Booking in/tests

[WaterOffaDucksCrack]

Hi everyone.

I'm just wondering what to expect at a booking in appointment?

Also what do they test the blood and urine for routinely? I'm in Lincolnshire if that makes a difference.

It's my second baby but I don't remember from my first due to trauma surrounding conception.

Thanks!

Your first appointment is a lot of paperwork and questions about medical history.
The urine is tested for signs of infection and protein throughout the pregnancy and your initial booking in blood tests are for blood type and Rhesus factor, any antibodies, Thelassemia and Sickle Cell and infectious diseases.

In my area the booking appointment is just to take down all medical information and the father's information including any family history of certain things. Bloods are normally taken at the first scan, and in my area the bloods Include your blood group, full blood count, downs screening, and HIV (Only if you consent) there may be a couple more, but theyre the main ones i remember. Urine is tested to check for any signs of infection or glucose in your urine

I know someone who had a Carbon Monoxide breath test at their booking appointment. Other than that, as PP have said, all routine and very boring!

Oh yes, I had the Carbon Monoxide test too!

Thank you everyone! All I remember is that they were all boring apart from the scans!

Mine was also mostly a long list of questions about medical history. Main things they seemed to look out for were any previous or existing health conditions, previous pregnancy problems, and hereditory conditions in both our families, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, psychiatric disorders. There were some standard questions about domestic abuse etc. which to be honest I thought was a pretty stupid procedure as my husband was right next to me. Would I have told the midwife if he beat me?

She took my blood pressure, did a urine test, and took bloods. The blood was tested for a blood type and a range of diseases (sickle cell and thalassaemia included), but in my case not for Down's - she said they would take a separate sample for the combined test at my 12 week scan. That might have been because I was only 8 weeks at that point, though. I also requested a toxoplasmosis test to be done as I have cats. She said I would get a call from the doctor if anything was flagged up, otherwise she would discuss them at my next appointment at 16 weeks (which might as well be a hundred years to me!).

What does the carbon monoxide test detect? (Carbon monoxide... but why?)

Maybe for current or ex smokers, or partners of smokers? Or who live in a particularly carbon monoxidey area? 😂

In our area the very first question is where do you want to give birth.

My midwife said the Carbon Monoxide test could detect if you've got a faulty boiler as they don't expect non smokers levels to be very high.

Yeah, something to do with managing your exposure to CO... I don’t really get the point, but hey ho!

I live in London and here everyone seems to get the carbon monoxide test, or at least they do in my trust with the logic seeming to be that you can easily lie and say you don't smoke when you do and they can give you support to stop, or if you've got a faulty boiler. I've never smoked, nor has my husband and we do not have any close family or friends who do either. I still blew a high enough rating to get automatically referred to the stop smoking team and had to have a phone chat with them about what I was doing about quitting my smoking habit

They basically concluded that it's London, I'd just come from work in zone one and I'd probs been walking behind something that was heavily polluting but it did mean that we went out and bought even more carbon monoxide alarms to be on the safe side at home.

cardboard33 that just seems like a massive waste of everyone’s time and a cause of unnecessary worry! I’m in London too and didn’t have this at my booking appointment (currently 23+5).

I'm in London and had the carbon monoxide test too. Am also a non smoker. The midwife told me she had to check a certain proportion of people.

I live in a rural area and had the carbon monoxide test at booking, think it's just standard now (she said commuters also tend to have slightly high levels). Paperwork, blood pressure and a urine sample on the day, bit awkward as I'd not long been to the loo! Had mine at home so had to go to the walk-in blood test facility at the local hospital at my convenience. Didn't have anything else til my 12 week scan where I got weighed and measured, general chat then back to the walk-in for screening bloods.

@frazzyandfrumpled that's what we thought too as we'd literally just moved house so couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't the boiler but we don't even have a car for it to be a dodgy exhaust that I'm around regularly etc. She said they'd check me again but never did and I'm 29 weeks now so they've obviously decided it's the least of their worries.

We were/are very concerned that I blew high enough to be categorised as a light smoker though. It wasn't even "just" in their cut off either. That's really worrying so a pretty good job we are not actual smokers too!!

I live in Lincolnshire, it’s stabdard practice in my area to carbon monoxide test at every appointment not just booking in.

Booking in was just lots of questions in the green book being answered. Also doing weight, height and blood pressure plus blood tests. And then booking the 12 week scan with whatever hospital you choose.

I'm in Lincolnshire too and had my booking appointment in September. We were asked a lot of medical questions, family history, etc, for the green book. Weight, urine sample, BP and carbon monoxide reading was taken. No bloods were taken until my 12 wk scan. I'm 23 weeks now and still not had any kind of physical examination apart from my scans. During my first pregnancy the midwife felt my tummy at every appointment but it's more hands-off this time.

Thanks everyone!