Covid - when do face to face midwife appointments start?

[Flowerqueensw]

I had a face to face booking appointment with my community midwife, but the 16 week appointment was on the phone, and the 25 week appointment will be on the phone as well, due to COVID.

Will the appointment after that be face to face? When do your midwife start seeing you again? I’m concerned about missing out on things like listening to baby’s heartbeat, measuring bump, urine sample and blood pressure etc.

Where are you based? I was 12 weeks at start of lockdown (currently 37) and I’ve had every appointment face to face!

I expect your remaking appointments should be face to face to check urine /bloods /heartbeat /measurements

I think it depends where you live and your hospital trust. Iv got my 28 week app tomorrow face to face and my 25 week one was face to face also. Although my 15 week one was over the phone.

It will depend on your trust. At ours we do a 20min face to face for your blood tests, blood pressure height and weight at booking but then do all your paperwork medical history etc over the phone. 16 week is phone if uncomplicated but face to face if any clinical care required. For most women this isn't a clinical appointment but a catch up to ensure that all referrals have gone through etc and to chat about what to expect with regards to movement, discuss bonding and attachment, answer questions. We then do the 24 week face to face but I know many trusts don't and actually the RCOG have highlighted this as an appointment which may be suspended. You can find the RCOG guidance on appointments and covid on this link.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/2020-07-10-guidance-for-antenatal-and-postnatal.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjC8vuE1dnrAhXEsKQKHcBSCYMQFjABegQIBxAI&usg=AOvVaw1f6EShKN6-19C5N9jGqVZ7&cshid=1599571813275

The trust here (north east) see you from 28 weeks. Fundal height not done before 26 weeks anyway, so you won't have missed that. 16 and 24 week appts have been over the phone, as in other trusts, unless bloods required. We then see women face to face 31, 34, 36, 38 and term. Then term +7 if you're still pregnant!

Thanks for the replies. I’m based in Brighton. It sounds like from 28 weeks onwards it will probably be face to face appointments which is reassuring.

I saw a midwife face to face at 28 weeks and they are all face to face after this.

It really depends on your trust. I’m 25 weeks and all my appointments have been face to face.

Mine were all over the phone until 28 weeks.

Mine have been doing face to face midwife chats when you come in for scans. So hopefully at the 20 week scan you'll see someone

I'm sorry to hear you've not had in person appointments, my booking one was over the phone but then I had some in person after scans from 13 weeks and then from 25 weeks saw midwives at my gp, it's never the same person but seems like i've gotten very lucky.

All depends on your trust I think but most are doing face to face from 28 weeks.

I had my 16 week appointment face to face as they needed to take some blood (to try determine what blood type baby has) as I am O neg and will mean I don’t need anti-D if baby has the same blood

28 weeks here. I've been to the hospital every couple of weeks for some reason or another though so feels a bit silly having not seen a midwife in all this time!

@Flowerqueensw I think it is very dependent on trust! First time mum and every appointment of mine has been over the phone except for my scans obviously! Had urine/BP taken at 12 week scan, Whooping Cough vaccine at 20 week scan then finally met a midwife face to face at 28 weeks.

Next appointment is face to face at 33 weeks and it’s at my house 😳 Not sure that her visiting multiple houses and then coming to mine is something I’m very comfortable with but it’s either that or a phone appointment 🙄

My first face to face appointment was 28 weeks. You feel like you’re missing out but I found by the next face to face appointment, they’re not very exciting 🙈 it is nice to hear how baby is growing though and hear the heartbeat. I have my first Health Visitor appointment this week (32 weeks) and that’s over the phone which is a shame as I would’ve liked to meet her

Week 25 here.

I had a telephone booking app in April time but since I've had face to face appointments I've just had to wear a mask as has she x

Mine have been F2F since the 28 week appointment, and Covid permitting, will remain so until birth. Now at 34 weeks

It’s so bad face to face appointments haven’t been reinstated nationwide.
In my trust 38 week appointment is still over the phone. There was a mixup with my 36 week appointment. I was given a single appointment not double so no chance to discuss birth plan per usual schedule. Midwife booked a face to face appointment for 38 weeks to make up for it. When I went it turned out my blood pressure was really high and I was sent straight to triage for monitoring! If it hadn’t been for an admin error I would never have had in checked and it might not have got picked up until 40 weeks or labour.
The simple face to face checks they do are so important. It’s such a worry not everyone is getting this.

@Flowerqueensw the restrictions are frustratingly very varied across the country, with no apparent relationship to the local rate of infection. Many of us are concerned about the reduction in face to face contacts. It means that you have few opportunities to discuss things or to get information and there are fewer checks being done to check that both you and baby are doing well. The national schedule of appointments was designed because that was the consensus view of what was safe and cost effective.
Many women have been seeking additional care from private midwives in this time, many of whom are happy to provide occasional check ups and information alongside your NHS care.

When I first booked in I was told I wouldn't see a midwife face to face until 28 weeks but I've just had my 16 week consultation today and that was face to face. It depends on your area I think

Mine went back to face to face at my 25 week appointment, all others were on the phone x

Yep I had 16 and 25 weeks on the phone and back to face to face at 28 weeks.