16+2 - midwife coming to take more blood on very short notice?

[SpringySunshine]

I'm 16+2 today & last week had my first (dating) scan & had bloods taken, etc. All the usual. About 45 minutes ago, my midwife phoned & asked if she could come over this afternoon to take more blood because there has been a 'problem testing' what I've already given. Is this fairly normal, or should I be worried?

did you ask her what the problem was?

they've probably lost the samples

This happened to me at the same stage. Turns out they had just lost my first lot of bloods.

I would take a guess that they have lost or done something stupid (spilt etc) with the sample you have already given, rather than there being a problem with the result.

Ask your MW why, but I'm sure there isn't a problem.

Bloods usually have to get to the lab within a certain timescale to be valid; maybe they didn't get it there in time ? Phone back for clarification if you are worried.

I didn't at the time, because I was so taken aback by her phoning. Obviously I'll ask when she gets here... It just seems a bit unusual. I also find it a bit odd that she wants to come here instead of making an appointment at the surgery, but I guess things change like that a bit with pregnancy & that's not really that strange in itself. The whole issue is just a bit disconcerting.

I had to have my bloods taken again and was worried - but it transpired the sample had clotted.

I would assume it's soemthing like that - but v poor communication!!!

She may have decided to come and do it because it would delay it too much for you to go to the surgery (at our surgery you can wait ages for an app.)

I hadn't even thought that they might have lost it - I think I must still be quite naive

Springy - don't worry. I was in a state when this happened to me. I got home on Friday evening to a message on the answer machine as follows; please come and see us first thing Monday morning. There is a problem with your bloods.

Phoned them straight away and of course they were closed for the weekend. Spent the weekend imagining the worst only to be told on Monday 'yeah, sorry we forgot to put a label on them so they got lost'.

Let us know what she says.

Don't worry...there are many reasons they may need to re-take!
-the blood heamolysed before being tested (essentially started clotting)
-the bottle wasnt labelled correctly
-they lost the sample
-it wasnt stored properly/didnt reach the lab in time
and the rarest of them all
-they saw something they want to double check.

But the chances of that are so slim I wouldnt worry.

I'll report back as soon as she's gone - thank you everyone. I knew I could rely on MN for some speedy advice. It's things like this that never make it into all the pregnancy books & leave me in a total flap

I'll let you know what's said

She probably doesn't have a room at the surgery every day, so that's the reason for the home visit.

Okay, she just left. She only took one of the samples of blood for the Sickle Cell test & said that she'd been told there was an 'insufficient sample', which she took to mean that it'd clotted or they'd dropped it. I'm not too worried at all now - I'm white British & therefore automatically in a very low risk category & she didn't seem at all concerned. She also told me, as a side point, that she'd not heard anything about a raised risk of Down's which she would have expected to by now if there was a problem.

All in all I'm much calmer than I was half an hour ago! Thank you everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely day

Good news. What a relief.

Good to hear