Badger Notes - did you fill in everything?

[Caubabatko]

Hi everyone,
I've been asked to do the pre-booking questionnaire on Badger Notes.
Are there any questions that you needed to answer to receive proper care?
I have provided essentials like my numbers and health conditions, but I didn't feel certain questions are relevant to my antenatal care.

Anything you don't fill in you'll be asked in your booking appointment which will just make it longer. Badger notes being what nightmare it is they may even have to redo whole form and you'll be there over an hour (mine wouldn't give me access to fill ahead of time and took 90 mins!). What do you think is irrelevant?

Well, covid vaccine status for one. What does it have to do with my pregnancy.
They aren't asking about any other vaccines I've taken, (hepatits jab for instance would be relevant, I have my vaccination record book). I know having taken it won't make me miscarry nor disqualify me from the services so it is quite irrelevant unless they see the number of shots and/or what brands I took as a risk factor.
At a closer look I can see a lot of those questions are for their statistics' sake not for the mother's.

Thanks for sharing your experience though, we will be clear about our agenda of leaving at the hour and be prepared to politely decline some of those questions and STD blood tests which I already took 3 times during the couese of my IVF treatments.

I’d assume the COVID vaccine question is because a number of women haven’t had it, so it’s just a way for the midwife to give information about the jab to the right women. Similarly to flu, where plenty of healthy women don’t get the vaccine, but in pregnancy it’s recommended because of the lowered immunity.

Is there something you’re particularly worried about? You come across as quite concerned about answering the questions and the purpose of the information they ask for. I’d try not to overthink things. Ask the midwife the questions you have, they aren’t there to trick you, just to guide the midwife in doing their job. For example, it’s pointless giving a teetotal woman huge amounts of input on FASD risk or a woman who already knows they medically need a C-Section lots of advice on vaginal labour.

In regards to information - I leave the weight blank. I do share my eating disorder history and that it’s the safest for me and baby to not have weight measured during pregnancy. I also agree to extra growth scans and bump measuring.

I also often leave family history with scant information as I’m adopted, but I share I’m adopted.

I find, in general, when you have reasons for blank or scant answers, you discuss this for longer in the appointment but that’s not a problem. You’re just collaborating with the midwife to make sure they can provide care that medically suits you and your baby/babies where possible.

I imagine it's because covid jab is offered during pregnancy and getting covid pregnant puts you at risk for blood clots so if you know you have it you're supposed to ring triage to be assessed for blood thinners. Obviously feel free to decline what you want but badger notes is shit. I declined covid jab and because it was selected I hadn't had it yet they had to ask every single bloody appointment if I'd changed my mind. Literally some questions it won't let them save or go onto next screen without an answer, and they obviously can't say you still decline or whatever without asking you.

The Covid vaccine status will be because it’s highly recommended for pregnant women. There’s no point offering one to a woman who’s up to date with Covid vaccination (within the last 6 months).

I doubt they’ve spent time asking and going through info that isn’t relevant. I can imagine that refusing to answer some questions and being clear about an agenda of leaving after an hr may raise a few eyebrows that something is going on with you though.

Thanks everyone! I'm increasingly protective of my personal information in this digital age and I don't fully understand to what extent the data on Badger Notes is going to be used and for how long.
Anyways, I had already filled it in partially, was going to consult DH for questions concerning his personal info needing his consent for me to answer on his behalf, but the link to the questionnaire has disappeared from my account🤔

A third-party medical professional who works with expecting/new mothers all the time has since confirmed that every question in the form is voluntary, even use of the portal itself. I don't really care what NHS might make of me for not consenting to give all the information they ask. I now know for certain that it won't raise a social services flag nor exclude me from any other services offered, which I can also opt out from. You can even go all the way to delivering at an NHS hospital without having any scans, my ex line manager being one of them.
Will say I would be happy to collaborate when asked questions relevant to a service we opt in for as and when needed but I only answered questions wherever I felt comfortable at this stage.

You are quite entitled to just politely say you would prefer not to answer any particular questions but please don’t be arsey about it as is just not necessary. The person conducting your appointment isn’t the one who writes the questions, they may however be obliged to ensure informed consent of declining the questions and tests, again please don’t get arsey about this either, they are just doing their job. TBH most women just answer the questions without making such a song and dance, they do not personally care if you have chosen to have the covid vaccine etc, no one really cares, the only thing they actually care about is you coming back and saying no one recommended it to me etc. As for leaving after the 1 hour, well a) your appointment might not be running on time anyway and there might be important information they are not able to gather which will affect your care or information you would if found useful to know which you will miss. Honestly staff will be absolutely fine with whatever decisions you want to make about your care and not answering questions as long as you give them the opportunity to tick the box to say you are doing it with informed consent. Please consider what you will be gaining through not answering certain questions as it will just make everything take longer. Staff totally understand someone may disclose answering the mental health questions due to trauma etc and fair enough if you feel sensitive about personal data in general, just politely tell them this, but someone just not answering questions for the sake of it seems a bit pointless but up to you.
I myself made choices which were against recommendations but politely and not because just trying to be a rebel ‘against the system’ and cause as much hassle as possible and never experienced any problem with this

Why are you leaving after an hour?
mine was 1.5 hours. Midwife gave some useful info, was happy to skip questions, no judgement on any answers. Can’t imagine leaving part way through when I’m benefiting from the process too.

they offer covid vaccine during pregnancy so it makes sense to know your vaccine status. Not everyone has had std tests so it makes sense to offer them. Since you’ll be peeing and giving blood anyway it’s no extra effort on your part, but if you want to decline you can. It just seems like you’re gearing up for confrontation about the time, the vaccines, the tests and the data where one isn’t needed.

You can even go all the way to delivering at an NHS hospital without having any scans, yes you can. It would be stupid though.

I would be very careful about this. A referral to SS is for if they perceive something concerning. Refusing medical care is a choice and not an issue, but there can be blurred lines with issues like coercive control, isolation of the child, suspicions of drug and alcohol abuse, paranoia in the mother and related mental health issues etc.

Quite often, when a woman presents at a hospital to give birth and no antenatal care has been had, it raises big concerns about why this choice has been made. If you have nothing to fear from SS, you needn’t be worried even if you were referred to them. I was the other day, in fact! Purely for hospital procedure due to an injury my dd had. The nurse wrote on the form she had to refer but didn’t have any actual concerns, it was followed up by a phone call from SS the following day where I explained what happened and they agreed they had no concerns either. It’s unusual to be so concerned about the possibility of a SS referral before your booking appointment unless there are issues a parent knows will be a problem. Many women present with complex issues that have caused the not seeking antecare and that is when a referral occurs.

It is yours and your partners baby. His information is better to have for health reasons for the baby. Refusing to give this for no reason other than concern about how data is handled could be perceived as being unable to put the baby first and your support of that can also be seen as putting your husband above your child. It would raise flags to some about other issues. As an adoptee, I don’t have much birth family history to draw on, but if I did I would certainly give it.

At the moment, it comes across as concerning that you’re making an issue out of a non-issue (very standard procedure that’s easily explained). Lots of people like to say ‘women have given birth for centuries without help’, but the truth of that is they often did have some ‘help’ (not necessarily a doctor) and women still die in countries without access to antenatal and maternity care. It’s absolutely a choice, but it’s best to think of your own limits - in what situation would you seek care? High blood pressure? Lack of foetal movement? Shortness of breath?

I hope you feel able to engage once you get the appointment and can chat to the midwife about why information is asked for. Of course you don’t have to disclose, but remember to think things through carefully and try to go in with an open mind, not a mindset of withholding as much as possible no matter what.