To wonder if this is the norm for antenatal appointments?

[inky1991]

I'm a FTM, so have no idea if what I'm experiencing is how it's supposed to be.

I'm 36 weeks pregnant so have had a few antenatal appointments by now. Every single one has been over and done within 10 mins.

It's the same process every time. They check urine, do blood pressure and listen to baby's heartbeat. Then they send me on my merry way. I obviously have questions, and try to ask them at the end but I just feel like my questions aren't overly welcome. Be nice if the midwife said at the end "are there any concerns or questions I can help you with?"

I don't really feel like there's any support or help in me preparing for baby. I would have thought by now I'd be getting told about colostrum harvesting, signs of imminent labour etc.

I appreciate we all have google and friends, so I can find this stuff out for myself. I think I was just expecting a bit more from them? Maybe all the support and advice kicks in once baby is here though? 🤔

Can anyone tell me their experience?

@inky1991 the classes won’t help with a planned c-section - I did NCT and it was a touch useless. You won’t get much out of the midwife either - the midwife at my birth preference appointment said “oh you’re having a c-section. There’s nothing to discuss really”.

There are some good YouTube videos on giving birth by c-section in the NHS. They were really useful to me and your particular hospital may have produced one.

For birth preferences, download Milli Hill’s birth plan icons and adjust as required.

https://www.positivebirthmovement.org/visualbirthplanicons/

I felt the same and also felt like I expected more appointments as I neared the end. At the start there was 8 weeks or more going by without an appointment. I saw a midwife at 12 weeks and my next appointment isn’t until 22 weeks, I do have a scan in between that and I had one midwife phone call at 16 weeks but it was literally just ‘how are you?’ As the end got nearer last time I assumed they were going to see me a lot more. I’m a worrier anyway so just thought there would be more checks etc. It didn’t help that my mum was saying are you sure thats right? When I was pregnant you got a doctor’s appointment every month! I had to ask about the colostrum thing and it was dismissed really whereas lots of people say their midwife is really encouraging of it. I didn’t do a birth plan as she was going to phone me to do one when she had time then just never did! When I asked she said it’s better to go with the flow 🙈

I did the mini online course on the mindful birth group about a csection and felt it was useful.

I would also say watch eilidh wells’ YouTube video about a csection. Jennifer joy is another good channel who has lots on csections.

The maybe baby podcast has an episode with Anna Williamson and she goes through hers in detail. It was really reassuring for me and was exactly how mine went. Ellie Taylor also has an episode on there and hers was similar

Im having another csection in a few months and will relisten to them all to remind myself but all in all it’s completely fine 😊 buy some colparmin tablets for the trapped wind, I took them and have never experienced it so I’m guessing they worked!

That was mine well before covid the hospital I knew I was going to have my baby in held birthing classes local to me, I thought the midwife was there to monitor and do the basic checks which is what they did

OP make sure your birthing partner watches some of the videos as well. It is really important they have an idea of what is going on so they can advocate for you if necessary.