Booking and dating scans - so many questions

[crossfitmama]

Hey mamas,

I'm 6 weeks pregnant and just received details of my booking scan. It is actually at some offsite location, rather than the main hospital location (Guys Hospital @ London Bridge). I was expecting - is this normal and can this be changed? Is that also where I am expected to give birth??? Or is that a different location to scans?

Is the person I am booked in to see my widwife???

When do I receive the date of the dating acan - after the booking appointment?

This is my first pregnancy, so it's all new and the unexpected location threw me off a bit today 😊

Thank you!

Your scans may or may not be at the same place you give birth. Mine weren’t.

You’ll usually have your booking in appointment and then your dating scan date a few days later; by letter or phone. It won’t be with your midwife - you don’t usually get your own midwife until 16 weeks; it’s community care before then.

Congratulations!

As far as I know, you can choose your hospital later on.
Yes, you will have your 8 weeks appointment, where the midwife will take blood and will go through your and your family medical history and personal questions.

They will refer you to the hospital ( I believe the one you choose) where your12-weeks scan will be booked. You will receive a letter closer to the date, or it will appear on the Badger app (ask about it on your 8 week' appointmentt).

I'm not sure about London, as I'm in a smaller city where we have 3 hospitals. I chose the biggest and closest one to me, but as far as I know, you can choose which one you want to give birth.

It varies by area, but I referred myself to my chosen hospital and a few days later got given my booking appointment and 12 week scan dates.

The booking appointment will be with your midwife, my appointment was at a local children's center, so not where I'll be giving birth.

Hope this helps, it's my first to so all new to we as well 😊

I'm with the guys and st Thomas's too. The booking in appointment isn't a scan it's with a midwife in one of their off site locations . Check on their website to see where your nearest one is - some are quite far out in south London. Just FYI they booked me in one nowhere near my house but in the booking in appointment you can flag this and they can move your other appointments to your nearest midwife hub. These will not be in the hospital.

Your scanning appointments and the actual birth will be at St Thomas's (not guy's hospital) which is at Westminster.

Check your junk mail if you have any invites to the app they use 'my chart' as that's how I found out about both appointments. My scan was already on the system on the app. I've received no letters so far.

So far we've had a good experience with them. All the best.

Thank you so much for the info ladies, really appreciate it @YouveGotAFastCar @Katherina198819 @Elixabeth, and reassuring to hear from someone in the same hospital, helps contextualise things a bit @Happyharper!

Hi was just reading your post i have also referred myself yesterday afternoon to ST Thomas Hospital as well I'm a little bit behind you 4 weeks 6 days or 5 weeks
how long did it take for you to here back after doing your referrals? Reading the cgc report and the google rating made me choose them as my local queens in romford was 2 starts and bad cgc report

Hey @UnicornPrincessSarah, I self referred about two weeks ago, so it took pretty much bang on the 10 working days they say (we had the Easter holidays in the middle which slowed down).

I would say I called them today (on what I think is day 10), was on hold for an 1 hour, then disconnected. I sent them a slightly angry email and received my confirmation within 2hrs of that. So you may need to push a little at the end, but generally I was advised to wait 10 working days before following up! Hope that helps xx

@crossfitmama Thanks i did mine via St Thomas website says to allow up to 4 weeks 😭Did you apply on the St Thomas website or a different way?

When have they give you the appointment for like how many weeks would you be?

I got a referral link to the hospital from my GP - so was the hospital site but maybe a different link if you went without a GP link? It is a mystery to me how it all works 😬 I will be 9w+3d, they actually booked me in on my birthday! I was reading today the apt can be between 8-10 weeks (even though it's called the 8 week apt).

Yes very common to see midwife somewhere else, I’m seeing mine at a small local hospital but they don’t have a maternity unit there. My scans are at the hospital which I’ll give birth at. I got my letters together with the appointment for booking appointment and first scan.

Ah maybe yeah hopefully mine will be bit quicker then 4 weeks as would 9 weeks then waiting to here from them lol.

I did read somewhere some people didn't actually get an appointment until after the scan as some hospitals are so overwhelmed and short staff.

@UnicornPrincessSarah how do you that reply thing? I can't figure it out!

If it were me I would give two weeks / 10 working days as I feel like that's a reasonable time and seems to be guidance from a few places and then start calling persistently / email? I would be too worried to wait until week 9!

@crossfitmama so at the bottom of messages on here there is something that says quote if you tick that will have the message your responding to and that message will show above the reply your sending

Yeah I was thinking the same surely we should be seen before 12 week scan and as I sent my referral off end of week 4 waiting 4 weeks could take me to 8 weeks or more lol

Oh that's helpful, thanks! And yes, I would feel uneasy waiting that long, and take things into my own hands. When I was on hold for an hour yesterday I even considered going to the hospital in person 😂

OK I now also received a "Follow-up Face to Face Routine" in week 10, this follows the Antenatal Booking in week 9. I am guessing this is not the dating scan in week 10 and I still need to wait for that appointment? The amount of information they provide is just excruciating 😭

@crossfitmama I have got in to st Thomas epu for s scan on Monday just to make sure the baby is in the right space as been having some belly cramps and leg issues, not sure if they will do one later to for hear beat as Monday ill be 5 weeks 4/5 days.

Still waiting for the midwife one, so is that 2 appointments before scan?

Oh I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Sarah! Let us know how it goes 🤍

I am interpreting as two before scan, I am not sure but wouldn't the appointment name say "dating scan"? 🤷🏽‍♀️😬 I think the word "routine" throws me off and the fact that it's week 10 (which I know is appropriate for the scan but all the posts I have seen seem to say they really push it til last possible minute)... At least the appointments are coming, maybe they will release another one soon!

I gave birth a few months ago. My booking in appointment ended up being when I was 10 weeks pregnant. That was when the midwife service had availabilities at my GP surgery (in my town, all midwife appointments are at my GP).

My '12 week' scan was a couple of days before I was actually 12 weeks (some women have theirs at 13 weeks - just depends on availablity). Later on I had my '20 week' scan and had mine a few days before the 20 week mark (some women have to wait longer than this). My scans were not done at the main hospital because they don't do anyone's antenatal scans there. The main hospital has delivery rooms, maternity wards, neonatal etc.

Thanks PinkPink! Congratulations on your little bambino 😃

Ask them at the booking in appointment. Antenatal routine f2f is how they described my 16 week midwife appointment (which is at 20 weeks) . I only had my booking in appointment and then my scan which was described as Obstetric Ultrasound.

Thank you! 🥰 Hope everything goes smoothly for you

In case it helps my "Follow-up face to face routine" appointment is indeed the dating scan! The lady on the phone confirmed today. I don't know why they can't make it clearer via the title or description of the meeting (which contains bugger all information).