First Pregnancy - GP Appointment - HELP!

[OrdinaryLilac]

Morning 😁

I tested positive on Friday and continuous tests over the weekend.. Much to my delight after TTC for one year.

I excitedly called the GP office today... And they've said I have to wait 8 weeks? That really doesn't sound right to me?

Can anyone offer any advice please?

Congratulations!
It sounds right to me. Where I am you self refer to the hospital and they send you a booking appointment with a midwife for when you are around 8-10 weeks pregnant

Hi, congratulations! I think even before Covid, with some trusts you didn’t have an appointment with a midwife/health professional until you were about 10 weeks pregnant - because miscarriage is pretty common before then. I imagine with Covid, they’ve rolled back physical appointments even more. Did they say whether you needed to self refer to the prenatal service/maternity hospital or if it is done via your GP?

There's nothing anybody can actually do right now. Most GP practices no longer see you at all and just refer you/you self-refer to the midwife. Absolutely nothing happens until the dating scan at 12 weeks except that in some areas they take your history at an initial appointment.

Take folic acid and vitamin D, don't drink and don't smoke. That's all.

congratulations. Yea this is normal. Nothing to be done till first 12 week scan and midwife booking appt.

Wait 8 weeks to see the midwife or GP? In both my pregnancies I self referred to the midwife online and never saw the GP. My first appointment was at about 10 weeks. In one pregnancy the GP surgery managed some of the midwife appointments (I booked with their receptionist). Congratulations

A lot of the first trimester is sitting around waiting. You don’t need to see your GP, but you will need a Booking In appointment with you midwife. These are usually between 8-10 weeks. I don’t know if things have changed but during Covid they have been phone appointments or have taken place on the day of your 12 week scan.

Congratulations! What is it you want advice on? What is it you want the GP to do? Do you have any particular concerns?

Sounds normal. Around here the GP doesn’t see you, it’s all self-referral to the midwives. Make sure you’re taking the necessary vitamins (folic acid, vitamin D). The NHS website pages on pregnancy have a clear list of foods to avoid. There’s not much else for them to tell you at this stage unless you have particular concerns.

Congrats. I was pregnant at the start of lockdown and did a GP phone appointment. In my area you can self refer to the midwifery team- so I didnt even need to ring the GP apparently! NO one at all contacted me till 9 weeks, and that was a receptionist to book in the midwife call at 10 weeks!!!

Read up on the NHS website, especially about foods to avoid. Start folic acid if not already done so as the other poster said. Best of luck xxx
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/

Wow thanks everyone for your advice ☺️.
I was primarily looking at the NHS website who'd prompted to call the GP office right away!

I have been taking the Seven Seas Pregnancy tablets since Friday, as soon as I found out. I bought them the same time as the tests, I had an inkling haha.

They said to ring them back so I presume they refer me.

I wasn't sure if it was a covid thing but I guess I'll sit back, relax and get on as normal (with a few slight changes to my lifestyle).

Thanks everyone. X

Did they mention self referral? Because the GP appointment in the very early stages is really nothing more than saying “hi, I’m pregnant“ and they say congratulations and then set all the wheels in motion for the midwife appointments and referral to the hospital for scans etc. So as long as you know they’re sorting you out to get your booking-in midwife appointment a bit later on then that’s the key one. Seeing your GP doesn’t involve anything and nowadays is often unnecessary because you can self refer via forms online. My medical practice has them on their website for example. So maybe ask your GP receptionist about that. But try not to worry, you definitely don’t need to see anyone immediately.

Unless you have a pre-existing condition that would affect the pregnancy you wouldn't usually see anyone until your booking appointment somewhere between 8-12 weeks depending on your trust.

You can find out what appointments to expect and what happens at each on the trusts website- a quick google search and you'll find it.

There really isn't anything else to be done before the booking appointment, which is where they take your history and some will book your dating scan then. Most GPs don't need to see for anything routine throughout the pregnancy.

