So, erm, what exactly do I have to do to see a Midwife then?

[DuelingFanjo]

I am really quite pi**ed off now.

I went to see my GP when I was about 9 weeks pregnant, it was the earliest I could see him s they had no appointments when I rang.

He gave me a pack, put me in the system and told me a midwife would call me and if I hadn't heard from her by the following week to ring the surgery.

A week later I rang the surgery and the unhelpful receptionist said it would take up to 15 days for the midwife to contact me.

After taking advice from here I called the Community Midwife unit today to ask them if I was in the system and how soon I could see someone. I stressed I am nearly 11 weeks and I need to discuss my testing options with someone. After checking me on the system they came back to the phone to tell me that i should be calling my surgery to arrange an appointment to see the Midwife at her weekly clinic. I questioned that it was my responsibility to do this as the GP had already told me to wait to hear from the Midwife and that she would arrange the booking appointment for me. But, no, apparently they think I should be making the appointment. If I had known this then I could have seen her last week. The next time she is at the surgery is tomorrow.

If I don't see her tomorrow then it will be next week (perhaps) when I will be almost 12 weeks.

Arrrggghhhhhhh! Why is it so hard.

I thought that was quite normal actually... sorry you have been messed around though.

that what is normal? That I should call the doctor and ask for an appointment with teh Midwife?

Thing is the GP who I saw about 8 days ago told me the Midwife would call me and come to see me at my home.

You can probably call the surgery and ask to see her tomorrow, just let them know its your first visit as they can take up to an hour with all the form filling and stuff. Nothing very interesting will happen though other than getting ur scan booked.

I had the problem that my GP did not fax my info through to my chosen hospital as he was supposed to do. I rang the ante natal unit to find out what was taking so long and they said they had not received any information about me but i could self refer and they booked me in over the phone.

Why don't you try contactig your hospital directly?

thanks. I am not really expecting anything interesting to happen. I am just very worried that the ante-natal tests have not been explained to me and that I may miss the deadline for a nuchal scan.

thanks carolondon - it is the hospital that I spoke to. Can I contact the Ante-natal dept do you think, and arrange my own scan?

I'm new to all this so not sure how much chasing up I am supposed to be doing by myself.

I'm irritated at being told one thing by my GP and another by the hospital.

If it makes you feel better I was pissed around until I was 28 weeks, when I first met community midwife. Luckily arranged scan separately with hospital. I couldn't even find out from anyone where the midwife held clinic, was told by a friend at antenatal yoga and when down there during her clinic in the end.

My old doctor refused to refer me to community midwifes as my local hospital was not the local hospital to my house. I was referred to the ante-natal dept after I had an emergency scan at 5 weeks. So there is a way to go direct to Ante-natal clinic but depends on the hopitals policies I think. I didn't get to see a coummunity midwife till I changed doctors over 30 weeks. Which incidentally as I live in a village on the outskirts of two hospital bands, my new gp's fall in one hospital and I fall in another, but this gp's and midwifes are much more flexible for some reason.

Are midwives pretty much useless and pointless then. I had hoped that I would meet someone who wanted to help me with questions and stuff throughout the pregnancy but now and starting to think they are pretty much just filling in forms rather than caring for their patients

I chased up my 12 week scan direct with the hospital as there was no information forthcoming but it took a while to get to the right department, however I had seen the midwife and she had filled out a scan form that the hospital had received, just not bothered to process. However, if I was you I would try phoning the anti natal dept, explain the situation and see what they can suggest - I would have missed my nuchal deadline (if I had wanted to have a nuchal) had I not chased mine up.

That should say my local hospital was not the same as my doctors.

The midwife I got at 30+ weeks with first was lovely, and I am under the same midwife with this baby, she has been great again so far. Think it depends who you get really, and the first appointment is different from others, first is form filling, weighing, wee testing, height, brief chat about what happens next. The booking in appt and scan at hospital (in my case), my next appointment with community midwife was more relaxed and I was able to ask more questions.

at our gp surgery you never see the doctor, you ring and tell them you've had a positive test and you are booked straight in to the mw clinic which is on a wednesday at our surgery, don't know why they don't all operate like that, seems much simpler.

Hope you get to see someone soon!

Maybe I am wrong to think that as an older first time mum (I am 40) they might be more aware of the possibility that I might have questions about ante-natal testing. infact I was given the impression that they would really be keen to make me aware of my choices.

My MW is fantastic. Not much for them to do at the start though. When i found out i was having twins after 5 m/c she told me it would be up to me how often i saw her even if it was just a 5 min appointment to listen to heartbeat, have a cry or just for a chat. At the start i saw her every 4-6 weeks but now i see her every fortnight (im 26 weeks now). She really is fantastic

Nuchal deadline is 13+6 iirc so perhaps you could call the hospital direct to book an U/s and then get m/w to confirm (don't know this for sure btw)

I was 39 when I was pregnant and I was "all care at the hospital" - which actually was pants. Every time I went I saw a different junior doctor and different midwife and there was no one I could develop a relationship with or ask questions - hence I did not realise I had been slowly losing amniotic fluid for months when I eventually went into hospital . It also meant that I did not get any ante natal classes and had to go down the NCT route - I really felt as if I had slipped through the system. So keep pushing for what you want. I didn't have a clue (and MN was not around then).

I'm oing to phone the surgery at 2 (they are closed for lunch) and say 'I'd like to see the midwife tomorrow' then see what happens.

That's rubbish about the dating

He put me into the computer and gave me a pack with my pregnancy notes form in it, that was all. I am probably more annoyed than I should be because he advised me to call the surgery after a week and when I did the receptionist was completely unable to help apart from to say I just had to wait.

If all the information I was getting was consistant I might trust that they all know how the system works but I have been told different things.

DF i did organise my own scan date and from then on organised everything directly with the hospital.

ok

Havepoken to them at the surgery.

midwife unit is wrong, the Midwife should have contaced me.
They are booked up for 2 weeks for appointments with the midwife in the surgery but she should be coming to see me at the house anyway.
They have taken my mobile number and are going to ask her to call me when she gets in tomorrow.

Here's hoping!