No 16 week check, no return call from midwife now 20 weeks

[keepyourdistance]

Should I be worried or pushing for contact from my midwife?

First time Mum, 12 week scan was fine and I have my 20 week one tomorrow. I contacted my surgery to arrange my 16 week check who asked me to contact my midwife which I did but have had no response to messages.

As I am well, as far as I know I thought under the current circumstances it isn't urgent but questioning that now as everyone else seems to have had a phone app.

Thanks in advance for your advice x

I'd chase it up seems pretty poor. You can always buy some dipsticks for urine and a blood pressure machine to keep an eye on yourself in the absence of physical appointments.

It's rubbish that they didn't even contact you back but I know a lot of trusts have completely cancelled 16 week and 25 week midwife appointments so you literally have the booking in appt, your scans, and then the next appt is at 28 weeks!

I ordered some urine dipsticks off Amazon just to make me feel a bit better.

I ve not had a 16 week phone appointment, haven't bothered chasing them since it wasn't going to be a physical appointment. I ve got a cheap blood pressure machine so I know that's fine.

Thank you for your reply, excuse my ignorance but what are the urine tests for?

@keepyourdistance they look for things like protein and ketones in your urine....and signs of a UTI.
Protein in urine for example can be an early sign of pre eclampsia

Hmmm.

At my 20 week scan (which was a few weeks ago), I was asked to go to the antenatal clinic afterwards for a check-up. They checked blood pressure and urine, gave me a whooping cough vaccine and gave me my MATB1 form. I think they were trying to do as much as possible in one visit! My next appointment isn't until 28 weeks which is blood tests I believe.

I don't know if other maternity hospitals are doing it the same way. I would suggest that if you only have the scan tomorrow, and no extras, you should try and contact the midwife team at the hospital. Look on the website or see if they have a Facebook page (mine has one for maternity services and they have been posting helpful updates).

Oh it’s all a little bit of a mess right now. I’m pregnant with my first. My 16 week was cancelled, got a phone call to arrange an appointment for 17th August, I didn’t think anything of it at the time and then I realised after the call..hang on I’ll be 32 weeks by then! I’m now 18 weeks and had no contact in regards to a 25 week appointment or 28 week appointment. Rang and text my midwife but she hasn’t bothered to get back :( I have spoke to someone in the midwifery department at my hospital and they said we should 100% be having face to face appointments for 25 and 28 week!

FTM - my 16 week app was also replaced by a very rushed telephone one which was a bit pointless as they cannot perform any tests. The midwife has told me to read the pregnancy info on the NHS website and call if i have any migraines or pains ("helpful" 🤔 ), also not to buy any testing kits to use at home myself.
I'm having my 20 week scan tomorrow but don't think they will perform any tests (urine or blood etc). I was called today and advised for tomorrow to stay in the car until they will call me in, when I asked about the tests/vaccine etc she was unable to provide an answer to any of my questions.
My next F2F app will be at 28 weeks (blood test GD) and apart from that there will be no further F2F contact unless urgent care is needed.
I understand we are in the middle of a pandemic but this is no excuse for such poor or better said lack of care.
No antenatal classes will be provided either. Total disappointment!
Hope all goes well for you all. X

Wow what a mixed bag. Looks like I may get the additional testing but my gut instinct is that it will just be the scan and I will have to chase myself for follow up appointments.

I was advised at my booking in app that I would need GD test (31 BMI whoops) so I'll make sure that is followed up and hope for the best for all of you.

Thank you for responding x

"I understand we are in the middle of a pandemic but this is no excuse for such poor or better said lack of care."
Totally agree

My midwife is actually the opposite and she’s pushed for me to have more consultant appointments even though the consultant happily signed me off at 16 weeks . I’m not best pleased at the extra hospital appointments tbh.

The 16 week appointment isn’t really vital, it’s just a urine and blood pressure test. They attempt with the Doppler too but often just ends up making the expectant Mum more nervous because the foetus is still very tiny.

I’d definitely contact and push for an appointment by 24 weeks though.

It really is a complete mixed bag! I’ve had booking appointment over phone & 12 week scan where they also did bloods/urine/BP. Midwife at that appointment wrote me out a full list of dated for what appointments I’ll have during this Covid situation:

Was told I’d ‘maybe’ have a 16 week phone appointment depending on my midwife. Will get 20 week scan. GTT at 25/26 weeks.

