GP said to expect my first appointment at 14 weeks???

[mumoffluffs]

Hi All

I am 6+4 and had my first GP appointment last Friday. Today I had a call saying all my information has disappeared from their system so needed to run through questions again. At the end of the call I was told to expect my first contact/appointment to be at 14 weeks. This is my first pregnancy and not 100% sure what to expect, but surely that is much too far along for a first contact with the hospital/midwife???

I haven't been a huge fan of this doctor as I have seen her twice since joining the surgery and both times she came across a little abrupt and judgmental (i.e. when saying I'm allergic to penicillin - she basically made me feel she was saying I should still take it unless I get an anaphylactic reaction, despite saying when have taken it in the past I have had a rash and thrown up constantly). She also seemed super rushed (not surprised by this due to the current climate in the NHS - but I was made to feel like I need to get out the door ASAP even though I was not delaying anything or asking many questions if at all).

Looking on the NHS website it says I should have a booking appointment between 8-10 weeks and offered screening tests before 10 weeks. Based on what my GP has said, I will be seeing a midwife 2 weeks into my first trimester!

I have chosen Chelsea and Westminster for my hospital and the GP is referring me there. Has anyone else recently been to this hospital and how soon were you seen once getting your positive test?

Does this seem normal that I would first be seen at 14 weeks? I would have also thought the first scan would be done before 14 weeks in case there's any problems???

I think it depends on area.
I wa surprised with my third to be told the same.
there literally isn't much they can do before 12 weeks +
scans can give glass and worrying info before that sort of time . can't hear heartbeat etc.
no checks really to be done

Your first scan can be anywhere between 10 and 12 weeks. I have mine tomorrow and I'll be 12+5 so to be it sounds about right.

I'm not too sure what "normal" is but I never saw a GP. In my area you self refer yourself to a midwife and then they arrange your booking appointment (I had mine at 8+1) where they do BMI, bloods & questions and arrange your 16 week midwife appointment and send off the referral for your scan which comes through the post.

The system in your area sounds a bit funny so it may be worth seeing if you have a self referral. I'm in Cheshire and all the trusts around here operate like that.

Hey, I had my first MW appointment at 10 weeks then had my first scan date come through which will be 15weeks. When I spoke to my GP she said it was a little far along as screening should be before 14+2. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% who would be best to speak to but I would definitely try to see another doc or try phoning your chosen hospital and see if they can help. Good luck sorry I can't be of much help. Hope you get sorted hun

Bloods and booking in as far as I was aware can be done between 8 and 14 weeks. First scan between 12 and 14 weeks if doing nuchal translucency test, exact timescales differ between trusts, some do booking in, first scan and blood tests all on the same day

That sounds quite different to where I am. in my area/trust you self refer to midwives via an online booking thingy and they give you a call with a date to attend a maternity clinic in your neighborhood. They aim to get you seen between 8 and 10 weeks. From experience the first scan appointment comes through quite promptly too so you get scanned very close to 12 weeks.
I had to speak to gp this pregnancy because some test results showed I have a condition which means I need to be consultant led, but even then the midwife can apparently refer to that too.
It does seem very confusing that each trust insists on doing it differently!
Also, cut that GP loose and see a different one in future. You can see who you want and I'll doubt they'll bat an eyelid.

@Workplaceworries my area sounds like the same system as yours! I'm much further south than Cheshire though

You can self refer to your chosen hospital: www.chelwest.nhs.uk/services/maternity/self-refer-online

To screen for Down syndrome, I think you need to have the combined test between 11 and 14 weeks, so if you want that, I'd follow up with the hospital directly and make sure you're booked in for that at the correct time. At "my" hospital, scan appointments are booked separately from midwife appointments, so double check that they've booked that correctly would be my advice.

But yes, I had my booking appointment around 8 weeks I think (had some bleeding early on so was in their system already) and seriously, if I'd had the option to just do one appointment for that and the scan, I would have taken it because it's a bit of a waste of time. That is to say, I don't think you're missing out on anything by not having an earlier one.

Thanks for your replies!

I'll wait to see if I hear from the hospital within the next week and if not will try to contact a local midwife/the hospital maternity ward to see what the plan is!

