When to expect a call?

[Thegreatprocrastinator001]

Hi Guys, can anyone help? I'm about 7 weeks pregnant and registered for the maternity service on NHS a week ago. I thought I'd be contacted quickly because I'm 45 so really high risk but I haven't heard anything... Should I phone my GP or just be patient?? I wouldn't mind knowing if everything is ok given how old I am though I know pregnancy in forties is much more common there days...

In my area you’d get a letter through the post in a few weeks about your booking appointment. Being high risk doesn’t change anything at this stage.

At this point your age doesn’t mean anything. You’ll get a booking appointment at the same time as everyone else for your area. For me, I received an appointment a couple of weeks after registered for an appointment a couple of weeks later (apart from when I moved mid pregnancy where I got an appointment same day for an appointment in a few days time).

Pregnancy care is very minimal until about 16 weeks. Your age alone wouldn’t mean more appointments in the early stages.

Oh, and congratulations!

I've recently registered and it did say at the time that it can take several days to receive an appointment, mine took about 2 days and I haven't an appointment until I'm 10 weeks so it feels ages away!

There is a telephone number on our local trusts website that you can ring if your having trouble accessing the Pregnancy notes website so may be worth having a look at your local trust site and giving them a call if your worried.

Not every trust uses the same website.

High risk from only really comes into play for choosing tests after 12 weeks and in the latter stages due to increased preeclampsia risk etc. At this stage it doesn't make any difference. Usually you get a booking in appointment between 10&12 weeks, you should hear from them in a week or so.

As per others, your age doesn't really come into play at this point - unfortunately if anything goes wrong at this stage there isn't anything they can do for anyone. You should have a booking appt 8-10 weeks and scan around 12 weeks. If you don't hear anything in the next week or so I'd give them a call.

Every area is different unfortunately, where I am you phone up to self refer and get dates for your booking appointment and dating scan on that call.

Thanks all that's really helpful... I'll give it another week and if by 8 weeks I've not heard back or received an appointment I'll give them a call...

I never had any calls - I got a letter in the post with my initial midwife appointment and my scan dates. Different NHS trusts seem very different - my current one was incredibly fast/scheduled in advance and all done via letters and texts, but I had a pregnancy before under a different trust and they used email and were very last minute.

Nobody can tell you if everything is OK or not until 12 weeks, no matter your age. Things either make it to that stage or they don't, and there's nothing that anybody can do to change it.

You'll get contacted about your booking in and scan; there's really no need to do anything at this stage. Sooner doesn't make any difference.

I got a text about 8 weeks for an appointment the following week, another time I got a call along similar timelines.

I slightly disagree about nothing being different before 16w

I was 42

1. you're more likely to want to test for abnormalities - I went privately for NIPT at 11 weeks. My trust doesn't offer them on NHS. My dating scan wasn't til 13 weeks.
2. I had an Obstetrician appointment at 14 weeks - again, my trust policy, along with an appointment after the "20 week" scan and extra scan at 36 weeks.

And also - of course it helps to have a couple of weeks notice of your appointment! So you can book the time off work in good time.

Testing for abnormalities won’t make a difference whether OP is 25 or 45 - the private test can take place without any contact from the NHS, and for the NHS, OP will need to wait till her first scan, just like everyone else.

Re the appointment at 14 weeks, that is unusual to see an obstetrician so early. I’ve had two high risk consultant led pregnancies and my first appointment was 16 weeks onwards. But it depends on what makes it high risk so all our experiences are anecdotal, as age alone won’t lead to extra care in the early stages. Whereas someone who has had several losses and who struggles to stay pregnant will have more appointments and guidance from an early point in their pregnancy.