anyone had shared antenatal care between GP & MW?

[SANA]

I am having first d in Feb 05 at St.Georges & have just realised that most of my antenatal appointments are with my GP, is this normal and are there any benefits doing this way? My GP frankly is useless and the midwifes I have met seem much more on the ball about issues which concern me, Can I ask to have all my appointments with the MW??

i think everywhere is different....here we see both on alternate weeks

same as Titania here - we see them alternately. The GP will just ask the basic questions & take blood pressure etc. If they can't answer your questions then I'm sure that you can always phone your midwife for a chat.

I saw mostly my midwife but "had" to see the GP on certain weeks. I can't remember which weeks they were! I think it was after the anomoly scan and at 30 weeks and then alternate fortnights with the MW until the birth. My GP was great though and always seemed delighted to be seeing someone who wasn't ill!

I had this with my first baby. I had every other appointment with the GP and every other with MW. I wasn't too keen to begin with really, as I had booking at the main hospital where I wanted to deliver at 12 weeks, then GP at 16 weeks, then scan at 20 weeks (didn't get to see MW) and it was not until 24 weeks that I met my local midwife who would be responsible for my antenatal care (I live 26 miles from main hospital where I delivered so had community antenatal care from local midwives).

With my first baby the appointments were every 4 weeks until something like 30 or 32 weeks, then fortnightly to 36 weeks then weekly to the end. Now, however, there are so many less appointments that I think you would hardly see the midwives!

I think in all these things you have choice and maybe when you first see the midwives you can ask them if you can just see them each time if you're happier doing this?

The only thing I should say is that I did get an advantage from seeing my GP first time as she closely monitored my asthma, which had always been quite mild. It got worse during pregnancy and I really wouldn't have picked up on this - it was still mild but I was using my inhalers all the time, which to my mind was fine. However, she educated me on what was controlled/uncontrolled and how it affected the baby etc. and did persuade me to accept more effective treatment. The midwives would never have picked up on this. However, it's really just one of those coincidental things, which wouldn't normally come into the equation.

Hi, I'm only 7 weeks pregnant but have been to see my GP. He has told me that all my appointments will be with my midwife, although I will see him sometime during 20+ weeks and again during 30+ weeks, he said 'just to remind him I'm pregnant'! My midwife will deal with all of my care. Sounds like it varies across the country - I'm in Somerset.

My antenatal care was the same as Soupy. The GP I saw was one who specialised in antenatal at that practice.

I had this, in my area it's called share care. One appointment with midwife at he hospital and the next at my GP's, but, it was never with my GP as my practice has it's own midwife.

I have seen the miwife for all anti-natal appoitnemts apart from one at 24 weeks.

Sana- you are the same as me, all my ante-natal checks are with my GP too. I don't mind too much as i have had an easy pregnancy but if i had any worries then i would just call the midwife and try to arrange to see her. He takes my blood pressure, does urine sample and feels my tummy along with all the bog standard questions. Not sure what else i would have done if it was the midwife??

Sana, mine is shared care too - see the mw at one appointment and gp at the next. Have to say that the Gp does exactly the same as the midwife - although the GP is much better at taking blood from me (the midwife butchers my arm!).

I had this and it really p*ssed me off as all the appointments with my Dr were a total waste of time - he didnt even have a proper thing to listen in to the baby!

I too Sana am having my baby at St Georges in December (but not out of choice only because I could not get in anywhere else!). I am having some of my antenatal at St georges, blood tests as they have to be done there and I had to fight to have the rest at my doctors as I live quite far from the hospital. They tried to make my appointments with the doctor but I would not stand for it as my doctors are usless and eventually got them with the surgery midwife. Don't accept it and I'm sure they will eventually change it for you. The midwives I have seen at St georges have been excellent.

i have got my anolomy scan on October & then I see GP and then MW in Dec and from then its mostly the GP, I will see how the GP visit goes and if not usefull will ask MW if I can see her again. Yellow I have just checked with our surgery and they dont have a surgery midwife, have u been to St. Georges before? DH and I put our names down for St.Thomas but GP got confused where she sent our details!! I had a scare at 6wks and went to St. Thomas early pg unit where the nurses and the MW's were awful

I haven't been to St Georges before and am slightly concerened about going there as they have a policy where they do not refuse anyone. I have heard they are ok, to be honest you hear good and bad things about all hospitals. They are extremely busy and do not expect individual aftercare, you have to ask if you want help but I am sure it is like that in most hospitals. All the midwives I have seen have been excellent although I have never seen the same one twice. Have a look at Dr Fosters website, it has got lots of info and statisitics on St Georges and they also have birthing tours on Monday @ 6pm and Sat @ 9am so you can familiarise yourself with the delivery suite.

Sana, I am with St Georges, but I have only had one appointment with my GP - the rest have been with the midwife team, who have all been fine. The tour was informative too, although midwife admitted that St Georges is under-staffed at the moment though - and the first toilet my DH went to with DS was full of blood and rags - not a great first impression!

IMO unless you have a serious concern there is not much to choose from in terms of the antenatal visits as all they do is check your wee, blood pressure, have a listen to baby and every so often they take some blood. Closer to the time, if you want to see the midwives, I think you can go to the antenatal clinics.

Sana - you are entitled to see whichever professional you prefer. The midwife is the expert in pregnancy not the GP.