Sounds exactly right - I made the mistake of ringing for a GP appointment with my 1st and he literally said congratulations, why are you here seeing me?? Very embarrassing!
MW referral and booking in at 8wks, scan at 12wks.

All they said was to call back at 8 weeks, no further information which is why I was left scratching my head a little!

Feeling a little silly now oops haha.

I knew about the folic acid and vitamin D, but with it being my first, wasn't sure if there was anything I'd overlooked.. So wasn't looking for any specific information from them. More so the process or if there was anything I'd missed I guess.

But thank you all for your information, really appreciate it. ☺️

Have a look at your hospital's maternity department website. They will usually have the self referral form which you can do now.

It can take a few weeks to get processed and booked in for your booking in with the midwives.

As above - I never even saw the GP. Just filled in the form on my hospital website and then they sent me an appt for when I was 8 weeks.

Very normal. I saw my midwife at 9 weeks. Had 2 scans before this as I was bleeding a lot. Don't feel you can't call if you have similar concerns. Congrats!

It seems crazy doesn't it! The most amazing thing is happening to you - you are growing a human! And yet you don't need to see a doctor or anyone just yet. Doesn't seem right but it is!

With this pregnancy I made contact with the GP as soon as I was pregnant as I have Factor V Leiden and knew I needed blood thinners. I booked a private scan for 8 weeks because I couldn't wait for 12.... I ended up regretting that a bit as it caused me undue anxiety as I was measuring behind. I caught up but it was an anxious two weeks.

Congratulations! I know it feels like forever to wait but I'm 31 weeks now and in hindsight it really has gone so quickly!

Congratulations! In my area, you self-register online only once you are beyond 6 weeks, then call the community midwives to make your booking appt for between 8 or 10 weeks.
I MC my first pregnancy and no one would help or see me - GP wiped their hands of me because I was pregnant and said ask midwives, midwives said I hadn't been 'booked' with them yet so needed to ask GP. I was 8 weeks and heart broken.
This time round I was a nervous wreck, I had my booking appt at 8 weeks, then my next midwife appt was 28 weeks (plus 12w and 20w scans in between). Next appt 32w, then 38w. Hardly any appts or care really. Definitely left to get on with it and worry it through ourselves where I live!

I guess it depends where you are. Where I am in London you choose which hospital you want to go with as soon as you find out you're pregnant. Then go into the maternity section of their website and find the self referral form. Fill it in and send it off. I did this at about 5 weeks. It took about 1 week for them to send out the confirmation letters for my booking appointment at 8 weeks and also for my 12 week scan. All other appointments we're made at the 12 week scan.

Keep taking your folic acid and vitamin D until you're told you don't need to anymore.

Good luck x

Unless you have a preexisting condition or taking medication there isn't a lot for doctors to do in the early weeks.

I see my midwife through my gp surgery so made my booking appointment through the gp receptionist. I had seen my gp prior to ttc so I knew my medication was safe. I saw my gp for a routine appointment at 7 weeks and she did a referral to a specialist in my condition in pregnancy. This referral would otherwise been made at 14 weeks when I saw the obstetrics consultant. If I was to have a second pregnancy I think I would book gp appointment to get this referral made promptly. Otherwise there's not a lot the gp can do unless pregnancy nausea and sickness is an issue.

@niki26 that’s one of the things I’ve found craziest about pregnancy - that on the one hand it’s like a mind blowing miracle (how on Earth can my body produce a whole new person?!) and also the most normal, everyday, pedestrian thing possible.

Really brutally if it’s a standard pregnancy with no pre-existing conditions, there’s little a doctor can do for you before the halfway point except remind you about vitamins and diet. Obviously that’s no reflection on the excitement that new mums to be feel or the impact that a loss/concerns about a loss can have on you - it’s life changing either way. But I can see why the NHS doesnt really see you much in the first weeks.

Ye we had to wait around the same time to see the midwife then u will receive ur first scan...I took pregnecare vitamins throughout my pregnancy aswel...some people find them expensive but worth it xx