A typical antenatal experience? University Hospital Lewisham / Midwives

[Ofpalestsilver]

Hey there
I’m 11+3. I’m with midwives at Lewisham but I am really struggling to speak to anyone. When I leave a voicemail it cuts off after about 15 seconds and then no one calls back. Anyone else had that problem at all?

I also need to rearrange my dating scan because I’m isolating but the number on my letter took me to a department who couldn’t help (after ringing 8 times) to another department who said they couldn’t help (but connected me to a number that rang out after 5 mins). I spent around an hour today trying to sort that out to no avail. It’s making me kind of unsure about the Lewisham experience if it’s like this already!

I know people are super understaffed and under resourced so I’m being relatively sanguine about it. Has anyone else had this experience with Lewisham and/or just in general? If this is the usual standard of maternity care then cool, just trying to figure it out!

Hi! I'm 14 + 3 and in Plymouth. I have been pretty shocked about the standard of midwifery care (my last child was 15 years ago). I completed a booking form at 7 weeks. Finally had a call one day before I was 10 weeks, at 9:00pm on a Sunday, saying they needed to get booking in and bloods done the next day so as not to miss the 10 week cut off. I won't be physically seeing a midwife until I'm 16 weeks and cannot talk to anyone. I also had to chase thay appointment as nobody had booked me in for one. My GP has been great as I've had a few problems and she is appalled at the lack of care. I need a cervical length scan at 16 weeks because of previous cervical surgery, yet I've not been booked in for one and have to wait for my midwife appointment (that I had to spend 3 days chasing).

I understand with Covid there is a lack of staff etc, but I cannot help but feel that pregnant ladies are being let down. It really worries me about the upcoming 25 weeks. In comparison to 15 years ago it is a massive change x

I think you need to write to your MPs. This is not okay, at all. I had similar rubbish ante natal care 11 years ago culminating in a nightmarish delivery and a stay on the post natal ward that sparked PTSD. I just didn't have it in me to make the proper complaints once I had become so damaged. With hindsight though the way they treated me earlier in my pregnancy was a sign of the contempt for women that was rife in that department at that time and which led to the big bourache I ended up in.

Your midwife will not be able to reschedule your scan. You need to call the sonography department for that.

But yes you should be able to contact a midwife if you need to. I would raise it with PALs if you haven’t heard back within a day or 2 of leaving the message.

Covid and what not is just today's excuse. Maternity care in England is appalling and has been for quite some time.

I get really triggered by discussing what happened to me and my lovely wee baby. I can end up with a kind of obsessive rage and I can't stop going on about so I'm going to drop out of this thread and won't be answering questions or anything about our experience. I just came on because it frightens me to hear women just accepting that their care will be crap at the time in their lives when if matters most. Best of luck OP and all of you in the same boat.

If I could do it again my advice to myself would be to recruit a giant army of supporters, DH, my family, GP, MPs, local counsellors, etc and one of us call out every time something shite happened.

I’m in the same trust as you but different hospital, and currently pregnant with DC3 so recent history with the same trust pre-covid also.

I also had a late booking appt and had to hustle on a Sunday to get bloods done, which wasn’t brilliant but no harm done. It’s normal to not see anyone after booking until 16 weeks though - appointments only really step up in the third trimester.

Scans you have to rebook via the scanning dept - it’s separate from the midwives. My letters have all had the numbers clearly printed and no issues getting through so think you were unlucky there. Scan spots get booked up very quickly though and it’s always been difficult to change appts unfortunately.

I’ve always found it pretty hit and miss getting hold of the community midwives via phone and actually it’s been easier since covid as think they’re more office based! It’s not good they’re not calling back though. If it’s urgent the advice is to call the labour ward as that phone is manned 24/7.

You can ask to transfer to a different hospital if you’re really worried. I’ve found maternity services in L&G pretty laissez-faire when it comes to routine but great as soon as there’s an actual problem.