Booking in and covid

[MegaBloxRoxx]

I am pregnant with my 3rd and just called the gp for a referral to the local midwife team. I have been told to expect a phone call at 10 weeks which has made me feel quite anxious as in my previous pregnancies the midwife has called around 6 weeks to arrange a booking in appt between 8 and 10 weeks.

This appt has previously been quite a long one with a urine test, bloods, lots of questions, weight, height etc generally getting to know midwife and being given your notes. I am feeling a bit thrown by the fact it sounds like there won't be a booking in appt?! I am worried this is a sign of a very hands off approach.... 'cuz of covid' no doubt (for context, we are in a medium risk area).

I have had some issues with previous pregnancies and although I wouldn't say I am high risk, I have a few factors that mean I am certainly not low risk.

Anyone else had this? Are face to face booking appts no more? Aren't they kind of important?!

A lot of booking appointments are over the phone now, answering questions etc. They will also schedule you an appointment to go In and have bloods taken and check urine. It's all very different

That’s similar to my experience - they didn’t ask me anything about risk factors until booking in appointment and even then I was surprised what they didn’t ask. If was doing this again I would speak to GP straight away to flag anything I was aware as a risk and get advice earlier on. When I finally did call the GP they were so nice and understanding and helpful I had no idea why I didn’t speak to them earlier

Maybe worth speaking to your GP at a minimum they could put your mind at rest and perhaps there are some extra appointments/support that they feel you should be getting

Thanks, yes that's a good suggestion thanks, will do that

Great hope they are able to put your mind at rest on way or another

Also over the phone here. I tried speaking to my gp about something and he just said it's all on the midwives.

Had a face to face at my 25 week app and it was a long one and very behind due to it bei the first face to face and having to do literally everything.
Exemption form MATB1 etc etc.

Not a good time care wise to be pregnant 🤪

I had my booking appointment 2 weeks ago, also my 3rd DC. It was a half hour phone appointment covering usual questions and updating details from last pregnancy m delivery. And a follow up 10 minute face to face session that afternoon for urine sample, bloods and give me my mat notes. Dating scan request was submitted by midwife that day, and that appointment is next week, when I'll be roughly 13 weeks

My booking appt was a 30min chat. They said bloods etc will be done after the 12 week scan.

I am very high risk and was given a ohone booking appt, can't remember when, about 9-10 weeks I think. Haven't yet spoken to my 'named' midwife, all I have had was that booking in call from another midwife, then I rang them once with a query but don't even know who I spoke to. Bloods etc were done at 13 weeks after nuchal scan, but the urine sample was never tested or recorded. So check on that while you are still there after your scan.

My booking in appointment is when I get my 12 week scan, it seems late to me for bloods etc. Especially as I'm an older mum.

I had my booking apt for DC2 earlier this week.

The midwife was lovely but told me there is a huge baby boom going on at the moment and under the pressures of covid they simply aren’t coping.

She said something along the lines of ‘we were barely coping with covid before thousands of extra women decided now was a great time to get pregnant. We have no idea what’s going to happen now.’

It was a jovial conversation and we had a bit of a giggle but there were definite ‘oh shit’ undertones. I do wonder what’s going to happen and how many women are going to receive poor/inadequate care. I asked DH once I got home if we’d been stupid to get pregnant now.

I'm expecting my first and don't know any different so over the phone was fine for me. Samples taken after the scan. Can they really do much with bloods and urine at 8 weeks that they can't at 12? If you had a specific health issue that affects very early pregnancy I'd imagine you'd already be accessing care before booking in? I accept I may be a bit clueless though

MATB1 arrived promptly in the post, notes collected at the scan, flu jab arranged without me having to chase, I can't fault it given the circumstances.

I'm currently 16 weeks. Had my booking appointment face to face. I was asked whether I wanted it over the phone or face to face.

16 week appointment was over the phone (no choice given).

@pumpertrumper I had the same conversation with the booking in staff at the hospital. They said take whatever appointments you're given as trying to change will mean you have to wait weeks as there is a boom at the moment.

