Declining antenatal care

[Casuallydresseddeepinconversation]

I've declined midwife appts,I had a call last week to try and change my mind and another today,I feel coerced and bullied,patronised and ignored,I'm 20 weeks today and just want to be left alone, considering not going to my 20 week scan now too, the 13 week one wasn't a pleasant experience either and I feel very anti NHS,tho I don't have funds for complete private care, just feeling very emotional atm

Pretty sure it's a safeguarding referral if you fail to have any antenatal care in my trust

The baby's father wanted her to have an abortion and she's in a 2 up 2 down with no support by the sounds of it, with 2 other kids.

Why would you pay for a scan when the NHS will scan you for free?

Do you check your blood pressure and your blood sugar levels? These can change and become dangerous to you and the baby during pregnancy, but you would not know they have changed unless you checked or until it becomes a big problem.

I don't live in England so maybe my experience is a bit different, but do they not check your urine for proteins/sugars/infections and check your blood pressure when you go to midwife appointments? This is important stuff.

Yeah, when I gave birth there was a woman in recovery who had refused all antenatal care (and then had to have an EMCS) and thanks to the flimsy curtains in the ward, I could overhear all of the conversations with SS who turned up pretty much immediately.

Having 2 healthy pregnancies doesn’t guarantee you a 3rd one.

Antenatal appointments pick up lots of things due to urine/BP/measurements etc.

It’s not about you, it’s about your baby.

Could you forgive yourself if you lost your baby because of something that you could have treated if you’d been attending them? That’s the bottom line. It’s your baby you are risking, for the sake of 15 mins every 4 weeks I really don’t understand why you would take the risk.

I've had one allbeit brief scan and no issues were raised then, screening came back low risk so I can asume all is as well as can be expected

I felt fine too, perfectly healthy, I had rampant gestational diabetes, which if undetected would have put my baby at risk. I looked after my diet and went back to normal once I had given birth. Sorted. No drama.

A booking in appointment is exactly that to get background medical history and arrange a scan.

Antenatal care is for both of you your baby and you. You can feel perfectly healthy and develop a pregnancy condition which puts your baby at risk. I developed gestational diabetes with DS2 had zero risk factors healthy BMI and zero symptoms of it. Had it not been discovered and flagged from a routine urine test at my midwives appointment (glucose so I went for the test) I would have been putting him at serious risk unknowingly.

It's also a bit of a flag to social services and medical teams who would highlight you if you refuse all Antenatal care as it can show potential home issues that women are trying to hide.

Put your big girl pants on and start thinking about your baby. As for body autonomy there are aspects you can refuse like induction or sweeps but you need the information to weigh it up from medical staff.

It's great that you're healthy, and I'm not a fan of the medicalisation of pregnancy and childbirth, but these checks are to make sure that the baby is healthy and you can't possibly know that for sure otherwise.

Yes they do in the UK, and other routine things.

I had zero symptoms when at a routine midwife check at 36w, my BP was discovered to be dangerously high. No swelling or headaches. It subsequently turned into preeclampsia. Scans unfortunately cannot show the full range of problems. I am glad they found the issues when they did to get me on meds and ensure I was healthy for both my children (my eldest DD and her baby sister).

If you are unhappy with your midwife, ask to see another but please do engage with antenatal care to ensure your health as well as your baby's.

You have no idea how your baby is developing - if you decline appointments your baby's health is at risk. If you refuse any care and have a home birth at your age, you are at huge HUGE risk of something happening to you and more so your baby. Social services will be flagged too. This sounds harsh but you are being selfish here, op. Think about the baby.

I would only have medical appointments if medically indicated ie I had symptoms or felt unwell surely if I am unwell I'd feel it? Have symptoms? If the scan didn't pick up problems with he baby how likely is that to then change further down the line,I'm talking congenital or structural abnormalities

And yet in an earlier post you say:

im just over 15 weeks only seen midwife for booking and it appears I've been classed as high risk with recommendation for obstetric lead care

So it seems very odd - indeed worrying - that you aren't engaging with your antenatal team.

What concerns are there on my behalf from which medical teams?

I don't know! It's from your thread, made earlier, about your notes!

There's an anatomy scan at 20 weeks for a reason. Things that couldn't be picked up at 13 weeks are often picked up there.

If nothing else, go to that and ensure baby is still healthy.

As others have said, there are LOTS of things that can be very dangerous for baby going on while you would have absolutely no symptoms.

Growth restriction, placental issues, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia just to name a few.

Please don't do this.

My best friend nearly died from pre eclampsia picked up during a routine antenatal appointment

I had no symptoms of GD.

My friend had no symptoms of pre-eclampsia, it was caught during a routine BP check.

Because you are classed as older, they would probably need to monitor your baby's growth as issues can arise with the placenta later in pregnancy.

Also you know who would really be best for answering these questions? Probably your midwife.

Ha no I'm fully aware that I'm having a baby,this is my 3rd and I know what to expect I'm intelligent and educated but surely I get to have some say over my care?

I understand that you are scared but this is a really bad idea. You need to have these appointments, they are really important.

Not necessarily OP as said I had gestational diabetes and zero symptoms of it other then glucose in my urine on a routine urine check!
I didn't feel ill, I wasn't excessively thirsty, I wasn't overweight and had a healthy diet.