Follow up during coronavirus not good

[grey12]

This is my 3rd pregnancy. The previous 2 were in a different country with private healthcare, so it was a bit excessive I suppose.

But now with coronavirus, I get it, things are difficult.... mainly the only healthcare provider I have seen is the ultrasound technician!!

I did some bloods and just got my whooping cough vaccine and that's it. A phone call to ask if everything is ok.

Nobody even asked/mentioned about gestational diabetes. Is that normal? Actually I am not concerned about it at all, my tests have always come slightly below normal so it seems I react very well to sugars.

All this does make me wonder if other expecting mothers are not being followed up properly.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Hi OP. I'm 22 weeks pregnant and seen my midwife once (around 9 weeks). My 16 week appointment was a 5 minute call over the phone.
My 12 week scan I saw a doctor as well as having my scan and then my 20 week scan with my sonographer and that's it.
I haven't been tested for GD yet but that doesn't get tested until you're gone 25 weeks.
I have my midwife appointment for my 25 week check in a couple of weeks and with the restrictions being lifted slightly with lockdown, my midwife said I will see her and I'll be asking to be tested for GD too as I feel I'm a lot bigger than I should be for 22 weeks. I am a FTM so I can't compare, but from other women I've seen further on than me, I'm a lot bigger.
I'm in the low risk category so I don't think I'm checked up on as much, but I know the NHS are there if I need to check anything or worried about something.
Let's see what other mommy's say too! Might be an eye opener!

Never saw a doctor and midwife was just a quick phone call.

I'm 20 weeks so my next midwife appointment will be in a few weeks, let's see.

With private health I used to see a ObGyn every month :p and the nurses would ALWAYS get a urine sample, weight and blood pressure. Haven't had my blood pressure taken either!! Again, I tend to have lower blood pressure so it's not a worry for me. But it makes me think about other people...

@grey12 glucose tolerance tests are only given in my trust if you are at an increased risk. I have mine next week at 28 weeks as my BMI is 30 and have a parent with diabetes. Had my BMI been 29 on booking in appointment I wouldn't be having the test.

Almost at the half way point and haven’t yet seen a midwife face to face (other than one coming in to my 12 week ultrasound for literally 30 seconds to have me sign consent for testing and hand me my pregnancy notes which I hadn’t yet received). Have seen lovely ultrasound techs for my 12 week scan and a nurse then came in and took blood samples. As for midwife appointments, I had a 10/15 min booking appointment over the phone and a 2 minute 16 week appointment over the phone - neither of which were with my registered midwife but I think that’s pretty normal.

Have a 20 week scan scheduled. My next midwife appt is scheduled for the end of June and have been told it will “probably” be face to face so that I can have Whooping Cough vaccine but that will be confirmed nearer the time. I’m a FTM and consultant led but have had no involvement from consultant so far.

I’m in Scotland. I think level of contact at the moment carries hugely depending on where you are.

*varies hugely

All sounds perfectly normal to me OP. Here’s the current RCOG guidelines for antenatal care during Covid 19.

www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/2020-03-30-guidance-for-antenatal-and-postnatal-services-in-the-evolving-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-20200331.pdf

@WK29 that’s so strange, I’m on Scotland too and all my appointments have been face to face and none have been cancelled.
I hope you’re still getting good care and feeling ok xx

I'm 23 weeks and it's my 2nd pregnancy.

Consultant led due to thyroid and I had gestational diabetes last time.

I've seen the consultant once at the beginning, and then have had 2 phone appointments where I've had to go the hospital with blood form a week in advance.

I've seen the midwife three times face to face. They've all been at the hospital instead of GP surgery. Had whopping cough vaccine this week with the nurse at the GP surgery.

Glucose tolerance test have been cancelled, was supposed to have one at around 16 weeks due to having it last time and then again at 28 weeks. But as you have to sit and wait for 2 hours they've stopped doing them. They are using another blood test which I had a 12 weeks and then have again at 28 weeks. (Although last time it never showed up on my tests it was just the size of the baby they made me start monitoring my sugars).

I've been quite happy with the service, last time round it was confused between, GP surgery midwife, hospital midwife and then a different hospital for consultant. I seemed to be somewhere every week often waiting for hours just to go through blood results which can be done on the phone.

Mines been good, all done face to face still. Nothing cancelled.

