When will my first midwife appointment be?

[daylightfading]

Recently found out I'm pregnant and contacted my GP who gave me the number for my local midwife service. Phoned them up and they said that somebody will be in touch within the next few days to ask me some questions about my medical history etc and book me in for an appointment.

I've never been pregnant before and also never really known anyone who's been pregnant so I don't have much experience with what the midwifery booking system is like etc.
There's varying answers online with some things saying it could be around 5 weeks and others saying the first appointment could be around 8-10 weeks pregnant. I have endometriosis amongst other problems so I'm terrified of miscarrying and this is the first time I've ever even had a line on a test. That and the fact we are currently in the middle of a pandemic so I assume things may be different again.
I'm about 4 or 5 weeks pregnant I think.

Thank you!

Congratulations!

In our area about 8 to 10 weeks. Unfortunately miscarriages are common. If you are on any regular medication you may need to speak to your GP. In the mean time the NHS website will have all info you need.

My first appointment was a booking in appointment at 9+ weeks. My first 'proper' midwife appointment was not till 16 weeks.

These were pre-covid but, from what I can gather on here, the only difference now is that one, or both, may be telephone appointments instead of f2f (although it could easily change in the next few weeks/months.

I'm a FTM and was surprised how 'slow' early pregnancy is with very few appointments. You're pretty much on your own unless you need actual medical help.

Congratulations! Im about 6 weeks pregnant and this is our first baby too. I found out at 4 weeks and phoned my GP who also referred me to the local Midwife team. I had a quick phone call with them, probably about 15 minutes and they registered me with the Maternity Notes app where I think they record everything and I had a questionnaire on there to answer. They also booked me in for an 8 week appointment over the phone which they said will last about an hour. I'm in Scotland and I'm sure things will differ by area especially with Covid but hopefully this gives you a slight idea of what might happen x

Congratulations! I'm 15 weeks now and the normal appointments have changed a lot with Covid it seems. My 12 week scan and booking appointment were rolled into one and that was the first time I saw anyone (I had to do my booking appointment on the phone in the hospital car park after my scan and bloods!). Then I had to book a 20 anomaly scan and a 28 week appointment with the midwife with nothing inbetween. That concerned me a lot as I'm a FTM, 40 and have an autoimmune condition. Thankfully when I called the midwife to make the 28 week appointment they said that was far too long a wait and are seeing me at 18 weeks.

thank you everyone.

I thought that there were certain tests etc that had to be done before 12 weeks? So not having a midwife appointment until 16 weeks doesn't sound good to me, I'm anxious enough as it is without having to wait another 3 months and not have tests done etc. With me having endometriosis etc I know that being pregnant is more risky so I really don't like the thought of just being left to my own devices for the foreseeable. I'm wondering if due to my health conditions I would be eligible for the early scans that they do offer in risky pregnancies.

I'm hoping they phone soon to arrange something or I'll be going out of my mind. I'm having slight cramping which I know is supposed to be normal at this stage but every little twinge or strange feeling just panics me. I know I'm being irrational but I can't help myself and my mind is running away. We've tried for so long and nothing has ever happened so we both want this very much which adds to the pressure!

From what I can tell it differs hugely from trust to trust, you could ask when the midwife calls how things are working in your area and express your worries then.

The NHS has cancelled the 16 week appointments so they're not happening at the moment, but you'll get a 12 week scan between 11 and 13 weeks with a midwife booking appointment and then a 20 week scan. I'm a high risk pregnancy with a condition with high risk of miscarriage and a history of miscarriages and have been offered no extra scans or monitoring at all unfortunately. Usually a FTM would get 11 appointments over the 9 months, we're currently getting 6.

Don't worry about period pain type cramping, it's really normal the first few weeks, as is a tugging or pulling feeling. A private scan could help out your mind at ease. I went for a Harmony test at 10 weeks which was great for my peace of mind and also meant I got to see the baby wriggling away.

I don’t think endo will get you extra scans, it’s usually only if you have a history of recurrent miscarriages or ectopics. You can book private scans for extra reassurance at clinics like window to the womb for pretty cheap now though.

@daylightfading there are no tests that need to be done before 12 weeks so don't worry about that and, in my experience, not that much has changed since the virus. It was very, very slow anyway (I say that as a 37 year old, FTM classed as high risk who is now 32 weeks pregnant so my early appointments were unaffected by covid)

The booking in appointment is normally done between 8 and 10 weeks. It's basically an hour or so of answering questions about your health, family history, medical issues, past pregnancies etc and it is at this appointment that they decide of you are to remain under midwife care (low risk) or of you will be consultant led (high risk). This used to be f2f but is now either a telephone appt or combined with your dating scan appt...it really doesn't make much difference.

The bloods they take at this stage are not time critical. They just check your blood type and test for things like hepatitis and hiv etc so no difference between doing them at 8, 10 or 12 weeks.