If it does turn out that the first appointment will be the booking, scan, bloods, etc all in one go at 14 weeks, I may look to have an early scan as I would be worried not having any contact or knowing if everything is ok up until that point.

It all is a bit scary at the moment and feeling a little alone and unknowledgeable about it all , especially as the GPs info was different to the NHS! Definitely will look into another GP too I think.

Thanks @catlady3 ! I was thinking of waiting until I hear from the hospital as my GP is referring me and I wouldn't want to double-refer or cause issues on the hospital system (if that makes sense!)

Will take your advice and follow up if I don't hear anything soon :)

At C&W they do the scan and the booking-in appointment separately, as far as I know (it’s different departments I think: antenatal and obstetric ultrasound, not maternity). I would just self-refer if I were you, at least that way you know it’s done. I have my scan at C&W in just over a month, when I’ll be 12+5, and the booking-in appointment when I’ll be 10 weeks. They gave me the dates within about 10 days of me completing their online form.
The booking-in appointment is really not very interesting or useful, it’s more about getting you on the system. I remember being quite disappointed last time!

I am currently 6 weeks and I have self referred to Chelsea and Westminster. This is my second pregnancy (first ended in mc) and I didn’t even go via my GP as all she told me to do last time was self refer.

I have been given a booking appointment at a health centre near my home for 9 weeks exactly and then a scan at 12+2 at the hospital. I got the appointments through the post just over a week after I self referred. I don’t think you need your gp surgery to do this for you and it maybe quicker to do it yourself! I left it until 6+ weeks to self refer last time and it meant that all my appointments we quite late, the booking appointment for 11+5 and the scan was 13+.

Just self refer, it will be quicker!

Also, if you live in the area, St George’s in Tooting have a self referring EPU unit where you can go Mon-Fri if you have any concerns. It’s open 8:30-11:30 and you are guaranteed to be seen if you are in before 11:30 although be prepared for a long wait as it’s first come first served and even turning up at 8 I was already No 10 in the queue. I went there twice for scans when I was miscarrying and they were very nice and helpful. They also didn’t seem bothered that I had registered at C&W because you need a referral to attend that epu. I plan on going there again in a few weeks to have another scan as I’m very anxious about another mc and when I last attended the epu for a final scan after the mc they encouraged me to come back again for a scan when I got pregnant again.

It may help ease some anxiety for you in the meantime x

Thanks @MrsB16 and @Cyborgfeminist ! Good to hear St George's offers that service. Hope everything goes well for you both :) When are you due? I'm due around the 22nd September so may be seeing you at CW!

I have just been to the GP to collect a hospital letter and when I got there they had referred me to Queen Charlottes, without even informing me beforehand or explaining why.

I then asked the receptionist to check if this is correct and she said it may be because "the next set of appointments are 4 days later" so they just chose Queen Charlotte for me instead! They said they will change it and to come back the next day for the hospital letter. I then had a call on my way home to say "we've cancelled Queen Charlotte and referred you to CW, you can come and collect your letter now". This GP is driving me around the bend! Definitely would have self referred and not bothered with the GP had I known last week!

Glad to see a couple other mums at CW who have had their appointments at the times I would have expected!

I'm pretty sure I saw the GP at 5 weeks and I didn't have my first appointment til 12/13 weeks

It’s self-referral in this part of London. The first appointment they gave me for my booking in appointment I couldn’t make so they gave me a different one which is when I am 14 weeks and I have my scan two weeks before that! It’s all round the wrong way.

This is my third pregnancy.

@mumoffluffs I think I am due on 23 September although I’m not 100% sure. I miscarried back in November and didn’t have a period again before I conceived as I have pcos. This baby is a New Years eve/day fluke as I had no idea I was even ovulating and had no signs or symptoms! Just hoping this is a sticky baby as at the Minuit just feels to good to be true!

@MrsB16 Sorry to hear about your miscarriage :( I'm sending lots of positive vibes your way!

I didn’t see my midwife till quite late on. There’s not much you can do and seeing as 25% of pregnancies end in early miscarriage I was told this as to the reason why. Which I thought seemed really sad.