Are you able to contact your midwife?

[PsychoDeMayo]

I have a named midwife but have never actually met her. At my booking appointment something was said about her not being available and I was under the impression she was on holiday, but at subsequent appointments I’ve gathered she seems to working on some other project currently. I’ve seen different people each time.
To be honest this doesn’t bother me that much, although I don’t really see a point in having a named midwife if I’ll never meet her!
My concern is more that all the NHS literature tells you to contact your midwife if you have concerns about x, y or z. Do people usually have a number to speak to their midwife directly?
I was given a list of numbers and it includes one for a community midwife team or something like that, but the one time I had quite an urgent query I rang it three times in three days and got no answer and no-one ever replied to my voicemails. The issue resolved itself in the end.
Just wondering if this is normal? First time being this pregnant so I might just be expecting too much! I had a day last week where I was a bit worried that I hadn’t felt much movement but the only info that I have said call your midwife 🤷‍♀️
Im in Scotland (GGC) if that makes any difference. TY.

I don’t have a direct number for my midwife but I do have a number for the medicom team who would have a midwife available to speak to or advise what to do. Are there any contact numbers in your maternity notes folder?

Thanks for your reply.
I don’t have actual notes as they use the BadgerNotes app in my area which is pretty awful to be honest. I’ve had a look on there just now and can’t see any contact numbers unfortunately.

I have a number and an email for my midwife “team” - they have always replied to my emails within a few working days (but none have been urgent). When I had an urgent query I called EPU rather than trying to get through to the midwives on the phone.

Thanks. That makes sense. The list of numbers I have has one for EPU but it says something along the lines of (up to 16 weeks) next to it. Just not sure who I’m best speaking to beyond that!
I have some extra scans scheduled so will ask then what I should be doing:

Also in Scotland and it’s changed so much since my last one 8 years ago and this one. I couldn’t contact my midwife, only phone maternity assessment at the hospital. Never even met my midwife. Everything was done in the BadgerNotes app, never saw the same midwife twice etc. our health centre was shut down in between though and things have been centralised in the town where the hospital is so thought that was why.

My named midwife left shortly after my booking in appointment and won’t be replaced until after I give birth.

I have been told to ring the community midwife team, or if out of hours, maternity triage.

If your community midwife team don’t answer, I’d go straight to calling triage (the number shows in my badger notes but should be easily found on google if not).

Good luck with your pregnancy

On BadgerNotes tap the wee pink lines on the top left and this window comes up, tap hospital contacts and phone numbers should be there. Tried to show it in the pic. But aye it’s guff.

Ah, this is useful knowledge, although not great news! I had ivf so maybe I’ve been a bit spoiled by having someone on the end of the phone when I have a query.

Did you try that in your BadgerNotes app? I don’t know if my photo worked properly as it seems to have cut the top off. I swear there wasn’t a month I didn’t have to delete and reinstall it. Check the horrendous reviews on the App Store.

We had a fully functional health centre here with the boys. Doctors, nurses, midwives, health visitors and even a dentist but it’s closed now so we need to go to town.

Ah thanks, but I’ve just tried and it literally says your hospital has not set up numbers to appear here or something 🙈

Thank you, and you 😊

Ah. I see. My internet is really slow so it can take a while to load your replies sorry

I have had the same midwife for all appointments. I have a mobile number for her directly (though only responds when on shift), anything more urgent I have a number for the team who have always picked up/called back very swiftly and then the MAU number if concerns.

Same! But yeah, agreed, BadgerNotes is a pile of shite.

This is kind of what I imagined I would have. It seems from the responses here that you’re the lucky minority!

I use Badger Notes, but also have a paper/card purple folder, and that has the EPU/MAU numbers on.

I agree that I was expecting a duty mobile number or something. I think if you google the name of your hospital and then “maternity triage” or similar then you should (eventually) find a phone number for them?

If it’s any consolation, I am high risk and my named consultant hasn’t been at the two clinics I was booked in for! They have now reassigned me to a different consultant (but yet to meet them).

Thanks, will try that. Yes, I’ve also had an appointment with my consultant which turned out to be with a completely different doctor. I think my understanding of how the NHS operates might just be massively unrealistic!

I have number for community midwives but I've not used it, when I had some bleeding I rang 111, and when I had reduced movements I rang the maternity assessment unit x

Thank you. I’m wondering if I just didn’t listen properly when random midwife number 1 gave me a list of phone numbers because I’m just not sure what one to use for any situation. Only a couple of weeks til my next appointment so I’ll try and get some answers then.

Please be careful if you never have the same midwife for your antenatal appointments. I had a 'named' midwife that I saw once, the rest of the antenatal appointments were done by cover midwives due to holiday, sickness and other reasons.

Each midwife measures the bump differently, it isn't remotely accurate. It's typically fine if it's the same person doing it (as they'll always measure the same) so even though it isn't accurate for the growth, it's consistent.

I was measuring up and down each bump measurement and it was always put down as "ah, we all measure differently". Towards the end I had the same midwife measure the bump and the growth had dropped massively.. from 97th percentile to 10th. It turns out they're was a major issue with the placenta which would have been picked up if the same person had measured the bump throughout.

If you always have a different midwife, I'd insist on a growth scan to be sure. I wish I had.

Oh god, how awful. I’m lucky (?!) in that I am actually being monitored due to an existing health issue so although I have had my bump measured once I’ll be getting regular growth scans.
I hope everything worked out for you.

I’ve had a different midwife every time and the quality of each midwife has varied hugely. One
was quite simply apathetic, one who fobbed me off when i knew I had something wrong and it wasn’t just ‘pregnancy tiredness’ 🙄 one who prided herself on her ‘no nonsense’ approach 🙄 and then another midwife was was just amazing, took the time to chat to me, told me to buy a belly support as I was sore, she seemed genuinely interested in me. Shame care standards are so inconsistent. I never saw the amazing midwife ever again but she’s the one that will always stick in my mind. Not the wishy washy, indifferent ones that make you feel like a number.

In my first pregnancy I lived in a different area and had to contact my midwife through my gp surgery, I also had the numbers for the local maternity assessment centre if I needed it.
This time round I live in an erea where there is a team of community midwifes, I have the mobile number for my midwife, if her phone is on, she is working. I also have the number for the healthcentre that the team work from and again the assessment centre at the hospital if I need it.
It's strange how it varies so much in different areas.

That sounds a pretty miserable experience. The lady at my booking appointment was a very sweet older lady who seemed to have a lot of time for all my silly questions. A total contrast to my last appointment when I had to wait over an hour, then was taken in only to be told that actually she should’ve taken someone else first and I’d need to go back to the waiting room. I was eventually taken by yet another lady who made it very clear she should’ve been on her lunch but was prepared to rush me through to help her mate clear her list. She told me that it was great I was happy with the movements I’d been feeling, had to tell her id felt nothing yet and was getting a bit worried. When I looked at my app later she’d marked that my movements were fine 😠

It’s so strange, isn’t it? Sounds like you’ve got the ideal set-up this time round.