26 weeks pregnant and panicking what maternity services will be like in the weeks to come.

[Groundhog86]

Is anyone else just so stressed with worry? I'm so scared there will be no medical professionals to help me give birth. I don't want to give birth alone at home 😩.

I was happy to get pregnant through ivf now this is turning into a nightmare.
Just hoping there will be a miracle in the Next few months and everything calms down.

Hi everyone,
No words to help really but just nice to hear from people who are in the same boat. I'm 20 weeks today, have my scan and whooping cough vaccine on Wednesday. My midwife called me yesterday just to check in and all appointments are going ahead as normal at the moment.

I've brought a hypnobirtging course online as that was something I was going to do through the hospital but will now be cancelled. I'm also worried about not having antenatal classes-first baby and we have no clue what we're doing.

Luckily I can work from home, but my hubby is a delivery driver so is face to face with so many people each day and I worry about him being exposed and either getting symptoms himself and having to completely isolate and not being able to come to appointments or even the birth with me, or passing on to me. Such a crazy time with so many contradictions. We can all get through this and we be able to enjoy our gorgeous babies soon 💖💖💖

Just had a call from our scan office. People having 12 and 20 week scans can still bring partner, no children, but any later growth and other scans are patient only.

@stairgates It's a good idea really. I know it's disappointing, and it must it must be horrible for first time mums, but it is to keep everyone safe.

I’m 22 weeks and have a midwife appointment next week plus GTT in a month, no idea whether I can attend either. The midwife appointments are at my GP’s surgery who apparently aren’t allowing people in.

@Nellie3 can I ask which hypnobirthing course you’ve got please? I’ve seen the Positive Birth Company recommended on here before so just wondering if there are any other good ones. Thank you!

Thanks too to the OP for starting this thread, I’m almost 27 weeks and getting concerned about appointments and the birth. I had my GTT on Monday just gone which was fine and most people seemed to have their mum or partner with them in the waiting room for scans. No kids in there at all though and there are usually several. Got a midwife appointment on 06/04 and a scan on 07/04 as I have a large cyst on my ovary that they are monitoring. Those are going ahead as far as I know but anticipating that I’ll have to go for the scan alone, not the end of the world.

Hope everyone is ok, look after yourselves and babies!

@

Sorry!

@Isthistrueor I had appointments at my GPs with the midwife booked before it was closed down due to confirmed cases amongst the staff. They did get in touch and now all appointments are with the same midwife team, but they're at the hospital. I would give them until a few days before to get in touch with you, but if you don't hear anything I'd give them a ring.

Hi all, I'm 27 weeks and have the same fear but have found some reassurance on this post. I've got a midwife appointment on Monday, opposed to be at my go office but it's closed too. I'll be getting a phone call tomorrow so hopefully will find out more. Hope hubby can come to the midwife appt but we'll see and understand if he can't. Main thing is the birth

@YessicaHaircut yes it's the positive birth company one that I brought. It was on offer a couple of days ago for £12! Not sure if it still is though. I started it today and it seems really good, I literally feel calmer about the thought of birth already and I've only watched 2 of the videos haha! Xx

I had a 20 week scan today - and in my trust at least - Partners still allowed in at the scan.

I’m 39+1 so my anxiety is through the roof!
Do I want to just deliver now whilst I can currently have 1 birth partner or do I want to try and hang on a few weeks in the hope things improve?!
I was terrified of birth anyway so this is the cherry on top!

I have a MW appt on Monday so will try and remember to come back and update with latest guidance from her but honestly I think it’ll be whatever is on rcom and rcog websites!
Also see if your trust have any dedicated social media for pregnant women. Mine (Warwickshire) have a closed Facebook group where you have to put your hospital number in to join and they check you are a pregnant woman) where they are posting local information and reassurance. It’s very helpful x

I'm 27 weeks now and getting worried. I've been able to finish work but DP still has to go everyday.

I know the priority is getting babies here safely but it is so disappointing to spend the last few months of pregnancy almost isolated, attempting to buy baby bits online, and dreading hospital appointments.

I was already open to the idea of having no birth partner, but I'm dreading the idea that there may not be sufficient medical staff.

Keep safe mummies.

I’m in London and got this text from NHS today.

Dear Maternity User, please continue to attend antenatal appointments unless advised otherwise. For any questions, or if you have a temperature over 37.8 or new persistent cough, call our Specialist Maternity Helpline between 08:30- 18:00.

