Just found out I’m pregnant - what now?

[Jane4534]

Hi everyone, we recently found out I am pregnant and around 4 weeks so still very early!
I’ve done so much researching but unsure on what happens next, I know about the scan at 12 weeks etc and I rang the GP today who said they don’t need to see me just to complete a midwife referral. Is this right? Have I missed something? I thought they’d want to check I am pregnant first (despite the multiple tests I have done!).

Desperate to tell parents but know it is probably way too early and risky! Just any general advice for a very nervous first time pregnant lady would be much appreciated. Thank you x

Yes this is right. Then once you have done the self referral to the midwife, you should get a call from her to make a booking in appointment for when you're roughly 8 weeks or so. Congratulations ❤️ a fantastic way to start a new year xxx

That's how it is most places now 😊 once you have referred yourself to your local midwives they will contact you between 8-10 weeks for a booking appointment which usually lasts over an hour. You then have your 12 week scan, which is the first time someone actually confirms you're pregnant. Home tests are so reliable nowadays they don't need to do any further tests.

It's up to you when you tell family. I've told my mum at about 4 weeks every time. The guest was during COVID and I reached family to know before I had to tell work. 2nd time I felt really rough when she was round - this ended in miscarriage but it meant I had someone to talk to. Now pregnant again and told mum early because I was feeling so anxious I would miscarry again and wanted someone to talk to. So, do it when you feel ready 😊

Thanks @Jb2182 - definitely feels like a great start to the year 🥰

@wannabe123 thank you - feels so weird not having it confirmed properly but makes sense! Sorry to hear what you have been through, wishing all the best to you 💗 x

Congratulations OP! It really is weird not having it confirmed by anyone medical, until the 12 week scan I didn't truly believe it was happening.

We didn't tell anyone until I was about 14/15 weeks.

@CheeseWisely it is a odd feeling at the moment - we feel exactly the same!
Thank you - plan to wait too but may be a struggle 😅 congrats to you too!

Start taking daily folic acid if you aren’t already 🙂and congratulations

Congratulations! Yes the GP doesn’t confirm your pregnancy which is strange. These are the appointments you can expect. I told my mum before the 12 week scan both times.

Tell people when you want to- there's no rule that says you have to wait. If something awful happens it's even more awful if nobody knows and you either have to tell the good and the bad news at once or not tell anyone anything.

Nobody checks you’re pregnant until 12 week scan! It’s a bit mad. If baby was planned hopefully you were already taking folic acid? If not start tomorrow on folic acid and vitamin d. There is loads of conflicting advice on Google so stick with the nhs pregnancy pages for information.

Make sure you are taking folic acid and vitamin D, refer to midwife and just wait for them to contact you.

Agree with all the above!
It just felt so strange to wait so long to have my pregnancy confirmed so I booked a private scan at around 8 weeks! So glad I did and gave me peace of mind and that's when we told our parents :)

Make sure you're taking folic acid and vitamin D. A multivitamin like Pregnacare will suffice. If your BMI is over 30, speak to the GP about getting high dose folic acid 5mg. You may also need the higher dose if you have certain chronic health conditions.

Look at the NHS website, it confirms what care you can expect in pregnancy, what you should be doing and not doing, eating/drinking and not.

You are only 4 weeks, have you even missed a period? It's very early, but if you have a positive pregnancy test then you are pregnant until proven otherwise!

@Whataretheodds yes my last period was the 15th December and I’ve had a number of positive tests, period was due on Sunday 14th. I know it’s early that is why I reached out for advice from people.

@RiderofRohan thank you - I’ll speak to the GP as I have a underactive thyroid so unsure if this may impact it!

@msp2023 thank you - congrats to you too! I think we will also pay for a private scan as it feels such a long time to wait x

@JoyOdell123 thank you I’m taking folic acid and vitamin D started about 6 weeks ago x

Thank you all for the words and advice! It’s a scary time hoping all will go to plan but everyone’s support is much appreciated x

Good luck @Jane4534 , I also found it really strange to not speak to anyone!

I have access to a private GP through work so I ended up booking an appointment at about 5-6w just to feel like I had "seen someone" and because my (overseas) parents thought I was being too blasé and reckless - although tbh the GP just smiled and said congrats and then the same stuff in this thread about midwife referral and folic acid.

And I also paid for an 8w scan (I probably wouldn't do much earlier - I ended up having wrong dates and being only 7w, but we were still able to hear the heartbeat etc which was reassuring. If you go too early you might not see anything, not because something's wrong but because it's just too soon).

Maternity seems like one area where it's actually within the reach of most people to "top up" NHS with small amounts of private care for <£100ea, and it's such a special time that I think it's worth it if you have the money!

Clicked on this because I thought it was my own thread from 2 years ago haha. I wondered exactly the same ('don't they need to see me and get proof?!').

Nothing more useful to add to what's already been said, apart from, don't worry, it's obviously not just you!

Might not be relevant for you (depending on your working/childcare situation) but as crazy as it sounds if you are thinking about nursery/childminder for the future you may need to register now. I put our name down for our closest nursery when I was 6 weeks pregnancy just after Xmas - I wanted a nursery place for when baby will be 1 year - and I was told they are fully booked until after Sept 2025 (!!!). I have had to put their name down for when they will (hopefully) be one year one month as this was the earliest they had. Crazy!! I only contacted them by chance otherwise I would not have even been thinking about childcare arrangements until well past the 12 week point. Might be different in your area and you may have different circumstances but thought I would mention it!

@abbysalias thank you I would never have even thought about that yet!!

thanks @trebuvie was planning to book in for 6 weeks but will definitely hold off a bit longer just to be safe for the scan!

Hi everyone! Ive just recently found out im pregnant itd my first pregnancy and im utterly terrified. I live with my nana looking after her and my partner has only just recently got into work i just need advice on if this situation has worked for anyone else it scares me knowing im only just starting to save this should of be done before i even got pregnant. As you can see im very worried about being a good provider and i dont really have anyone else to talk to about it.