Midwife Appointments

[FroggingFantastic]

Hi everyone,

First time mam due in Sept 2022. I’m still early on (6 weeks) and had a call yesterday to book an appointment for 8 week, she explained this is all over the phone and will just be to book me in for scans get other information etc.

I’m just wondering what is the protocol now with COVID in Wales? I know my sister (pre covid) seen a MW early on and had the Doppler to hear the baby’s heart. I assumed all appointments would be face-to-face with the MW. Just naive I guess but I was so looking forward to this.

Can anyone tell me their experience and when/if you saw MW or was it just as scans?

With my first a few years ago we didn't hear heartbeat until after 20 weeks with NHS. I had to ask to hear it as well.

There are only 2 planned scans, then rest are just with midwife, after 24ish weeks they listen to heartbeat at each appointment measure bump etc

Early midwife appts they just ask you lots of Q's and arrange vaccines etc. They don't let you listen to anything. I can't imagine it's very easy to find babies HB on Doppler at 8wks!

So your 8 week one oer the phone is fine, it's literally a bunch of questions about your health, families health, safeguarding etc and to get you in the system and sort your scan out.

Don't hear the heartbeat on a Doppler until 16 weeks, if they decide to. Not all MW will.
Can imagine it took awhile to find at 8 weeks tbh.

You will have face to face app's as they need blood, urine samples etc.
They've just changed it about since Covid.

My first pregnancy during the first lockdown, litrealy found out i was pregnant the week lockdown was announced, i didnt see a midwife untill 25 weeks, had a few prior on the phone, had 12 and 20 week scan at the hospital and they done blood tests and vaccines whilst i was there.

Seccond pregnancy (currently 15 weeks) im seeing the midwife for the first time next week at 16 weeks, although ive been told its a tempory midwife and ive not got a named midwife yet as they have a shortage of midwifes, i didnt once meet my 'named midwife' in my first pregnancy. I got a phonecall to say when my 12 week scan was (the following week) as post was delayed over christmas periods and my scan was new years eve. I was told i should have had a booking in appointment to take some bloods and ask questions but they had no appointments so sent me to the hospital for blood tests (a pain as its 40 minutes away with high parking charges whereas the comunity midwife is 5 minutes away with no parking charges) and had me fill out a questionare on the badger app.

Hey I'm in wales, although I think it does vary a bit by health board, my booking in appointment and 16week midwife appointment were both over the phone. They didn't listen to baby's heartbeat until my 24 week appointment, but I don't think that's uncommon even for pre covid times.
I think all midwife appointments after the 16 week one will be face to face.

With my scans DP was allowed in for them both but at my 12 week one they had blood tests etc to do on me, so once the scan was done they asked him to wait in the car. They were pre omicron though.

I hope that helps.

I’m 31 weeks now, booking in appointment was 8 weeks, over the phone due to covid.
With my DD pre-covid.. it was just sat in a room answering questions so actually preferred it to be at home on the phone so I could stay in my pyjamas with a cuppa tea 😂
They wouldn’t listen to the heartbeat with a Doppler anytime before at least 16 weeks, even then it’s no longer protocol to listen to the heartbeat at 16 weeks because baby is still so small the risk of not finding the heartbeat even though their heart is beating perfectly fine is large, so all it does it create fear in women who think their baby has no heartbeat, demand a emergency scan to check while there will be a mother who’s unborn child is really poorly who can’t get that emergency scan slot.

So routinely now heartbeats are listened to from 24 weeks.. I believe? Maybe 20?

All appointments after the booking in (8 weeks) have been face to face, as you need to have blood pressure checked, urine checked, occasional blood draw, uterine measurements further along in pregnancy. - so it should just be the booking in appointment that over the phone for you OP, and at the next appointment (12ish weeks) you’ll get to see you’re little baba 🥰

Hi I'm 29 weeks pregnant and in South Wales. My 8 week appointment, the midwife came to my home. Then my 16, 25, 28 week app where at the clinic. Listened to the hb at the 25 and 28 week app.
DH was allowed to attend 12 and 20 week scan but as it stands is not allowed to my regular growth scans. Hth

Hi OP, congratulations on your pregnancy!

Like @WotsitMum, I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of lockdown 1 and had booking over the phone with bloods etc. done when I went for my 12 week scan. After that everything was face-to-face at clinic.

Apparently its not routine to listen for the heartbeat at 16 weeks anymore because it can still be quite hit and miss to find and it was worrying a lot of women unnecessarily. I'm sure we did it from 25 weeks.

I found the first few month of pregnancy really strange because it does feel like you go ages without seeing anyone - I think it was probably the same pre-covid too.

10+3 with number 2 now and really hoping DH can come to scans this time around!

@notetaker check with your hospital, my partner was allowed into my 12 week scan as long as he had prof of a negative pcr test, i had to have prof of a negative pcr test on arrival

I’m not in Wales but my booking appointment was over the phone, then I saw a HCA for bloods at 10 weeks. 12 week scan and then saw my midwife at 16 weeks and she did listen to the baby’s heartbeat. This was the first time I heard it pre covid as well.

Thanks for all your replies. I must have been mistaken with the Doppler, my apologies.

I’m really hoping DP can attend scans etc. It all sounds promising so fingers crossed. All very exciting but I haven’t got a clue at what stages you do what so thank you, it’s all appreciated 😀

Not in wakes but had my DS During the pandemic, my 8 week appointment was over the phone. There's nothing that they do at the 8 week appointment that they need to do physically as to early to hear the heartbeat.

In my last pregnancy I had a 16 week appointment where the midwife used a doppler - she warned me that not finding it wasn't a sign anything wrong beforehand.

I just had a booking in appointment in person- it was mostly questions but I got a flu vaccine and some blood taken too. I'm in Scotland not Wales - one support person can attend all appointments with me