I was so angry...was it hormones?? or just pure incompetence?? advice please

[LikerabbitsBX]

Just a quick one....it could be homones but here we go.

I had an appointment with my midwife today first one. I am 7 weeks pregnant.

Got the appointment 2 weeks ago, where I was told that if I couldn't make it then I should let them know as it is an hour appointment.

Got there at 10.50am had been waiting for ages and still not been called in, it got to 11.25 and then they called me in thinking that this is it.
However the midwife called my name I went in to another waiting area, she gave me a blue folder and told me to fill out the green form and then dissappeared. I thought she has gone to prepare the room as it only took me all of 30 seconds to fill out the form.

Anyway, I was left waiting until 12.10, no one spoke to me no one informed me of anything. So I went up to the main desk and told them how annoyed I was to be left waiting this long and that I should have been informed. (bearing in mind that I still haven't had my hour appointment as yet). The lady at the desk apologise and said she had an emergency this morning and st peters hospital only had one midwife all night..............................................................DO I CARE!!!!??? NO NO NO NO NO.... would I have been more sympathetic if they had rang me and explained that my appontment is running over a hour late and did I want to reshedule??? YES.

I was so angry as I had to be somewhere else, I ripped out the green form with all my personal details on and stormed out ripping up the form in view.

I then got a call form the midwife saying she was sorry, I just said to her that it was digraceful and I should have been informed but no one bothered to tell me.

Anyway calmed down now but OMG I was so angry....it could be hormones but rararar.

I said that I would rather go private then spend my days waiting for the NHS.

Any advice from anyone...lol I am happy to go private. I am only 7 weeks so only need to have the 12 week scan of which we can pay for.

DO you really need a midwife all the way through your pregnancy???? With my first everything was fine.

Advice from anyone that is private would be great and also if you have experienced explosive moods let me know...)))

you should see a midwife during pregnancy for the following things to be checked:

your blood pressure

baby's position and heartrate

your urine should be checked for protein and sugar

and an anomaly scan at 20 weeks or so, if you want one

and blood tests around 16 weeks if you want those

also, blood levels might need to be checked later on for aneamia

of course private is an option in London, there have been a number of threads about it

just added this on yr other thread...

Hmmm, sounds like it might indeed be the hormones playing up... :-)

I am at a very good NHS hospital (Queen Charlotte in London) but both times I've been in there has been a long wait. I think the best approach is just to accept that's how it is and always allow AT LEAST one hour more than you think it will take, then you won't be too stressed or surprised when it happens. I personally wouldn't go private just for that reason, I'd only consider it as a last resort if the actual quality of care was bad.

hhmmn. How would you feel if you were the one in the middle of giving birth, in an emergency and your midwife was called away to help out at a booking-in clinic? Sometimes other people/situations do have to take priority.

I think you are being a tad hormonal!

When I go to antenatal appointments at my (NHS) hospital, if the appointment is at 10am, I would allow the entire morning, at least, for it and if it was in the afternoon, I'd allow the entire afternoon.

It is frustrating, but it is just the way things are - I don't know exactly how it works, but once I had a 3.30pm appointment and there were 10 other people to see the same doctor, also in the same 3.30pm appointment.

In my personal opinion, it's down to staffing - there are too few midwives and too few consultants so they are struggling to fit everything in. Plus, people who have a days worth of appoitments are also the same people that are on call for emergencies that day etc.

Agree with the person who said as long as the care is good, you have to put up with the system.

Queen char 's mw are nasty, i am there too, and i am going for my 30 weeks and i am requesting a new mw, my booking app, was so bad i went home and cried, the 2nd was not any better they discussed my notes in a corridor 3 of them, but why should i go private and waste my money, because of a shite mw- having transfered from Ivf unit i need all the money to spend on my lo.
hang in there sister take a deep breath>

Thanks people I do think hormones played a part....whoops!

I dont remember things being like this with my 1st (although it was 10 years ago).

Thanks

I think having had my daughter and now pregnant with my son going for scans and anti natal appoitments keep a full day clear just for that same with scans. my appoitment is usually 9.05 9 times out of 10 i am still there at 12

I just think it is really bad to leave people waiting so long but hey I suppose you cant change it.

The thing that made me angry was that I felt upset and uncomfortable as though I was just another pregnant woman....a feeling I really didnt like!

I've had 2 private scans this time (and 2 last time), and I've been kept waiting for all of those too (for between 1-2 hours).

I found that more annoying than similar waits at the local hospital where I know they have too few staff trying to deal with over-booked clinics and are called away for deliveries too.

Im that these waits seem to be the norm for you guys. With all 3 of my babies, the longest ante-natal wait (inc scans) ive had is 15 mins.... what is happening in london to warrant these waits?

Private care is your decision to make, i personally couldnt warrant it when there is a "free" alternative

If I had the money to be happy to go private, then I would.

The NHS is terrible and the admin at our hospital is the worst, however, the staff are over worked and underpaid so it's not their fault.

At my first antenatal appointment, I had to wait 2 and a half hours for a scan(that's before another 2 waits in the waiting room to see the nurses/consultants/midwives etc), in which time my bladder became painful as it had got so full(and you have to save your wee up for the scan), so I had to wee. By the time I was seen, my bladder was full again!!! The second time I went to the hospital I was at the front of the queue. They book 2 people in at a time I think and I was taken in first. I had an hour of in out, in out, scan, consultant etc, in the end the lady in the waiting room, having waited an hour or so, threw a massive hissy fit, which made me really uncomfortable. Her DH was just as bad.

You definately had reason to be pissed off as the NHS is a shambles and they could have phoned you, however, it's a fact of life that that's not how it works, so you just have to wait. Not easy when you're hormonal and busy, I know. If you can afford to go private, then you may aswell do that. No waits, good care, and the chance to have your baby in a slightly more dignified surrounding sounds great to me.

Otherwise, appointments are a full day job

Just wait until you have a blood test, then 4 weeks later the hospital laboratory calls you and tells you off for the blood being too old to test. This would have been because either someone elso didn't send it to them in time/they mislaid it...
This happened twice for me - once for my booking-in-bloods (NHS) and once for my nuchal integrated test (private).
Patience is a virtue! But in your instance, I hope that you can take assurance in the fact that during your labour you will be well cared for, even though ante-natal appts will always seem too long to wait for, too brief and too spaced out.

If you want to feel special (don't we all?) you could go private.

But you are still likeley to be made to wait if your consultant is on the ward, or emergency call etc....
The midwifes will take vitals and then keep you waiting. OK the decor is better and you may be offered a refreshment.

Even at the fetal medicine centre in Harley street, waiting times before scans average 30mn and are extremely common!

Either way, if you work, best thing is to plan appointments after 3pm and take rest of day off. Buy a nice glossy magazine or take your book and chill.

NHS calling you to say they are running 1h late????? No joke, did anyone ever get that lucky?

PS: congratulations!