Hopefully some words of reassurance. I had to go into hospital yesterday for monitoring. I really didn't want to be anywhere near a hospital right now but went as the advice was that risk to baby was greater than the Coronavirus risk in hospital.

It was all very calm. No wait at all and straight into a room. Everything was much calmer than the one other time (pre- Coronavirus) I had to go in for monitoring.

I know we're all anxious about the weeks to come, but thought this might be helpful for anyone to read who needs to go in soon.

Please don’t worry. Maternity is actually going to come out of this relatively well.... we are such a critical part of the NHS but our patients will probably not get very ill. So our numbers will hopefully be maintained but not be too overstretched nursing COVID patients.

You can expect your hospital consultant appts to move to telephone appointments, any physio appts not to happen, there will be absolutely no children allowed on the unit at all. Birth partners to be kept to one, no swapping and no staying overnight. Otherwise should be business as usual x

Thank you @Nellie3, will order now I think! X

37 weeks here, terrified I am going to have to do this on my own. The thought of dp not being there is making me cry everytime I realise the possibility.

This wasn't supposed to be like this, I wish everyaingle one of you the best of luck and health in the upcoming weeks. This is a scary and shit time xxxxx

Well I was feeling a bit less stressed earlier but caught the end of the channel 4 news and just set me off again.
Nice to hear updates from everyone though.

31 weeks and feeling quite apprehensive! Have a consultat app at 36 weeks to confirm vbac or c section as had an elective last time due to placenta previa and want to have another elective section this time. Now worried they may refuse the c section request as I have been told I am a good candidate for Vbac? Seeing my midwife Tuesday but she is a bit useless...

Me too, 24 weeks so hoping this might all be coming to an end just before baby arrives, but will be Csection so 14-15 weeks ish. Its worrying, and I really feel for all those ladies who are due in the next few weeks. Of course I understand babies need to be delivered safely and our safety is also priority but the thought of my partner not being there is horrible!

Is the rule about partners not being able to stay overnight confirmed? I had a terrible experience last time (post birth complications and not having anyone around) which I just can’t face the prospect of again :( I spoke to my consultant (pre Coronavirus) about how important it was for me to have someone with me overnight and he noted it down but I guess that’s not going to happen now .

@WhenYouveAFirstInEnglish thanks for these words, are you a medical professional? Have you got anything else to add like this? I’m 35 weeks and literally clinging onto any positive information I can.
I keep repeating what someone has said to me, midwives are there for one job only, they arent nurses who can be pulled into ICU where they are in desperate need. They are there to deliver our babies. This helps some of my worries, but obv not all. My fears are me/husband having or showing signs of at the time of labour, labour ward being shut altogether, and husband not being allowed there.
Maybe wrongly, but i’m a little irritated by posters on mumsnet who are continuing to have unreasonably high expectations of it all though. 2 partners, doulas, kids allowed in, drop your expectations. Keep them at a bare minimum.
In terms of partners staying overnight, you mean in a private room right? If a partner had stayed overnight in the tiny 4 person ward I was on first time I would have been absolutely devastated!

My ref to partner staying overnight is for private rooms. I chose the hospital I’m due to give birth at for the reason that most women I know who have given birth there have been given private rooms when requested whereas the hospital I had my last birth at generally don’t

34 weeks and I went to birth unit at hospital for midwife appt today. You’t have known a thing was different - gorgeous, quiet and calm, so relaxing - just had to wash hands and she took my temp! Mw said they will under no circumstances atm be getting rid of birth partners, our trust has now closed to ALL visitors completely but birth partners are still allowed and they do not plan to change this at any time. They are allowed to stay overnight at the moment if they have been there since labour and delivery, as they are already on the premises for hours anyway. She said the midwives will not be pulled across to the hospital as they aren't nurses and they are here for women and babies only. They ask that all appts and scans you come alone which I think is fair enough, the only problem is the midwives themselves getting the virus and having to self isolate or being ill themselves and being short staffed, but hopefully it won’t be too much of a problem. No partners to attend births if ill, obviously, and women to attend all appts unless they show symptoms.
It was quite reassuring.

@ThatsNotMyCherry As far as I know, my hospital allows the partner to be there for the birth. Our problem is we have a toddler. My parents were going to have him but they're over 70. I think we'll just have to see how things are closer to the time