Missed my midwife booking appointment

[Ivf4203]

My car broke down and I missed my first appointment with St. Thomas midwife. I’m panicking. I’m 9+4 today. No one is picking up on the given telephone number. I’m crying so much right now. This is my first pregnancy. I don’t know what to do.

Shit happens.

Calm down and get your car sorted out.

Phone once more today and if still no answer m, call first thing tomorrow.

What happened was out of your hands and getting stressed is not good for you or baby.

You won’t be the first and you won’t be the last to have missed an appointment.

You'll probably have to go to where you were going and speak to someone in person.

Stop panicking, it'll get sorted. Take a deep breath, car breakdowns are a pain in the arse anyway without your emotions up a height on top

Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll rearrange it! Is there anything specific you’re worried about? Not a lot happened at that appointment as far as I remember - they just talk you through the other appointments etc. and do basic health checks.

Thanks all. I tried booking a taxi but there wasn’t any which was also a first!! None on uber or bolt or black cab. Did they do any blood test on first appointment? I’m not sure if they’re open tomorrow. I read online that first appointment should happen before 10 weeks - does anyone know why?

Just to give them time to boom you in for 12 week scan and make sure you’re taking folic acid.

try to relax. I missed an appointment with my first and it was all fine. It’ll get sorted out

@hardtocare i already have my 12 week scan booked for 1st of Jul, I was given the dates for both appointments at the same time.

That’s good then. They prob want to see you before to give you your notes. It’s prob different from area to area but sometimes you also see a consultant on day of scan if you’re likely to be consultant led but again all of this can be sorted out. Don’t stress yourself out. I know you’re not the first person to miss an appointment

They take some blood, weigh you, make you breathe into a carbon monoxide machine thingy, and give you an info pack (which is pretty unhelpful)

And as you had IVF (assume this is an IVF baby given your username) and if you’re also over 35 or 37/some other factors, they’d have told you to take baby aspirin every day

It's one appointment. You'll get another. What exactly do you think the problem will be in the meantime

@MauriceTheMussel thanks yes i’m 37 y/o, first pregnancy via IVF. If i need baby aspirin i hope they call me and I can just get it from the chemist.

@Pinnd i worry i need to be started on a medication that i’m not aware of like baby aspirin as someone mentioned above, also worry about missing any blood tests that are time sensitive? Hopefully none of these worries are founded. I actually work at STH (but not in midwifery) and so messaged my boss - had to reveal I am pregnant over text - who very kindly said she’ll find me a contact person to hopefully get me rescheduled asap.

You can buy it OTC at Boots!

I got a packet of aspirin at that booking appt (and then also my maternity exemption cert emailed to me), but baby aspirin is cheap as heck

@MauriceTheMussel thank you - will wait for midwife’s instructions just to double check!

Hello all. My boss got me to call someone and rescheduled appointment to next week, they kindly squeezed me into their weekend clinic. Thanks for all your replies!

Chances are the midwife will ring you to check you are okay/ follow up on why you missed the appointment etc. please don’t panic they will get you sorted. If needs be they can book you your scan and do a quick booking over the phone and they do the full booking and bloods etc as soon as possible. Congratulations on your pregnancy x

this isn’t a rule of thumb for everyone over a certain age doing ivf.
op, wait until you’ve seen midwife, (or call EPAU if you really need advice) some people have other health factors which would mean this is not recommended.

I live in Ireland and here we don’t get our first (booking) appointment until 12 weeks, this is sometimes 13 or even later if there are no appointments available. I’m 37 and this is an ivf pregnancy as well. My ivf clinic had me on baby aspirin from after the embryo transfer but I was told to stop it at my first appointment at the hospital, they said I didn’t meet the criteria to keep taking it and there was no need. I’m sure everything is fine, just ring and reschedule.

The blood tests aren't time critical. They test for things like anaemia, do your blood group, test for a few stis and hiv.
They do you carbon monoxide levels, check your history, height and weight and use it to generate risk factors for high/low risk and if you need consultant care.
I've had my booking appointments between 7 and 11 weeks.

Hi @Ivf4203, it looks like you're sorted now but I felt I had to reply as I'm also 9+4 and going to St Thomas, (the London one). This is my second ivf preganacy and my booking in isn't for at least another week and my scan a couple of days after yours. It can be stressful but the dates dont need to be super exact. I also haven't been told to take baby aspirin and I am late 30s. Best of luck with everything!

Thanks @Owl23 that’s so reassuring! And lovely you’re 9+4 too and also St Thomas’! Were you there for your first too? It’s not my local but since I work there I thought it’d be easier for me to get to the scans and appointments and fit them around work. I hope all go well with your pregnancy too xx

@Superscientist thanks this is super helpful! I definitely overreacted today I think but thanks to people here I have been reassured very quickly. Love this community!

Hi, yes there for my first too and overall a good experience (I wouldn't be going back if it wasn't!).

I did find the ward afterwards quite stressful, very hot even in winter,no daylight as I was an in a bed away from the window, and got a lot of contradictory information and sometimes forgotten at meal times, as I have allergies. But I think being overwhelmed with a new baby, not feeling great and staying in for nearly a week while everyone else went home didn't help.

That all sounds a bit negative, as I say overall it was good 😁 staff were nice and I felt care was good.