Feel let down by midwife's.. again

[TrueSoul19]

2nd pregnancy and currently 29wks. I haven't seen the same midwife more than once since the start always down to COVID although not sure I see why that heavily effects me having the same midwife?
Anyway just seen my new midwife this week who again mentioned how the last ones 'should have done this and should have done that' . It's now resulted in me being told I have low iron, possible UTI and gest diabetes! I'm gutted as I've never had this before and feel it could have been prevented if my bloods and urine were done went ment to be. Im never one to pester the NHS and do appreciate we have it but in my last pregnancy they put me in danger also by not picking up on dangerously low iron and infected gallstones!

It's making me angry at myself for not pestering them and feel I've now put the baby and myself in a higher risk 😟 want to call the main midwife number and rant to them but not sure how to cope with this now. Anyone else had diabetes develop during pregnancy or even think I should be complaining to the midwife team??

You haven't really said what they didn't do. Did they not do the glucose test? If not then how would they know you would have best diabetes? Sounds unprofessional of her to say someone else should have done something, I hate when staff anywhere do that to the client/patient, that should be internal chat only. But not sure any midwives can be blamed for any potential health issues. Hope you get sorted! Ps gest diabetes isn't that bad, I have it right now

Ye they failed to take urine test and blood pressure at 16 wks because she forgot her stuff? Then when I went to GP myself because of kidney pain my urine was a mess had highlighted blood, glucose and protein so GP told midwife to complete my check and urine again which she did but didn't action or further tests such as bloods seems she just left?? When I met my new midwife this week I told her I was feeling ill, sore kidneys etc and she asked would I like my bloods done .. I said of course I thought that was routine at my stage.. so 24hrs later call back saying 'oh ye alot has flagged up' .. can you give any advice on your diabetes is there a chance it can be eliminated if caught early?

Most GD tests are only done at 28 weeks (if you fit the criteria for a test - lots of women aren't tested at all). It would be very rare for symptoms to have shown up at 16 weeks as most of the time it only rears it's ugly head in the 3rd trimester....same with pre-eclampsia.

I also had different midwives for my booking in appointment and 16 week appointment. It's only 28 weeks onwards that I've seen the same one.... i've had appointments with her at 28 and 34 weeks, got a 36 week one coming up then one at 38 weeks.

Unfortunately if you have GD you have it, and testing earlier wouldn't stop you from developing it. It's to do with pregnancy hormones stopping your body from dealing with glucose like it normally would.

NICE guidelines state that you should be tested at 28 weeks if you have risk factors, or earlier if you have glucose in your urine twice at 1+ level, or once at 2+. Now you know you have it, it is simply a case of controlling your blood sugar, hopefully with diet only, or if that doesn't work with medication. Many 16 week appointments aren't happening currently across the country. You can definitely complain if you feel that they have missed things or even if things haven't been explained well.

Your GD test and bloods are meant to be at 28 weeks so this all sounds pretty normal. 28 week blood tests are to check for low iron as it’s normal that your levels start to fall around this time. A midwife can’t prescribe treatment for a UTI so this should have been actioned by your GP when you originally saw them, the fact you’ve seen different people is a little bit rubbish but in terms of care, it seems like you’ve had everything you should🙂

Gestational diabetes unfortunately can’t be eliminated once you’ve been diagnosed but a lot of women can control it with diet alone, you’ll just be monitored more closely and normally referred to the specialist team. Some women do require medication but the team will keep a close eye and make sure it stays well controlled

Hi OP sorry to hear you're having a stressful time.
Can I recommend the Gestational Diabetes UK facebook group and insta page? I found it incredibly helpful and the women who run it are all very experienced in working with women with GD. If nothing else it's just a great place to seek support from other women who are experiencing the same thing or have experienced the same. Wishing you all the best for the rest of your pregnancy.

Thank you all helpful advice and don't feel so left behind if these tests were only due around now. I will need to look into groups etc as creating a diet will be difficult for me due to lack of knowledge but not a fussy eater and have no restrictions so 🤞