Ante natal appts by phone?!

[CountingSheep27]

Hello ladies
Two of my ante natal appts are by phone. How on earth can the midwife check urine, my bp, and bsbys’s heartbeat or measure bump? I wouldn’t say I’m a low risk pregnancy if this is a reason for phone appt. Makes me feel really uncomfortable. Any advice please?
Also they use this new app rather than hand notes and it has heaps of stuff missing from my past appts. I’m 23 weeks.
Thanks x

I'm the same! My blood pressure was taken when I went in the next day after my phone booking appointment, and the 16 week call was the most pointless thing ever!

Wouldn't have met my midwife face to face until my 26 week appointment next week if it wasn't for me needing to drop off a wee sample today!

I saw my MW at booking in at I guess 9wks, then aside from the 12 and 20wk scan, didn't see anyone face to face til 28wks.

My 16wk plus my consultant appointments were all phone.

I've had f2f at 28, 34, 36 and will have at 38 and just before 40.

Yip this sounds like me! Have no paper notes and they’re doing telephone appointments. Booking appointment was over the phone, then got blood taken then 12 week scan, 16 week appointment was literally a ‘how are you?’ over the phone, 20 week scan, 22 week appointment they did still come to my house which I was really surprised at given they’d been doing phone appointments 🤷🏼‍♀️ 28 week appointment will be the second time I’ve seen my own midwife and have a consultant appointment too but again, it’s over the phone

Same here. I had my first face to face appointment at 28 weeks and I had my pregnancy folder given to me then. I did have my urine/BP checked at my 12 week scan.

I’ve heard somewhere that they don’t measure bumps or check the heartbeat until around 28 weeks onwards now as standard but I don’t know how accurate this info is.

This seems very different to what’s happening in my area. I was offered the option to do my booking over the phone or to come in but told I’d have to come to the surgery for bloods/urine/blood pressure on another day if I chose the phone appointment. Had a face to face last week and got it all done in one go. Was there for an hour as I have a very complex history and am high risk.
All my midwife appointments will be face to face unless I’m self isolating. Not sure about consultant appointments - still waiting for those to come through.

I think this is quite normal these days- I had booking in 8 weeks and next face to face was 28 weeks (with 12 week and 20 week scans in between).

At my trust they don’t listen to heartbeat or measure bump til 28 weeks- I was surprised bp/bloods/urine haven’t been tested more but it seems pretty standard now sadly.

I guess it depends on what trust you are under?
My first appointment was face to face at 9 weeks and ive been booked in for my next appointment which apparently is also face to face?
I havent heard of the appointments being over the phone at all. Not even for a friend who was pregnant in the height of covid?

I’m 21 weeks and have only ever been to one in person appointment which was my booking in appointment. Had my urine and bloods done then and none since. I’m having an in person appointment at the end of this month and looking forward to actually getting physically checked out.

My over the phone midwife appointment was quite weird, it was more a chit chat as there was nothing to speak about really, it was odd.

@Peaplant20

I honestly find this disgraceful. There’s no reason they should still be doing this and getting away with it, all NHS staff will be double vaccinated now and it’s an extremely important service. I only had my 25week appointment by phone but I didn’t think it should have been. I presumed it would be back to normal by now (I’m now 33 weeks so that was a while ago). I was so worried I could have developed a urine infection between 16 weeks and 28 that I convinced myself I had one and got my urine tested at the GP so if you’re ever worried about a urine infection then you could get yours checked at the GP too they’re always happy to do it. Maybe see if there’s any updates on pregnancy then screwed?

Why do you assume that all NHS staff will be vaccinated? It's not compulsory. Also, you chose to have a baby during a pandemic, with all the implications that are associated.

That's a shame OP, we have been lucky here and all appointments are face to face just like my two previous pregnancies. It really does seem to differ area to area which doesn't seem fair.

@YouCouldBeSisters ok I’ll amend my comment to “all nhs staff have been offered two vaccines,” as yes some may have chosen not to. Given that (if I remember correctly) 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, then actually many people on here did not choose to have a baby in a pandemic. Also many who did plan their babies could never have foreseen that the pandemic would still be going on now, or were already trying long before the pandemic started and weren’t in a position to put their plans on hold (eg. Due to age), so your comment is a little thoughtless.

Yes, I have no maternity notes either OP. Just the app which, like you, has tonnes of information missing. All that is available is my last appointment's belly measurement (which is 98th centile!) I was only given details of the app at my last appointment too after having to ask. Before that, I was mistified at the lack of information. I wasn't sure whether it was due to covid or because this is my 2nd pregnancy.

It seems I've been lucky in that all my appointments have been in person, HB listened to from 16 weeks, urine sample tested every time and fundal height measured from 28 weeks.
But I have just started a thread about the notes app. It's useless as there is no info on it at all, I'm going to ask my midwife at my next appointment to either update it or print me a paper copy.