Please tell me how pregnancy compares now

[Laytwir024]

Have a toddler and thinking of ttc soon. Already feel out of touch. Is much different with the pregnancy and labour compared to previous times?

As in covid times. I had an emergency csection before so may have another. Would love to hear comparison stories.

Services are not what they were pre-covid.

I had a mc in July. Normally when bleeding started you'd be able to get a referral to epau pretty easily, felt like a battle with multiple calls in July. Epau would have space to see people within a couple of days but in July I had a 4 day wait which was 2 days too late for me. No partners allowed to come to epau.
Current pregnancy. Booking was in 2 parts, in person for bloods and phone for history 6 days apart. Dating scan was at 12+3 (baby measured 13wk). At 16 weeks I saw consultant they didn't listen to babys hb with a doppler like they have with others but did bp and urine dip. I have anomaly scan at 20wk. Consultant and anti-D at 28wk. A mw app booked for back end of pregnancy and will see consultants again at 36wk, not guaranteed any growth scans despite having had a large baby (over 4.5kg) but will if fundal height measures ahead at 28wk. Partners are allowed to attend scans and hospital appointments at our trust, some are not so lucky.

It definitely changed in early lockdown. All appointments on own (even if bad news), booking on phone etc but that's improving now and I think will only get better. Each trust differs but where I am partners can now come to scans but not routine MW appts - it's our first baby and I suffer with anxiety so that hasn't been great but not the end of the world and if it's your second less of an issue. All of my appts have been in person but I know not the same for everyone - again will depend on area and probably getting better. For labour it depends - if you're on delivery suite/midwife unit then you get to bring partners in but inductions are done on an open ward so they aren't allowed until you get moved to delivery suite, but hopefully this will change soon so in 9 months + who knows. Partners are allowed to attend CS where we are because in a private room.

The only other thing to add is that maternity services are really really busy! I'm 38 weeks and when I first started going in last summer it was so quiet and I got appointments easily. Now there are hundreds of pregnant women mostly in 1st/2nd trimester which MW confirmed - I can't always get an appointment, the hospital waiting room is packed, and am having to see different midwives just to get seen at all - not ideal at this point in my pregnancy! This may not be a factor for you but it looks like this is going to be a bumper school year from what I can see.

Overall it hasn't been ideal at all times but the care has been good and things are improving so I wouldn't let it put you off.

Looks like the 'covid baby boom' is more myth than reality:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-56415248

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pandemic-baby-bust-decrease-births-us-pregnancy-b1792941.html%3Famp

Oooh interesting @physicskate. I love data like this. There was definitely a slump last year - and birth rates went down as these articles show. My baby is due in April so expecting them to be part of a smaller school year. It's the year after that I got the sense would be bigger - i.e. any babies due after Sept 2021. I'm intrigued to see if there's any data on the number of 12wk scans etc going on now? I've seen 6 different MW during the last month (craziness!) and they're all saying maternity was quiet before Xmas but now getting really busy. Could just be that NHS resources are struggling though if people are having to take time off?

Scotland here.

My experience was hospital ( planned section) absolutely wonderful. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pregnancy care in community, poor.

Newborn care, absolutely shocking. I had to take baby to 3 day check for heel prick, have not had a home visit and have heard nothing from a HV.