When did you get your first appointment?

[emispregnant2021]

Hi everyone, this is my first time using this platform and I'm really nervous, I've just found that I'm pregnant, I think I'm 3 weeks, I've taken 6 positive pregnancy test, I'm based in Barnet (London) I called my gp and got told by the receptionist that I needed to do what's called a maternity self referral form, I got an email back saying that someone would be in contact and they would send me a letter with my appointment date, my first scan will be before 10 weeks, 10 weeks feels like a long time to not see a doctor Ora midwife ( I don't know who I need to see) I guess I'm just panicking and I wanted to know when everyone had their first appointment. I don't really have anyone to talk too at the moment.

I'm in a different part of England to you but usually at 10 weeks you have a booking appointment with a midwife to fill in your health history and have bloods taken. You attend this alone and it usually takes an hour.

At 12 weeks (sometime between 11 and 14 I think) you will have your nuchal/dating scan then at 20 weeks you have an anomaly scan. In between at 16 weeks you will see your midwife again and be offered a flu vaccination and also hear the baby's heartbeat.

I can't remember how often you see your midwife after your 20 week scan, it is more frequent from 28 weeks I think. I'm consultant led with a high risk pregnancy so see mine quite often but hopefully you will be lucky with a low risk.

I'm sure someone with more info will be along soon, again it all depends on which trust you are with and where you are in the UK.

Oh, also some people like to book private scans (just Google your local provider) for reassurance. I never have as I have always preferred to wait until I was in a medical setting in case of bad news. It is recommended that you wait until at least 7/8 weeks pregnant as there is not much to see until then and it usually leads to more worry and confusion (at least from what I have read on here).

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/your-pregnancy-care/your-antenatal-appointments/

This gives you the overview (give or take a few days) and also gives you access to some info to help you with diet etc while you wait for your booking appointment which where I am is usually nearer 8 weeks than 10. Unfortunately they don't make contact really before then as there's not much they can do if things aren't going well, sad but true. But if you have any early problems with bleeding etc you can contact your local early pregnancy unit, and anything like extreme sickness you would need to contact your GP for anyway and they will help.

The appointments do feel really spaced out with agonising waits between to begin with but before you know it you're nearing the end and going in every other week (or more depending on how you're getting on)!

Just to say as well it will be a midwife at your first appointment and that might still be over the phone, then where I am you would see a sonographer and midwife at your 12 week scan which shouldn't be before 11 weeks due to the size of the foetus needed to do the screening. You'll probably only have contact with your GP now if you need a prescription for example I have omeprazole via the doctor, and the midwife gave me a sheet to give to the doctor to prescribe aspirin for me but I just buy that when I do the food shop! When I had a UTI last time the midwife found it but I still had to get the GP for the antibiotics. Other than that I have my jabs via the doctor too but I know some places the midwives sort them.

I had my booking appointment at 9 weeks. Who has told you you will have a scan before 10 weeks though? Unless there are any other issues you wouldn't normally have a scan until 12 weeks unless you go for a private scan.

These are the NICE recommended appointments in my maternity notes. I had my booking appointment over the phone at 8 weeks then the next day I went in to see them for bloods & urine but I know many other people have their booking appointment closer to 10 weeks. I had an early NHS scan at 6 weeks due to a previous ruptured ectopic & I'd had some bleeding, but asana are not routinely done early unless there's a problem. My first official scan was my 12 week scan.

*scans not asana!

I'm at Barnet. Had my booking appt at 10 weeks (a virtual midwife appt and then a second appt with blood test team) and then my first scan at just over 12 weeks.

They won't do much before that. There are some private places you can go. There's the ultrasound clinic in Kenton who were really nice and cost £50 for an early scan

It sounds pretty normal. Even before covid they tend be to be pretty hands off in early pregnancy.

Congratulations!!

Before I got pregnant, I thought I’d have loads of interaction with medical professionals. I thought I’d have lots of info and lots of detailed appointments.
Truth be told, it’s extremely hands-off. I think what you’re describing sounds pretty normal though I don’t understand why your scan would be before 10 weeks unless you have a history of miscarriage?
Anyway, the crux of it is, I think you need to manage your expectations of what your maternity care will actually be like because it’s nothing like I expected

GP/doctor will have virtually no involvement in your care unless there's a need for them. It will usually all be midwife led.
First appointment is usually around 10 weeks and lots of people have reported it's still being done over the phone as it's basically just you going through your personal & family medical history.
Very unusual to have a scan prior to the 12-14 week one with the NHS unless you have a history of issues?
I would expect to have perhaps just a call with your midwife around 10 weeks and then be booked in for your first scan around 12-14 weeks.
It is a long wait with nothing in between and no real support, seems to be the standard though.
The NHS website link someone posted above gives you an idea of when to expect appointments.
Do pay attention to your 12-14 week scan being booked in promptly after your booking appointment, quite a few people recently have had issues with being forward dated at their scan and being over the 14 week limit for the screenings. I was supposed to be 13+2 and ended up being 14 weeks so literally on the limit. Contact your midwife or the hospital doing your scan directly if you have concerns about that.

I'm in Scotland and have my first midwife appointment at 6 weeks then my 12 week scan. You could book an early private scan to relieve any nerves that you have

Came here to share my experience as I was looking for information on this. I’m in the northwest of England and currently 10 weeks. Had to chase up about my fist appointment as I hadn’t been contacted at all since self referral at 6 weeks. After ringing a few different numbers and being transferred back and forth, I found out that I was supposed to have an appointment this afternoon (!) but no one contacted me about it. Luckily I was able to transfer it to next week, so my first appointment will be at 11 weeks.

Maybe I should have chased this up sooner, but with all the uncertainty about Covid and hospitals being busy, I didn’t wan to be a pain.

Around 9 weeks, this august so recent. Although I had a private scan before that because felt like a long wait early preg can send you anxious!

I called my GP at 7 weeks. They booked me in with the midwife for when I was 8w5d. I had a face to face midwife appointment, where she took a urine and blood sample. She booked my first scan, for 12w1d, and the rest of my appointments with her up to 25 weeks. At the hospital when I had my 12 week scan, they booked my 20 week scan. At my face to face 16week midwife appointment, she booked my GTT for early Jan. I’ve basically always got my next 3 appointments booked, and it’s always the same midwife.

First pregnancy, and I’ve been really impressed with my care so far