36 week scans bring cancelled

[UnilakTea]

Morning! Just thought I'd let you know that atleast in my area of Kent they are cancelling 36 week scans unless your high risk!

Why would you have a 36 week scan unless you’re high risk?

It's standard to gave a 36 week scan now, was introduced in the last few years.

I had a letter yesterday with date for 36 week scan and am in Kent. Guess it could still be cancelled...

I don’t think that they’re standard everywhere. I live in the SW and we don’t have them routinely!

some trusts do them as standard now as there's evidence it reduces the risk of stillbirth as they can identify problems that would otherwise be missed. Plenty don't do them though.

I was considered a low risk pregnancy until I had my routine 36 week scan, which has picked up a late on-set of gestational diabetes and extra amniotic fluid around the baby. Thankfully mine went ahead as otherwise I’d never have known!

My midwife said they are considering this for Oxfordshire trust as well. I was told to not count on getting a 36 week scan.

I’m consultant led in Hertfordshire and my 36 week scan was cancelled

Not something we have here (North Yorkshire) I did have one last time due to growth worries, but I’m not even being measured anymore, all my appointments from now on are phone appointments so they’ll never know! Seems a bit stupid to be honest.

I don’t know about anyone else and I’m probably going to get some stick for saying this...

But I think it’s really unfair to be making all these cutbacks on maternity - we didn’t plan to be pregnant during this whole scenario but I feel like they are cancelling things left, right and centre and for some people we really need these scans/appointments/bloods whatever they may be for assurance.

Especially as pp have mentioned that things have been picked up on the scans that otherwise they would have not done had they not done the scan.

I understand the level of pressure the NHS are under, I really do but how much more are they going to cut before we’re literally left on our own to deal with the pregnancy - for some people ok this might not be such an issue but for someone like me who suffers hugely with mental health issues I just feel like we’re being left in the dark with no support :(

As I say this is probably a controversial comment but at the end of the day we didn’t choose to be pregnant at this time and I can’t help feeling like we’re losing more and more care every day :(

@Luckyme30

I completely agree with you, I suffer terribly with anxiety, and all these cancellations are incredibly tough on me. The appointments they are cancelling are essential and actually do pose a risk to life by them cancelling them. Pre eclampsia comes to mind, as does IUGR. Both of these are ONLY detected by midwives testing urine and measuring your bump, which they can’t do over the phone or without the appointment.

It really is tough and whilst I understand that the NHS is under massive pressure I do think it’s also unfair on those of us who are pregnant and really do need the extra support.

I would be happy with a phone call where it could be done - I had my booking appointment over the phone but like you say there are things that can’t be done over the phone and if they’ve been done previously before COVID they must be important, so not sure why this care is being cut down :(

I’m early on in my pregnancy but I am feeling completely down about it all :( all we can hope is that they don’t cut anything else :(

I was told by my midwife that they won’t be doing the screening tests at my dating scan, I will have to go back to her at 15 weeks for bloods. I don’t know if this makes any difference her doing it as I don’t know what it entails but essentially it’s another trip out for me - therefore putting me at risk?!

Next I think they’ll be cancelling the 20 weeks scan... also waiting for a consultant appointment but I’m worried that won’t happen :(

I’ve been referred to the perinatal team and my midwife assured me I would be kept a close eye on and they have a safeguarding plan in place (for me not baby) due to my mental health - so far I’ve not seen/heard from anyone for any support :(

@Luckyme30 I agree with you. A midwife friend was telling me the other day that she and many of her colleagues are concerned about the gaps in care this is creating and that women and babies will die as a result. They don't do these checks for fun, they are intended to identify problems.

But there are things we can do to minimise risks, such as buying a blood pressure monitor and urine dip sticks so that you can monitor ourselves. Not perfect, but better than nothing. Also being very proactive in getting any concerns about reduced movements checked out. In my experience they're still taking them very seriously and are organising scans and tests where there is a specific identified cause for concern such as reduced movements.

That’s terrible. Risking babies lives.

It’s really sad and I know my midwife when I had my booking in appointment was very apologetic that it had to be done over the phone.

It must be really difficult for them too, I just hope that it doesn’t result in complications/problems later down the line for mums to be or even worse unnecessary deaths of mums or babies :(

Hoping that we come out of this stage fairly soon but it just doesn’t seem fair that we are getting less care then say people who had babies last year. It makes me really scared for the next 6 months of my pregnancy!

I’m a midwife and it’s awful, we are just as worried.

In my trust we are now doing booking appointments and 16 week appointments by phone. Have cancelled the 25 week appointment altogether so other than the 2 scans the first time you physically see a midwife is 28 weeks. The rationale being that the vast majority of complications ie. IUGR, preeclampsia, diabetes is late onset and so wouldn’t develop before 28 weeks anyway. It still seems a very long time however and there is always the tiny percentage that have early onset who may be missed.

There is obviously very valid reasons why this is happening but it still isn’t acceptable and I have great sympathies for anyone dealing with this at the moment. If it helps we don’t like it anymore than you.

