Pregnancy and possible miscarraige

[Niknak90]

Hi there,

Never posted on mumsnet before but just looking for some advice and other people's experiences. I found out a week ago i am/was pregnant. Took 5 tests, all positive. I'm just under 5 weeks from the first day of my last period, and about 3 weeks from conception I think. NHS website says to let your GP know as soon as possible. I rang them and they told me to call back at about 6-7 weeks so I can then see them when it's 8 weeks roughly. From what I can see, I can't refer directly to the area midwife team. Is this normal? My GP and the NHS website seem to contradict themselves 🙄

I've also experienced some bleeding today which I'm concerned might be an early miscarraige (lots of crying today) I know there is a reasonably high chance at this early stage but as I've not been able to see the doctor I don't really have anyone to talk to. This is my first experience getting pregant. I know spotting is possible but this seems a bit more than that. Though not yet like a full period. Has anyone had a similar experience? What should I do?

Thanks in advance for any help xx

It's unusual not to be able to self-refer to the maternity service at a hospital - have you checked the website for your local trust (if that's where you would like to receive maternity care)? They may have a self-referral form online.

Bleeding in pregnancy doesn't automatically mean a miscarriage, so try not to panic (easier said than done, I know). Look up whether your local hospital has an early pregnancy unit or similar (mine has an emergency gynecology unit) and see what their website says about getting an appointment - some allow you to self-refer, others require a referral from a GP. Either way they might be able to give you some advice over the phone - it's unlikely they would scan you at such an early stage but they might advise on when they can help, if you should test again at some point etc. At this early stage it could be a chemical pregnancy in which case you'd have a period-like bleed at some point fairly soon - unfortunately there isn't much that the hospital or your GP can do in that situation.

Finally, if the bleeding becomes severe (filling a pad in an hour) or you develop any significant pain that you can't manage at home, go straight to A&E.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you. ❤️

Thanks for the reply. So I think it must have been a chemical pregancy as have since had a very heavy period 😔 Hopefully we'll get lucky next time and then I'll look at if I can self refer to the area maternity team. There's a number on the hospital website but no form. At what point would you suggest referring to the maternity team? Is it best to wait until like week 6 or 7? Just for future reference 😊 thanks again, advice is much appreciated

@Niknak90 I'm sorry to hear that, I hope you are feeling okay. I think I self-referred to my local hospital at around 6 weeks, although you can refer as soon as you like after finding out you are pregnant - some hospitals seem to be much better than others at getting newly-referred patients booked in for their first appointment (this should happen around 9-10 weeks). Good luck and I really hope you have a better outcome next time. ❤