antenatal apointments, when and how many for first

[strawberrykate]

I was wondering how my antental appoinments (first baby) compare to others:

10 weeks-booking (GP)
12 week scan
16 weeks check up (hospital appt., had been mix up)
20 week scan
28 week check up
34 week check up (booked for next week)
then 36...then ?

The 28 week has seemed like ages until the 34 and a lot of change in between. Went to GP at 32 weeks for excessive nausea/diarrhea/ stomach cramps/ weight loss (lasted 2+ weeks) and made to feel like I was bothering them and fussing.

Extra info: at 16 weeks very low blood pressure, at 28 weeks very high blood pressure.

Is this the average? The 28 week appt was the first with the community midwife, she made contact at 26 weeks.

I had all my appointments with midwives from the beginning.

10 weeks - booking
12 weeks - scan
15 weeks - check up
20 weeks - scan

I have my 25 week appointment in a couple of weeks, and then the rest are:

25 weeks
28
31
34
36
38
40
41

So for a first baby it's 10 appointments plus scans. For subsequent babies I think it's 7 plus scans, with no appointments at 25, 31 or 40 weeks.

hmmm so you've had more at 25 and 31 weeks...
II'm not normally fussed about seeing doc but surprised haven't checked bp after it v high. I actually had it checked at chemists myself to set mind at rest, was still clased as high but not as high. 8 weeks was ages to wait to talk about scan after 20 week scan and it seems pointless to do blood tests at 28 weeks then give results six weeks on!

8 week booking
12 week scan
16 week MW
20 week scan
24 week MW
28 week consultant
32 week MW
34 week MW
36 week consultant
38 week MW
39 week MW
40 week MW
41 week consultant

Always more for a first timer I've been told

Its been a couple of years but I think I had

12week booking and scan (hospital)
16week bloods (Community)
20week scan and midwife (hospital)
24week check (community)
28week check (community)
32week check (community)
36week check (community)
28week check (community)
40week check (hospital)
41week check (community)
42week induction (hospital)

I'm a first-timer too and so far I've had:

9 weeks booking (MW; bloods, urine, weight and BP)
12 weeks dating/NT scan
16 weeks MW (urine and BP; took 5 mins max.)
20 weeks anomaly scan

Upcoming:
25 weeks GP
28 weeks MW (including Anti-D shot)
31 weeks GP
34 weeks MW
36 weeks GP
38 weeks MW
40 weeks MW
41 weeks MW

I agree that MW-appointments seem few and far between at this stage. It's 7 weeks from 1st to 2nd (which was so short for me that it was hardly noticeable), 12 weeks from second to third, and then again 6 weeks from third to fourth. Add to that, in my case I see someone different every time; doesn't make it seem like anybody really has an idea of me and my pregnancy, instead I'm a list of numbers and test results to them. It does seem odd, too, that you have to wait so long for results from tests done at earlier appointments. Though I suppose that generally, no news is good news; if something HAD come up in the tests, they would have called you.

Of the 10 MW appointments, only two are in the first half of pregnancy; it feels as if apart from the scans, the real ante-natal care only really picks up in the third trimester.
Sometimes I'm a little of friends back in Switzerland, who see the same person (consultant) once per month right from the start (beginning at 6 weeks usually). The same person also does the scans and all the tests and often you get something like 7 scans altogether. This person then really knows you and your pregnancy, every appointment is seen in development from the previous one rather than just a moment's snapshot.
On the other hand, sometimes I do appreciate how here they let you just get on with it - after all, I'm pregnant not ill. I don't need doctors checking up on me just because my body is getting on with a perfectly natural process.
And then again, when there is reason to worry, it would be so very reassuring to know that someone is really looking after you and not needing to push and insist for tests and appointments and explaining everything again because the person you're seeing hasn't ever seen you before.

It does seem for a first timer I'm having less than average, particularly in the third trimester.

As I said I wouldn't care as Im not a fan of going to the doctors/ clinic but I'm surprised noone wants to follow up a number of high bp readings (when it was 85/60 early on-it jumped to 150/85). Meita I would love to see the same person throughout, I feel like I explain everything each time I go and it's never looked at together as part of an overall picture. The bp is example of this, previous readings are not even glanced at. I was also told after two + weeks of diarrhea/ being sick and weight loss 'come back if it lasts more than 2 days', despite me having seen someone else for it first 17 days previously.