@Indella I’m 33 weeks and haven’t seen my midwife in nearly 5 weeks, apparently all my remaining appointments are phone appointments so I will only have been measured once in my pregnancy and will not have any measuring/urine tests anymore unless she feels she needs to see me after my telephone appointment!

This is what’s worrying me, I understand the need for cutting down contact I really do but I’m so worried they might miss something, at my last appointment baby was breech and even though I know most babies turn before birth it’s scary as hell to think we won’t know until I go into labour and i labour incredibly quickly! I can’t make heads nor tails of babies position when I try and feel!

@kittykat7210 That is very worrying. I’m so sorry you’re in this position.

@kittykat7210 sounds similar to me

I’m 33 weeks

I’ve not had any fundal measurements taken

I was also referred at 28 weeks to the MH midwife team and haven’t seen anyone yet relating to that

I'm almost 33 weeks'. Since the outbreak my antenatal care has been poor. What on earth is the point of a telephone consultation?!

My last f2f appt was by my home birth mw at week 28 before their team was suspended in my Trust. I had a telephone appt at 31 weeks' which tbh I found pointless. The only thing they can ask is about baby's movements and I would obviously seek help if the pattern changed anyway.

No fundal height measurements, no BP readings, no listening in to baby, no urine tests until 36 weeks which they told me I'd need to go into hospital for (which I am not prepared to do).

I've since booked an Independent Midwife as it's the only way of honouring the home birth that I'd planned from the start and ensuring (as much as possible) that my partner is going to be there for the birth of his first and last baby. Futhermore, as someone with a long history of significant anxiety due to past trauma, I feel that an advocate (in this case my partner) is extremely important for all of us.

IM will also take over all of my antenatal and postnatal care with f2f appts every two weeks' up until birth and also do baby's postnatal checks.

I honestly feel that I've had to pay a lot of money to ultimately keep my baby as safe as possible (I'm fortunate in that I have some savings) but mentally I feel so much better knowing we will be getting the support we need.

I fully appreciate that we are all in the middle of a pandemic and things are so incredibly tough for everyone. But I am concerned the rights of pregnant women are really being challenged here and that these significant reductions in antenatal care could be potentially very dangerous.

To add, a number of Independent Midwives have offered their services to the NHS on bank contracts. This would mean that more women could be kept away from busy labour wards and take some of the pressure away from hospitals. Should ladies so wish, they could birth from home with medically qualified support but not have to incur costs for the 'privilege' of doing so. Most Trusts have declined this offer - I have no idea why.

We are now in a situation where many ladies are choosing to free birth which, whilst perfectly legal, is clearly not without risk. But I fully understand why these ladies have made this decision - they might not be in a position to afford private care but, as every mum in the world strives for, they still want the best outcome for their babies.

@JNlawyermum I've never heard of a 36 week scan for UK ladies before? I've had three pregnancies - one in 2007, one in 2010 and currently almost 33 weeks - and I've only ever been offered a 12 week and a 20 week scan on the NHS?

In some areas of the UK 36 week scans are offered as standard, in others they are not. In my area only those identified as high risk are offered a 36 week scan. So inevitably when they are looking at minimising contact and reducing pressure on resources those areas where they are standard will lose out. It is very stressful being pregnant at the moment, even while fully understanding why decisions are being made. You have my sympathies.

I suspect the reason that IMs have not been taken up on the offer of undertaking home births for the NHS is because the reason many areas are no longer offering the service isn’t due to a lack of midwives - it’s because the ambulance service cannot cover transfer to hospital in the case of complications. Yes it’s not common, but it is understandable that midwives would not be prepared to take that risk. This is why my home birth was cancelled, and in my own circumstances I am not prepared to home birth without the option of paramedic back up either.

Well, I was told mine was cancelled at my 28 week MW appointment this past Friday but today I received a letter for my 36 week scan booked fot early June. Not really sure what's going on at the mo but fingers crossed it goes ahead as this is my first ...and I'm super anxious!

Totally agree with everything @Luckyme30 and others have said. I’m due to give birth soon and my mental health is rock bottom. My MLU has been closed to make way for coronavirus patients and even scans are being cancelled.

I had to do a phone appointment with my midwife recently (agree with others, these are totally and utterly pointless) and so my blood pressure and urine weren’t checked. It now turns out that I’ve developed a complication late in the pregnancy that would have been picked up sooner and managed far better had these checks been done.

My mental health is at rock bottom as a result of this situation and I feel there’s nowhere to turn to with my concerns.

Before anyone says anything, I know that coronavirus patients have to come first and midwives have to self isolate if anyone in their household gets symptoms, which is why staffing levels are affected. But I honestly feel like we pregnant women and our babies just don’t matter anymore.

Worst of all is not having DH by my side throughout the birth (he’s allowed in for labour only then has to leave). I’m honestly considering a free birth at home now, despite the risks, because I can’t face being in hospital with no one to advocate for me.