take this to every appointment, and they add to it. It means you always have the up to date record, so whoever you see knows what other people have seen/ done.
Call your midwife ASAP- they likely will not scan without it.

@MrsSPx @ProseccoPoppy midwife put everything in to a computer and told me that it was a new system. So maybe that's why? Definitely not been given anything... how strange!

And yes - some people put them in the bounty folder - I’d forgotten about that as I said no thanks to having it but could they be in there?

Yes, you usually get given them at your first MW appt. Do you remember the midwife filling in a big green book? Perhaps she forgot to give it to you. Definitely ask.

I didnt get mine until after my 12 week scan

She was attached to her laptop for the whole appointment. Definitely no book or notes. Everything went on to this new computer system.

Some areas are trialing electronic notes. So it is not impossible that the letter template is out of date. Phone your midwife and check.

Oh sorry - cross post! Maybe ring to double check? I thought the reason they did the handheld notes was partly in case you have to be seen elsewhere (eg go into labour on holidays) so seems surprising - but of course perfectly possible - that your trust has a different set up. Good luck!

My midwife did mention that maternity notes would be computerised from mid April so it may be that you are on the new system! I’m still on the old, paper notes systems. Makes sense to put all notes on a computer in my opinion instead of having to take a pack of notes everywhere you go!

You'd think they'd update their letters! Something like this is definitely enough to cause anxiety in pregnancy... I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow.

Some trusts have dispensed of handheld notes now so you may not have any. The hospital probably won't have changed the letter because they serve more than one community trust and some may still have handheld notes.

Computerising notes is all well and good but what happens if like me you regularly need to access maternity services outside of the CCG your midwives are under?

Or go on holiday and need to take notes with you?

Or simply want to have access all the information that is currently in your green handheld notes!?

I've got computerized notes that I can access on an app on my phone. Also have a small handheld copy but there isn't much information in them.

My notes are computerised but I haven't been told anything about accessing them myself...

I didn't get my green notes at my booking appointment. My midwife started making them up but then kept them to process them onto the system. All I had to take to my 12 week scan was my form for the bloods I think as I decided to have the testing for Downs etc. I didn't get my notes until a couple of weeks later. I realise that's not the same for everyone though so may not help.

I'm also all electronic but can't access them myself. My 12 week scan also said to take notes- when I arrived I said I was electronic. It does concern me about holidays etc and also they don't seem sure on the computerised system so I feel like things get missed. They've had barely any training so they're more focused on the computer than on me in appts.

@RowenaDedalus I found exactly the same. Midwife kept cussing at the computer and hardly looked at me. Not the nicest when you're anxious. I didn't expect her to be excited for me but a little eye contact would've been nice!

I definitely know more about their system than they know about my pregnancy!

To be honest @RowenaDedalus I think midwives in the UK aren't what they used to be by the sounds of things. Not their fault. Unbelievable pressures on them.

In America you see your midwife once a month during your pregnancy. How fab would that be!

They've changed the system all those commenting about yellow notes they are rarely given out anymore --
At my hospital you pick them up at maternity reception on the way to your scan x

Owww I hope it’s not a national change to notes. I’ve enjoyed having mine to read back over and having the chance to process information after appointments. Some times it feels like they throw so much information at you in appointments that it’s nice to take your notes home and have a flick through them with a cup of tea.

Sorry not helpful OP! But yes ringing up to check sounds like the way forward 😊 good luck!

Any chance your in Scotland?

My notes are on the system called Badger which replaces the maternity book/notes but you should have been given a basic print out of those notes.

I'm Scotland and this is NHS Glasgow policy.

Defo call ahead tho and ask for print out