rant about ante-natal appointments or lack of them

[totalmisfit]

sorry about the impending rant but i'm just feeling really fed up with the way my GP surgery handles ante-natal appointments. I was told my midwife has a surgery there once a week on a thursday. My last appointment with her was three flipping months ago at 16 weeks. Since then i've waited patiently for my 28 week checkup, wrongly assuming that i would be able to ring up on the monday to make an appointment for this thursday.

I called first thing yesterday morning only to be told she's fully booked for thursday but if i call back tuesday afternoon she might be able to squeeze me in at the end on thursday. Called today and she's in the middle of an appointment, (fair enough) and arsey receptionist informs me that she might call me back afterwards if she gets a chance, but as she's already overbooked its' unlikely i'll be seen on thurs anyway.

what's really annoying is that this is the only week i can go without dd (3.7) reeking havoc in the surgery, and i was really pleased that my 28 appt would coincide with dh being able to look after her, as he's on half term and she wouldn't be throwing toys around or getting freaked out by my bloods being taken etc. Every other week would mean that i'd have to go in the afternoon after dd's 20 mile round trip to nursery on the bus (by which time i'm absolutely knackered most days). I explain all this to blank receptionist who informs me that 'we expect our patients to make their next appointment in advance before they leave the surgery'. Great, well thanks for telling me! i'm still new to the area and there seem to be all these unwritten rules you're expected to figure out for yourself, and woe betide those who don't.

Not to mention the fact that the surgery is 2.5 miles away, which means another unreliable rural bus journey with sleepy/grizzly dd in tow as opposed to dh being able to drive me there and back this week.

I know everything's overstretched and there are people far worse off in terms of maternity care than i am, but i really feel abandoned at the moment; going 3 months between appts was hard enough but this is really starting to worry me; it's only 12 weeks till i give birth after all. I had so many things i wanted to ask her and now it seems they'll have to play on my mind for at least another week.

aww total im sorry your feeling so rubbish!!

I feel the same way about ante natal care and the lack of it and I saw a midwife 16 weeks, 25 weeks and next is 28 weeks. Is there a midwife unit you can go to instead of your surgery??

Hope you manage to see someone this week!

Hi Misfit

I'm just hoping to meet my midwife again (met her 20+ weeks ago for booking in appointment) before DC2 arrives! Don't worry, am being a bit over dramatic - there is plenty of time as I'm only 28 weeks, but she had suggested we met up at 16 weeks. When she suggested that she didn't have a diary on her so said she would call me. I didn't hear anything so called her at 18 weeks... she asked if i was feeling okay (apart from hideous morning sickness) and when i said yes she said she'd call me somewhere around 26 weeks in that case. I know she is busy and DD1 was a beautifully uncomplicated pg but nonetheless I wouldn't mind seeing her again sometime!

Right, am off to call her now!!

x

I can't really complain because most of my problems have come from moving house while pregnant , but I've gone from 16 weeks to 31 weeks without any mw appts/bloods/bp or urine checks. Felt very relieved to finally get an appt yesterday. Mind you, as I'm having a VBAC, I'm not able to have my consultant appt until 36 weeks, which leaves it all rather late... plus I have missed all the VBAC classes they have in the area and won't be able to attend any. All this is because it too months for my records to come over from our old GPs and they wouldn't register me until they did!

Doctor's receptionists are rubbish aren't they?? They're like guard dogs. I don't know what planet they are on.

My midwife only does one surgery session a week on Monday afternoons. As I work in London and commute, that's hugely inconvenient, but she's been happy to see me at home on the day I work from home each time which is later in the week.

Can you get hold of a direct phone number to the midwife? I think most of the community midwives have mobiles these days, she may be able to see you on another day, if her appointments are booked up on the only day she is in. There's a whole bunch of blood tests you're meant to have done at 28 weeks, so I'm sure she will fit you in somehow. Then you can escape talking to the unhelpful receptionist.

Can you change your GP to one nearer home?

Can you just see GP instead of midwife? I just see my normal GP, make a normal appointment at the time of my choosing - works well and I am happy to have GP care rather than midwife care (its impossible here to get midwife appointment too).