SASH maternity East Surrey

[windysowindy]

Hello!
Is anyone under the SASH Maternity care team?
I have a couple of questions about maternity notes and booking as things seem to have changed since my last baby!

Thank you!

I am at East Surrey hospital but the out of area midwives

Ah @Ridgeview thank you I believe it will be different then 😕
Thank you!

Hello I am! I’m 35 weeks now so have been seeing their midwives for a while!

I’ll try and answer any questions

Me too! 32 weeks. Although most appointments at GP, think they're all part of same team.

Thank you @Hopefulbride18 and @RMarieClaire !!
So last time I had my Booking at 6/7 weeks or so, but this time I went to my GP to see midwife thinking it was my Booking and it wasn't 🤔 she took bloods and said it was a quick appointment pre-booking. She also weighed and measure me which was hard for me (I have a history of weight issues and it is a trigger)

I now have my Booking in a local health centre in a few days.

Will I be given paper maternity notes like last time or an app like some people are getting?

Will she weigh and measure me again?

I have not heard of anyone else having a quick pre- booking appointment with midwife. So odd

Thank you 🤗

Im with the same hospital / team.

Had 'registration 'appt with the midwife at the GP surgery, then proper hour-long booking in appt with the midwife at my hospital. I got given the green notes (used to be pink notes!) at that appointment.

I wasnt weighed at the GP but was for the booking in appt . I expect them to weigh you again at the booking in, as your BMI will determine your 'care pathway' which they run through then (eg. If you have high bmi and may need to see the consultant)

@windysowindy oh no that sounds strange to me but obviously @happycow has had a similar experience! All my appointments with midwives have been at the GP surgery and I had the traditional booking in appointment first at 9 weeks with my midwife which included height and weight etc. This was also where she (attempted) to take my bloods - ended up fainting so had to go back at another time in the end - I wasn’t expecting that and hadn’t eaten or drunk enough!
I also have green notes though!
Is everyone here having their babies at East Surrey?

Oh also - I’m sure you will get these green paper notes at booking in - never heard of anyone only having an app!

Oh thank you!
Well I don't understand this pre- appointment thing.
@Happycow I was hoping because she weighed and measured me then she wouldn't again but shame I might have to go through that again 😥

Green notes? That is new

@Hopefulbride18 Yes, I also had my first at East Surrey. The postnatal care was very good (I spent 5 days)

Oh and I she also took bloods, urine sample and carbon monoxide test.

So confused!

That does seem unusual but perhaps something from your first pregnancy? Or just to do with dates and availability. I had my booking in at SASH around week 8/9. They did weigh me, but they haven't weighed me since.

Best thing you can do is talk to your midwife about your issues around weight. I've had similar issues in the past, and spoke to them about that an issue with anxiety/ocd and they were great. Very sensitive and made a quick referral to speak to someone. It's definitely best they know, even if you don't want to talk to anyone in depth.

I had the exact same as you OP, I'm East Surrey and was for previous pregnancies too.

Last time it was one long booking in appointment. This time I had this short registration (which I went to thinking it was the full one) then had to go back for the 'proper' booking in. Also had weight, bloods and the carbon monoxide test. And received green notes not pink!

SASH also have an email the midwife service where you can ask a senior midwife about anything connected to your pregnancy. Fabulous service.

That is what happened to me, a pre appointment with bloods then a full booking appointment afterwards where I was given my green notes, and a carbon monoxide test.

Wait, now I think about it, I had this but the appointment was at my GP with my midwife there. They took bloods etc, but all weighing, questions and green notes took place at Sash

@RMarieClaire I might do that, I think some sort of therapy/ help might be what I need. Maybe I should be open with her. My first pregnancy was normal so I think they have just changed the system? So odd!
@PolarBearBubbles thank you!!!! How odd! So you are saying that they will do all the tests again at Booking (I was also led to believe my booking was what ended up being the short app) so I will have to do weigh, measurements, carbon and bloods again at Booking?!!! They already did that at the short app!

@CherryPavlova Thank you!!! I might do that!

@Jelliestogether This is what I dont get. She did the carbon monoxide, bloods, urine, weight and height and blood pressure at short one, so will she do it all again at booking???
I had to again arrange childcare for this so not great.