Only annoying thing was my bloods taken at 16 weeks for the quadruple screening test weren’t processed due to change of procedure. So I have to have them done again today at 19 weeks. Seems a waste of time to me as they were already taken!

@BeMorePacific Oh Wow!! That’s interesting to hear! Everyone I’ve seen on here who has had more contact has been England based so I assumed my level of care was pretty standard for Scotland at the moment! I would like to see a midwife face to face to chat over some things I’ve been a bit anxious about so I have my fingers crossed that my appointment at the end of June will go ahead! My concerns were just brushed off at my 16 week phone appointment and was told they can be discussed later 🤷🏻‍♀️

I hope you’re keeping well and enjoying your pregnancy 😊

Haven’t seen or heard from a midwife since my 16 week appointment. All others were cancelled and told I would be contact by phone but wasn’t. Luckily I have to see a consultant and have seen her twice between then and now, 4 weeks to go but have already had a letter saying there will be no health visitor visits once baby is born.

I'm 27 weeks. Feeling lucky that all my midwife appointments have been face 2 face. I was due to see a consultant but this was changed to a phone call. Also my glucose test was cancelled last week and I'm told it will be done as a blood test by the midwife at my appointment next week.

I’m nearly 30 weeks with my first - so far I’ve had:

8w - booking in appt, hospital, in person, DH there too
12w - scan, hospital, in person (obvs!), DH there too
16w - midwife appt, hospital, in person
Lockdown happened when I was 19 weeks
20w - scan, hospital, in person, DH not allowed
24w - GP appt, at surgery, in person but with PPE
26w - glucose test as my dad’s diabetic, shortened version though not sugary drink one, at surgery, in person
28w - midwife appt, at hospital, went alone

Apparently my 32 and 34 week appts at the GPs will be in person. Have a scan at 36 weeks in person but at the moment the 36 week hospital appt is being done over the phone which I’m a bit about as I’d prefer to be seen in person to discuss birth plans, but we’ll see. I appreciate I’ve been very lucky not to have any appointments cancelled or moved to a phone call yet, the only way my care has changed from pre-covid has been the shortened version of the glucose test (which came back negative anyway).

Seems like everyone who has replied to this thread has had more contact and also more explanation than I had :/

Like I said, it's not that I am at risk, it's not even my first pregnancy. Just wished there was more communication

@wk29 I'm scotland too and havent had any appointments cancelled yet but have all been moved to the maternity unit (ayrshire and arran health board), thisnis my second baby and other than having to go to appointments alone, I have received the same care as per my previous pregnancy, think every uk health board is dealing with things differently tho'

@grey12 I agree it's rubbish, contact has been a problem for me too. I had two face to face midwife appointments, my booking in appointment before lockdown and my 16 week appointment just before lockdown properly began. My 25 week appointment was over the phone and lasted 3 mins at most. I had an appointment cancelled with the consultant and only through chasing it myself they agreed to see me face to face at 25 weeks, so have spent the majority of a high risk pregnancy without the consultant care. Although follow up appointment will be over the phone. I understand not wanting pregnant women in hospitals or GP's unless absolutely necessary but I do think better communication is needed.

I hope things improve for you soon.

I had my booking appointment and dating scan rolled into one at 12 weeks. I met the consultant briefly, she scanned me, then I met the midwife briefly for bloods before being banished to the carpark to sit in the car in the sweltering heat and do the booking appointment over the phone for an hour, then back inside to pick up my green folder and make my 20 and 32 week appointments! It was very odd. The midwife said they're not doing glucose tests are the moment but hopefully will again in September so she booked me in for one.

I also have to call my endo to report the results of my thyroid bloods and then call my GP to get an appointment with the community midwife for 28 weeks. It seems a bit disjointed at the moment but I'm a FTM so I don't know if that's due to the pandemic or if it's always like this. No 16 week appointments at the moment here either.

I think that sounds about right OP.
I had a face to face booking appointment the week before lockdown and won’t see a midwife again until I’m 28 weeks (I will have had my 12 and 20 week scan as well).
GTT is not carried out routinely where I am, it’s only offered if you are at more risk of developing gestational diabetes, it’s carried out at around 28 weeks.
The only appointment that’s been cancelled is a 16 week midwife appointment. As far as I’m aware during second/subsequent pregnancies you don’t have a 24 week appointment (that’s what’s in my green notes). If you have any any concerns you can contact your community midwife or the maternity triage at your hospital x