The bloods that are time critical are the ones for the combined screening test which need to be done before 14 weeks. These get done at the same time as your dating scan which is still going ahead as normal as it's an 'essential appointment' so, again,no need to worry about that.

As mentioned before, my first proper midwife appt was at 16 weeks and it was nice to meet her and see someone f2f but I wouldn't describe it as essential so I understand why they've made that one a telephone appt too, although yours isn't for another 3 months so everything could change by then.

If you are classed as high risk at your initial booking appt then you will also have consultant appts which run concurrently to the midwife appts. Some of mine have been by phone, some have been f2f. I think my first was at 15 weeks then the next at 28 weeks so a big gap even before covid.

Early pregnancy is a very slow time, with or without coronavirus. You should still have contact numbers for midwives, details for the EPU, your GP and A&E though which are all available if you need them. If all is fine though, it'll be a slow start so make sure you manage your expectations from the get go.

I should add to my above post. The only real concern I had about some appts not being face to face was that i wouldn't be getting my urine checked as regularly as I would have liked so I ordered some urine tests strops off amazon (about a fiver for 150 strips). This has helped put my mind at rest that nothing major is being missed!

sel2223 has given a really good explanation. The only time critical test I can think of is the combined tests as well, which needs to be done by 14 weeks but are done on the date of your dating scan which will happen around the 12-13 week mark.

Every trust runs a bit differently but most will follow a similar structure:

• 1st appointment is referred to as the booking in appointment and happens around 8-10 weeks (as some ladies have said during Covid this has been over the phone, had mine f2f as it was pre-Covid)

• Dating scan around 12-13 weeks where they will also offer you the combined test

• Anomaly scan around 20 weeks

• I had my 16 and 24 week appointment with my midwife over phone (my 24 week appointment was on Monday so just had this)

• With Covid still effecting the process, my trust will have f2f appointments for all remaining appointments from week 28 where they do some more bloods and start measuring your bump. So f2f appointments at 28, 32, 36, 38 and 40 weeks

Unfortunately it does feel a bit like you are just left to it during your first trimester as not much happens. But if you are ever concerned about anything you can contact your local midwife service, just because you haven’t physically met them yet or had an appointment doesn’t mean they won’t answer your questions 🙂

Due to Covid, in many areas now the booking appointment (8-10weeks) has been combined with the dating scan between 11-13 weeks, so they do the blood test there.
Then the 16 week appointment is often over the phone and then the next scan at 20 weeks.
You may not actually see your midwife until 24-28 weeks, but you’ll speak to her on the phone and have your two scans before that.

It differs depending on where you live - I am 10 weeks & had my booking appointment over the phone today, waiting to receive appointment for bloods, urine test & scan in post, then I will have another phone appt at 16 weeks then 20 week anomaly scan.
This is my 2nd baby so don't know if that makes a difference but it seems unless you are a high risk or are experiencing problems then you will mainly have phone appt until later on in pregnancy- try not to worry, you could always book a private scan for peace of mind, I have one booked for Sunday and can take my husband. Good luck OP

Thank you all so much and thank you @sel2223 for the really detailed reply.

After much searching online I've managed to find an information pdf booklet for the hospital I'd like to go to and the changes to maternity care during COVID-19 so that's helped put my mind at ease a bit.

I've also looked online at private scans and there's somewhere in my city that does them and they recommend to go around 7-8 weeks so I'll book myself in for a private scan next month.

I think I'll feel better once I tell my mum and dad (I'm saving the news for Father's Day on Sunday) as I'll have an external support system for the early months which I know will feel like forever and also if anything was to happen (fingers crossed it won't) I will have extra help etc.

My boobs are driving me mad, they're tingling constantly it feels like cold shivers but just in my boobs which is such a strange sensation. I'm trying to refrain from keep doing pregnancy tests to reassure myself as I've already done 3 normal dye ones and a digital.

My cramps are sort of coming and going but they're nothing major, I usually have horrendous periods and the cramps are nothing like that it just feels weird because they're "different" types of cramps. I'm looking forward to the journey ahead though I just need to relax and let nature take its course and keep myself in good health

Just an update - a midwife phoned me this morning and apparently I'm around 6 weeks pregnant so hopefully that's the case as it's less waiting! She asked me various questions etc then said she would do my referral to my chosen hospital today and I should hear from them within about 2 weeks regarding an appointment.

My boobs are still tender but they don't feel as bad as they did and I was also struggling with a really bad leg (think I pulled something recently) and I've woken up this morning and it's loads better so I feel better within myself. Had some light cramping but not too much that I've noticed today I'm just trying to relax. If the wait is long until I get a scan at the hospital then I will still book a private scan for peace of mind

Ah that's great op glad you feel a bit more at ease! 😊 the only thing I would say is if you can hold off just a couple more weeks for the scan it's so much nicer to see an actual baby on screen rather than a blob! 😊