@windysowindy I'm not sure. She might just use the data from the previous appointment or just do it again. It's annoying but I just went with the flow. Was mostly question answering for an hour or so.

Not the same Trust but I would think the pre booking appointment is to A) make booking more about info gathering and giving B) they can check your blood results and any issues feedback or repeat etc
C) if they asked for last period date could it also speed up getting scan appt as they may just need to enter basics to get this

The green notes are likely to be National Notes as I know a lot of Trusts are using these now. Standardises the info given etc

Re weight I wouldn’t think they will repeat but definitely worth getting a referral to perinatal mental health team to help and a nutritionist If helpful to you

Best of luck :) xx

Also it may have been a care assistant at the first appt and midwife after this x

Thank you @Jelliestogether and @Honeydukesmum

I saw my normal midwife at that pre booking app and when I asked her if all these changes were better she make a face as in "not really but I can't say that"
Handy though to have my blood results for booking and I guess they want to check weight early in case I had needed extra folic acid?

I will let you all know what happens at my booking next week

East Surrey babies!

I'm with Sash. Currently 19 weeks.

I've had the following:

Appointment with GP (requested by me, as I am on medications and needed to check I could still take them)

Pre appointment with midwife at GP surgery. Thisbwas around 6 weeks. Weight, urine, did not take bloods I had to book this separately at my GP surgery a few days later. She ran me through a bit of info about all the appointments coming up and gave me leaflets. After this she booked me in for 12 week scan and a consultant appointment. I'm consultant led due to high BMI. Letters for these appointments came through in the post, all to take place at east Surrey hospital. She also asked GP to prescribe high dose folic acid - 5mg - needed due to high BMI.

Booking in appointment, I think I was about 11 or 12 weeks. Same midwife, but there was a trainee midwife asking all the questions with her support. This was at another health centre, not my GP or hospital. Checked urine, did the carbon monoxide test, went through the system and gave me my green notes and a few more leaflets about the various vaccines and stuff. Had a chat about mental health. She mentioned the green notes are something new they are trialling and have a few problems. She didn't weigh me. Perhaps because I'm consultant led?

I got my blood results back at some point. Had to take them twice because they lost half of them....

12 week scan appointment at east Surrey. Before the scan I was weighed by a midwife there, bit random. After the scan I was supposed to go back to reception to book my 20 week scan but was in such a state of shock and awe I forgot
They posted me the appointment by letter anyway, I didn't need to ask for it.

Consultant appointment at east Surrey about a week later. This was very fast. Midwife did urine, blood pressure. Didn't get weighed. Doc asked general questions and prescribed aspirin 75mg soluble due to risk of preeclampsia at my BMI. This is standard.

Then followed something a little confusing that I didn't enjoy as I was feeling a bit anxious! The doc asked me to go to 2 different department receptions and book my 3 extra scans needed for the high BMI pathway (growth scans I think), and each one had to be at a specific week, and only on a Wednesday afternoon so I could then return to his reception people and book the consultant appointments straight after the scan. I get it now but he spoke so fast, at the time I was really worried I'd got it wrong!

At 16 weeks I had a midwife checkup. It was very brief but not sure if normal. I was in tears the whole time as I had sprained my back the day before and was in agony. She treated me with such kindness I will never forget. She asked if I wanted to hear heartbeat, checked urine and BP. She went to reception to demand a GP appt for me asap (really hard to get one where I am).

Now I'm waiting for 20 week scan next Friday! After that I have a few things booked like my injection because I have the negative blood, and physio because I have pgp/sciatica. I think I have a date for next midwife check but I was addled at the time so cant remember :)

I do wonder if all my scans are at the hospital because I am on high risk path. The health centre where my booking appointment was is much nearer and does scans so I didn't get why I'm not going there. So I'm getting quite familiar with east Surrey now...

I

Ooh I forgot, they also took blood at my 12 week scan, as I'd opted in to the tests for downs etc. Super fast drop in service and results back in the post.

Just noting as well that I find it odd that I haven't been weighed since that first midwife appointment. Despite having high BMI! I now have a little chart to start measuring bump growth but looks like they don't start using it until 28 weeks. So far according to my home scales I've not gained any weight at all.