Midwife booking apt not until AFTER 12wk scan

[SammysSue]

I contacted the local hospital midwives when I got BFP and they organised my 12week US scan apt and booking blood apt. However, it was weeks before the actual community midwife contacted me. She said my booking appointment would be AFTER my 12 week scan and that I have to tell the staff this when I go for my 12 week scan since I will have no pregnancy notes.
I am trying to figure out how to word what I say when I arrive for my 12 week scan. Surely it will reflect badly on their community midwives for not following their procedures to do my booking appointment when I was 8-10weeks pregnant.
They did not provide any excuse as to why they wouldn't make sure I had a booking appointment at 8-10weeks.

I'd just say that my booking appt is on X date. It's not great, but I'm guessing they are fully booked and so can't get it in before, and it's more important that your scans are at the right time.

Don't overthink it, you won't be the first or the last.

With my first baby I had my booking appt after my scan. They were a little surprised in the hospital but it wasn't as if it had never happened before. It didn't matter for the scan at all. I was given a report after the scan and told to add it to my notes you receive in the booking appt. My booking appt and scan were at the same hospital. These things happen. Sometimes appts can get booked up quickly!

Do you have a letter confirming the scan date and time - if you do just bring that. I think this does vary a lot from nhs trust to nhs trust. I very much doubt you will be alone in this set up so I dont think ultrasound department will be surprised.

It wo t make any difference, why would it reflect badly? If they are booked up they are booked up.

At first I wondered if there was suddenly a lot of pregnancys at the same time and they couldn't cope with appointments.
I know they generally put their booking appointments at the end of the community midwives shift and she only works a couple of days.
When I lived in a different area they had me just go to that hospital so they could fit their appointments in. But this area seems to only do appointments at local places instead.
It gives the impression they can't be bothered unless they have done the scan. Which is the attitude my GP has to pregnancy.
Thanks for your replies.

Booking appointments always used to be at 12 weeks (and scans weren't until 18 weeks). There's no real need to see them early

As others have said they may just not be able to fit you in before hand. This won't reflect badly on anyone more important thing is that your scan is around the correct time the booking app is only for details and blood sample so isnt as important as your scan x

The booking appointment is just a big pile of paperwork. You’re seriously not missing much besides a blood draw. Unless you have any serious underlying conditions or through close family it’s mostly saying no for an hour straight.

Could it be the time of year too? If you’re not far on your appointment would fall around Christmas n new year, which they’ll obviously have less staff in the community side and probably focus more on urgent apps n house calls.

I don't think this really matters. It will be a case of no available appointments in the time frame and as a pp said the booking appointment always used to be at about 16-18 weeks. No one is being negligent just overworked. Btw your GP will have no control over this as MWs are not paid by them even if they work in close partnership.

I had seen GP to change prescription whilst pregnant and they flat out refused to do the maternity exemption certificate. So I won't be able to get it for my regular medications even though i'm pregnant.

You can claim back or be refunded for anything until you get the certificate. I’d ask the receptionist if they’d get a gp to sign one for you, and if not ask at the 12week scan.

They might just not have the appointments. I know in my team, we didn’t have any appointment slots available for 5-6 weeks when I last tried to book some bookings in. We are trying to jiggle things around but you can physically create more slots when you have clinics etc. to cover and no spare staff.

As long as you have checked with your GP that your medication is okay in pregnancy, are taking a pregnancy vitamin, and have checked the NHS website about foods to avoid, you really aren’t missing much by waiting until 12 weeks.

I personally would be happy to do a maternity exemption certificate for a pregnant lady if she telephoned the office or my surgery and explained the situation so it mIght be worth checking if your midwife is able to do it before the appointment.

Back when I had mine we didn’t have scans. Sorry that’s not helpful is it.

Might be worth ringing your midwife re-the exemption certificate. As a HG sufferer on a reem of meds, I’d have been very out of pocket without it! My midwife gave me a blank form with her signature on it and I filled it all in & posted it off.

That said, you can claim them all back. Just ask your pharmacist for a receipt to claim your money back. It’s a blue A4 sheet of paper. I had £45 worth of prescriptions to claim back at one point