I’m consultant led with extra growth scans due to higher BMI. Midwife went and spoke to consultant that day and came back and said the consultant doesn’t want to see me at all because my case isn’t “juicy” enough with my BMI being borderline and my BP measuring fine at 12 weeks So No consultant appointments and growth scans now also reduced. Next appointment after GTT is 32 week growth scan instead of 28 week.

Feeling a bit uneasy about it all tbh! First time mum and so far my midwife is completely uncontactable. Took me 2 weeks to get hold of anyone to chase up a prescription she was meant to send me (she hasn’t processed it) then I had a couple of bleeds and almost missed getting Anti-D in time as nobody informed me that I was Rh Neg.

I feel your pain, I’m well and truly feeling forgotten about!

I had my 16 week appointment with my midwife - the only reason for this was because they didn’t take the Nuchal measurements at my scan (due to corona) so I was offered the blood test at 16 weeks.

I took a urine sample but she wouldn’t test it as said she is only supposed to be doing my bloods!!! I was there for god sake surely it wouldn’t hurt to test urine?!

Anyway she then after 2 attempts couldn’t get my blood at which point I reminded her there was only a small window in which I could get these tests done and having sat in the waiting room for 30 mins (she was running late) I wasn’t going to just go home and forget about it so she palmed me off on the practice nurse to attempt to get my blood!

I’m so fed up with it all :( she couldn’t get me out of the room quick enough... no chance to ask questions and when I looked at my notes it seems there was a few things that should happen at 16 week appointment that didn’t happen!

Omg that's so bad. Definitely chase them up. Here at 16 weeks they listen to HB's. Granted it wouldn't be like that at the moment but it's so bad you've been missed.
I had a GD test but at about 27 weeks or something I want to say.

That's pretty rubbish. Sorry if I've embossed it upthread, but have you had the results of your blood tests back? Definitely chase them.

I had a telephone consultant appointment where they forgot to call until I chased it. Also called the maternity helpline yesterday morning hoping to speak to someone and left a message but no reply all day . It's not great.

Embossed = missed

Sounds the same as my OH's cancer treatment. The NHS needs sorting fast!

@user1497207191 I am so sad to hear that and am shocked to hear of such poor care for you OH even in this current crisis.

End of life care should never be compromised, I would be happy to sacrifice the 16 week check for the up keep of such treatment but am truly sorry for your current situation. It must be unimaginably hard for you both xxxx

This caught my eye OP because I have been wondering about how busy the NHS is and whether that's affecting Maternity care already. I am a FTM and this morning I got a letter saying my initial booking appointment will be by phone and wont be until June 16th when I will be 9+3, that will be the very first time I get to speak to anyone about anything. Don't know how long it will be after that until I see someone face to face or get a scan or a blood pressure check or anything at all.. it feels late to me but obviously I have no prior experience, is that late on or is this normal? Anyone know?

End of life care should never be compromised

It's not just end of life care. My OH is in the same boat. He has a perfectly treatable form of cancer but has also had his treatment stopped with no information from the cancer team at all. He certainly wasn;t thinking about "end of life" but is now because he won't last through Summer without the treatment and the oncology staff have all gone awol!

@AsSuprisedasyouare it's my first pregnancy and my booking appointment was at 10 weeks over the phone but 10 weeks is normal in my area and I had my dates wrong so I had a scan when I was 12+5 by midwives calculations but I was actually further along. I was in time to get my bloods and urine checked after the scan.

@AsSurprisedAsYouAre that's normal. My booking in appt was before Covid and was just over 9 weeks. I think the standard is between 8-10 weeks.
My dating scan (also before Covid) wasn't until 13+6.

@Kazzyhoward and @user1497207191 I'm so sorry you and your families are going through this.
Tbh, I don't really mind sacrificing a non essential pregnancy appointment but there is no excuse whatsoever to cancel or delay urgent treatment for something like cancer. That's absolutely disgraceful.

In the current circumstances I would buy the dipsticks from amazon and a BP machine. Easily and cheaply bought and both will flag up anything major.

^^ hmmm picks up some problem but not ALL problems and certainly not all ‘major’ problems!