Antenatal appointment - so confused over dates

[Sutl]

Hi all,
so I had a text and on my app it said I have an obstetrics appointment this Friday.

But a letter from the same hospital saying I have a scan next Tuesday.

is this an error or would I likely have an appointment on both dates? Is one for something else and the other one a scan?

there was no info on nhs app/ text about what the appointment is for.

I've already had a midwife appointment where blood was taken and all questions asked.

I've tried ringing the hospital and been passed around and cannot get a clear answer.

help please!

How many weeks are you? You have appointments and scans throughout your pregnancy so it’s possible you have both. Is it your first pregnancy? Sounds like you’ve had the booking appointment. First scan is usually around 12 weeks. From memory I didn’t have a midwife appointment between booking and 16 weeks but I guess it may differ between different areas or if you have certain risk factors? I think in your situation I’d go along to both even if I wasn’t sure what it was for.

And how old are you? I would assume 2 different appointments.

One will be a scan, I'd assume the other is with a consultant

Would the consultant appointment be before the scan? And if so why? The letter for the scan is Tuesday so that would mean the consultant appointment is this Friday

I’m only 30… don’t think that’s classed as old in the baby world is it?

I’m 12 weeks now.. so confused 😂🙈 will just go on Friday and see what happens I guess

It’s just when they can fit you in.
do you have any risk factors? Did your midwife mention you seeing a consultant?

she’s put me on aspirin so I think there was a risk factor - does that mean it’s likely this Friday is not a scan? I really want a scan 😂 just wanna know the baby is ok!!

I got the same consultant appt letter and it’s a month after my 12 week scan. This is my second baby and no risk factors. I called today and apparently it’s now routine to have a consultant appt with obstetrics (although it wasn’t 2 years ago when I had my first!)

What is it for though? I’ve already had my blood taken and the million questions asked!

Not sure! Mine isn’t for a while but I’m assuming probably just more bloods etc

Aspirin is to prevent pre eclampsia so there must be some significant risk factors. Go to the appointment and see

I'd say the Friday appointment is consultant appointment, there must be some risk factors that your midwife needs to refer you to consultant to see, they'll go through all your notes from a doctors point of view see if they need to add any additional checks at this stage (I had to have extra blood tests for thyroid) and how your care will pan out for the pregnancy.

Normally they try and get it at the same time as the scan but all depends on doctors working and how your Trust works.

The consultant will sometimes do a scan and then your 12 week one will be measurements and to date the pregnancy. It depends though what they want to see you for

Consultant appointments are completely separate to scans and will run on whatever day the obstetrician runs their clinics.
I'm high risk due to mental health so am always consultant led. They asked different questions to those at the booking appointment. For me they went into more detail about my mental health history, spoke about medication, referrals to other teams that were needed, what they could offer as support through the pregnancy and birth. I went through my history with the midwife at the booking appointment but the consultant comes to it from a different point of view to the midwife. There are lots of reasons for consultant appointments this is just one example but I thought it might help to show how it can differ to midwife appointments even if covering the same issues

Sounds like the dating scan and consultant appointment that is normally done at 12-14 weeks. Women with no other medical problems would just have a scan but if you have a medical condition or have a bmi over 35 (I think, it might be over 40) or are over a certain age or are high risk for something then you see the consultant as well (or more likely you will see one of the junior drs). Usually at the same time as your scan but it depends how busy they are. If you are not very high risk the Dr will see you once and hand you back to the midwives. If you are more higher risk then they will see you a few times during your pregnancy.

Do you have a higher BMI? That's why you may be put on aspirin (to prevent preeclampsia) and will have to see the Consultant x

There's no joined up thinking in my experience. I had 6 appointments in 1 week. Never knew what I was going for as it would just say "midwife". I went for incontinence, PGP, perinatal mental health, all sorts but all listed the same on the appointment letter. I could be seeing a nurse, sonographer, obstetrician or physio. I had one cancelled but they didn't tell me which one so I had to ask them to list all my current appointments and work out which uncle had been cancelled by process of elimination. And I even turned up for one and the obstetrician said "we're expecting you, but we don't know why you're here" and was sent away. My closest hospital is an hour away so I was taking huge chunks of time off work.

Maybe to collect notes

Go to both. I had my 12 week scan, and around the same time an appointment with obstetrics. The obs appointment was for a number of reasons in my case (though I didn’t know this going in, I kinda guessed): advanced maternal age, large ovarian cyst, previous c-section. The booking in midwife had also clicked some random stuff by mistake during my Tommies assessment so I’d been deemed high risk for other reasons - I’m not, with statistical exception of
my age.

Apparently I’ll see my obstetrician again around week 30 to discuss pregnancy and birth plan again, though that appointment hasn’t been booked yet. Not sure what more I’ll know tbh as they’re not scanning me again until 32 weeks 🙄 unless obstetrician will do it herself. Doubtful but who knows?!

@PurBal I agree completely! I’ve been confused too over what some appointments are for. Week 28 I have a routine appointment with my community midwife, followed by an appointment with a midwife at the hospital in week 29. No idea what that hospital one is for 😵‍💫

I'm currently pregnant with my second baby, I had my booking appointment when the midwives found out about the pregnancy then a 12 week scan , my 16 week appointment with my community midwife, my 20 week scan and on the same day as my 20 week scan I had a consultant appointment with Obstetrics to discuss my previous medical history and with my pregnancy being high risk and that was straight after my scan on the same day.

Hey OP I’m on Aspirin because I have low PAAP A, did this come up when you had your bloods? I now have lots more appointments with consultant. Could be to discuss that?