5 weeks pregnant – Confused about NHS maternity referrals to Kingston and Epsom Hospital. Any advice?

[babydoraemon]

Hi everyone! 😊
I found out I was pregnant about two weeks ago, and I’m currently 5 weeks and 1 day pregnant. This is my first pregnancy, so I’m feeling a bit confused about what steps I need to take next.
I contacted the NHS, and they advised me to self-refer to Kingston Hospital or Epsom Hospital.
I completed self-referrals for both hospitals, but:

• Kingston Hospital: I received a response saying no to my referral. I’m not sure why it was declined. Does anyone know if I can self-refer again or ask them to reconsider? I would still really like to consider Kingston Hospital.
• Epsom Hospital: I’ve received a message about a midwife antenatal appointment, but nothing else so far.

I’m now a bit confused about what happens next. Does receiving an antenatal appointment from Epsom mean I’m already registered with them and Epsom will be my hospital throughout my pregnancy? Can I still try to get accepted by Kingston Hospital, even though my first referral was declined? I also have a thyroid condition, which makes me a little more concerned about making sure everything is monitored properly during my pregnancy. I want to make sure I’m getting the right care and support from the beginning, especially as I’m still in the early stages. Does anyone with a thyroid condition have experience of how maternity care works, or whether I should be contacting my GP or a specialist separately? Also, what usually happens after self-referral? Is there anything else I should be doing at this stage? I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who has experience with Kingston or Epsom maternity services. Thank you so much in advance! ❤️

Congratulations!

Sounds like Epsom have accepted and you have your first appointment, which is the booking appointment that usually happens at around 8 to 10 weeks.

Are you within the areas that are accepted by Kingston? That’s usually why a hospital would refuse - if you’re not within their catchment. Alternatively it may be flagged that you have already registered with Epsom so they rejected your registration with Kingston.

Hi, I’m not in your area, but if you’ve self referred and have a midwife appointment (usually for when you’re around 9 weeks?) then that’s all for now. That appointment is where you will have some initial checks done and I imagine where some of the discussions will begin, if you require consultant-led care etc . For most pregnancies you will just see the midwife for the foreseeable, starting with that appointment.

Sadly there will be a proportion of pregnancies that will end before that initial midwife appointment which is why I think that’s the first point of seeing you.

If you look on the NHS site there is a guide there of what to expect from booking appointments onwards.

Thank you! 😊 I live in the Epsom area, so I think I might not meet Kingston Hospital’s catchment area criteria.
Kingston was actually my first choice, so I submitted my referral there first, but unfortunately, it was declined.

If you have a thyroid condition I would also contact your GP in case they want to monitor or change anything

Ah, thank you!😊 Yes it is around 9week and will have look at the NHS site for further information

I’ve already had my routine thyroid blood test and a medication review with my GP.

I forgot to say congratulations, and all the best with your pregnancy! I’m now going to refrain from giving unsolicited advice about morning sickness, which from my experience is shortly around the corner at this stage, but hang in there (and salt and vinegar crisps were my saviour lol)

You usually get to choose from the hospitals in your catchment. You can’t self refer to more than one! You’ll get a phone appointment ahead of your first scan - you’ll discuss health history etc then.

Thank you! ❤️ To be honest, I’ve been feeling quite anxious lately. My symptoms were quite strong at first, but for the past two weeks, I haven’t really experienced any nausea, pain, or other symptoms.
I’m not sure if that’s normal. 😅 I’ve been doing some reading online, and most sources say it’s completely normal for pregnancy symptoms to come and go, but it still feels a bit worrying to me. 😥

Ah, I see. Thank you! 😊I was checking the hospital’s online portal to see if my appointment was showing up, but I couldn’t find anything, so I wasn’t sure what was happening.

I think that’s completely normal, it’s usually around 6 weeks for symptoms like morning sickness to start anyway, so I’d think it might have been a coincidence rather than caused by pregnancy perhaps (actual conception would only have been 2-3 weeks ago). You may be lucky anyway and not feel ill, but I think it’s very normal to be anxious about what it all means. I do remember going to my 12 week scan, despite 6 weeks of all day sickness and no periods, and still thought they’d tell me I had it wrong!

Ah, it’s a relief to hear from someone with experience that this is normal. Thank you! ❤️
I think I am at same situation right now and waiting for the first scan😅