I also felt a little bit guilty!

Otherwise, I had the booking part over the phone and then went in a couple of days later for the urine and bloods. My friend is having her second baby and they have definitely done things differently for her.(same area)

Thats a shame about the 16 week appt as it is usually the first time you hear the baby's heart beat, also once again, what about urine sample and blood pressure!? These things are important.

I suppose my main concern is this being the sign for things to come and that the risk of not being monitored properly in later stages is a far greater danger to me and the baby than covid. Its also about the relationship and trust you build up with your midwife which isn't possible over the ohone.

falling star i am an older mum too and wanted to talk about NIPT which used to be available at our local hospital (for a fee). Obviously I can talk about it at 10 weeks, but I would have liked to have that conversation sooner.

Im on baby no4. I cant fault the care ive received. I had a booking app over the phone, when i mentioned a high risk factor which was dealt with immediately (required my OH to get a blood test) all my screening tests were done at my 12 week scan when i had my first face to face appointment with a midwife. Was referred to consultant, had a 16 week app with her, 20 week scan and midwife appointment were combined and since then they have been trying to get back to a normal approach, face to face appointments at my midwife centre. Im now crazy high risk and seeing someone literally once a week. Just another perspective that maternity care might look a little different but (and i appreciate its not everyones experience) its still just as good as it was 6 years ago. At least in my area anyway.

Thanks hatepickinganame, that is reassuring

My GP didn't want to know about my pregnancy till eight weeks, and would only then make an appointment for me to speak to a midwife and get booked in. This happened around 9 weeks if I recall correctly. It was very quick, just a ten minute chat, then she dropped my paperwork round at the house. I didn't have blood or urine tested till the 12 week scan. This was back in May and June.

Midwife warned me at the booking in appointment that, apart from scans, I likely wouldn't be seen face to face until I was 32 weeks, however this hasn't been the case. She took blood at 16 weeks for the quad test, and I've been on a normal appointment schedule since 24 weeks. I'm now awaiting a 31 week scan, but as it's booked during the Welsh "firebreak" I'm not sure if it will go ahead.

I would say that overall care was affected by covid and quite a hands off approach was taken, but things have eased up considerably since. I think things should remain reasonably okay even as restrictions nationally tighten up again, as I think a lot of health boards have been admonished to keep maternity care as normal as possible now.

I had my booking appointment this week, it was in person with the midwife. I did book directly with the midwife rather than call my GP if that makes any difference x

Just on the baby boom side of things. Though no data has been released very recently and we probably won’t know for another year but after the first few months of lockdown there was a huge drop in people accessing maternity services, meaning that less people were TTC and the lockdown baby boom really wasn’t a thing.

I wonder if now things are just getting back to normal levels but under these new restrictions and so trusts are struggling to cope.

Maybe that’s just because I don’t like the idea of DC being in an usually large year group at school, meaning more competition for places etc.

Booking in wise I went through my GP who referred me, I had a letter come for the booking line and so called that. The dates are all very vague. I’ll have a proper booking in appointment with a midwife ‘at some point before the scan’ and the 12 week scan will happen any time between 10 and 14 weeks. Hoping to get something more definite through the post.

I am with a maternity service that covers a large metropolitan area though so I imagine that the time timescales would never have been great 😂 apparently once my details filter down to the clinic local to me and he ball will start rolling a bit more.

Yes, DP works in a related field and said he is not aware that any baby boom is actually occurring.

My booking appointment was over the phone at about 8 weeks, they asked all the usual questions about history and family etc. During the call she made an appointment for me to go into the hospital at 10 weeks for blood test, urine, blood pressure, height & weight etc. I think it’s just to reduce the amount of time you’re actually in the hospital. If she doesn’t mention blood test etc on the phone call you can always ask when they will be doing them.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I messaged the midwifery team and have had a very reassuring message back today. Booking in is over the phone between 8 - 10 weeks, followed by bloods etc but the appts after that seem normal and should be face to face.