Midwife Appointments Help Please

[Fingerscrossed11]

Hi ladies,

Hope you are all well and thank you for any replies. I’ll try keep it short.

I’m 16 weeks tomorrow and so far I’ve had booking in app and blood tests taken and 12 week scan albeit was found to be 14 weeks at scan.

How many midwife appointments are we supposed to have? Is it every so many weeks etc as haven’t heard baby heartbeat yet at a midwife app albeit saw it on scan. With everything that’s happening just now not really sure what to think and if I’m supposed to have more appointments by now?

Haven’t got any midwife apps scheduled. Just one at hospital with consultant because my last baby was breech and had to have cesearean, to discuss options and an appointment for my 20 weeks scan.

Starting to worry incase should have apps with midwife scheduled also.

Thanks x

Where I am, you have to call and make your own midwife appointments (16 weeks, 28 weeks etc). My midwife works from my gp surgery so that's where I make my appointments.

At your booking appointment (around 8 weeks) your midwife should have given you a pack of info which includes a list of the appointments you should have and when. It's online here:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/antenatal-appointment-schedule/

You should have an appointment at 16 weeks ie now so you should book that ASAP. If you were self-isolating because you or someone in your household had symptoms, you wouldn't go to the appt, but otherwise I would think that they would want you to go - they check your blood pressure and urine. (I had my 16w appt last week.)

For first time mums it's usually
8 weeks - booking in at hospital
12 weeks - scan starts. Hospital
16 weeks - community midwife
20 weeks - scan at hosp
The rest are all midwife community (usually at gp or children's centre)
25
28
31
34
37
38
39
40
Then however often you agree if you go over

You have to refer yourself to your community midwife and book these appts yourself

"8 weeks - booking in at hospital"

I've had booking in appointments with the community midwife at my GP surgery, and I thought that was standard - I hadn't heard of others doing booking in appts at the hospital.

I am 16 weeks this week and didn't actually have a face to face appointment with midwife this week, just had a phone call. Ring the midwife number in the front of your booklet/folder which you should have got at booking in appointment and let them know you are 16 weeks this week.

Possibly you may just have a phone appointment like me due to everything going on with corona virus.

Thank you everyone for all your replies. I didn’t realise I had to call and make appointments. I thought they would send a letter by post when appointment was. I will give them a call tomorrow.
I’ll have a look at the nhs online appointment schedule too. I just wondered with all that’s happening just now maybe midwife appointments apart from those at hospitals were cancelled.
Thank you all again x

I haven’t had to call to make appointments, I wonder if that’s a regional thing?
During my booking appointment my midwife wrote the date for my 16 week appointment in the very back of my maternity notes, have you checked there?

I’ve found with everything going on that all of my appointments (other than scans and blood tests) have either been done over the phone or pushed back to a later date, but I’ve had a phone call or letter to explain that so I’m assuming you would have received the same it that was the case.

At my booking appointment, the midwife told me to wait until my 12 week scan and then book my 16 week appt after that. Presumably just in case it's bad news at the scan.

I got a list of when appointments should happen, and at each one I was booked the following one, never had to ring to book anything except for vaccinations for whopping cough as my midwife forgot to do them.

@namechange did she take yours bloods etc at the gp? It's normal here to go to the hospital you're giving birth in as they put all your details on the system etc

Though I think process seems to vary from every area and trust!

I had a separate appt at GP with the phlebotomist who took the bloods, then sent them off to the hospital.

I have my 16 week appointment today, it was moved from my GP to the maternity unit at the hospital, I think they are having staffing issues within the midwife department hence the move! I wasn't given the option for a phone call.

@Peachy200
I wasn’t given any maternity notes at my appointment. Just the pregnancy to baby book and a few leaflets with phone numbers.

I called the local team of midwives to me and said I would get my 16 week appointment over the phone next week. I then have my twenty week scan and was told next time I would see midwife would be 22 weeks. I guess it would be nice to see the midwife just to hear babies heartbeat and know everything was on track. I haven’t received any maternity notes though. I did register for maternity notes website though although hasn’t been updated with results of my nuchal scan and that was 19th March.

@Ginfilledcats
I had my bloods taken at my booking in appointment at local medical practice

My NHS trust (west mids) doesn't listen for baby's heartbeat at 16weeks as it's too early for them to guarantee to hear it depending on baby's position and therefore can cause unnecessary worry. Midwife doesn't listen for heartbeat until 24week appt.

FYI everyone, I’m in London and my 25 weeks has just been cancelled due to all the general chaos- they said you now have your 16 week mw appt, 20 week scan, then next mw appt at 28 weeks (at least in my area)