Just found out I am pregnant. What is hte next step? Help!

claire16c

Yes its normal for the booking in appt to be around 8-10 weeks. She will take bloods which the results take a few days to come back, its mainly checking for your blood type, and diseases.

Then you'll have a scan at 12 weeks to date the pregnancy and do a test for downs syndrome if you wish.

If something goes wrong no one can do anything anyway so hence why there is no need to see anyone any earlier.

At my gps you have to see the dr first before they refer you to the midwife, but all the dr says is about what foods not to eat, which you can find here:

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/917.aspx?CategoryID=54

Have you managed to get in touch with a midwife now?

amalis

claire16c wrote: »

Have you managed to get in touch with a midwife now?

No, I contacted a couple of hospitals and they said they will provide a midwife after I will self refer.I just cant pick the hospital yet.
i calculated I am about 6 weeks now

But thqanks, you made me feel calmer. Its all so new and scary so far.

Flugelhorn

At my surgery we see people when they find they are pregnant though it is by no means an emergency appointment. I fill in a form to send to the midwives and they take it from there. I think the booking is about 8-10 weeks and they do the bloods etc . there isn't anything else that needs to be done before then other than the usual care with diet and alcohol and medication.

PS suppose the difference out in the sticks is that there is only one hospital..

Tre-beam

Hi,
I'm due to have my baby at the end of April at Ealing hospital. I can honestly say they've been very good. I initially went to my GP who referred me and then I didn't see anyone until my booking in appointment. I wasn't even tested or anything lol. After that though I have have had regular appointments, scans, blood tests, breast feeding class and antenatal class info.

Anyway, my point is that you could self refer to Ealing hospital, just give the antenatal clinic a ring. If at a later date, you decided you don't want to give birth there you can change hospitals.

Hope this helps

Congratulations btw!

DigForVictory

First of all, congratulations! You are starting a new and fascinating (& at times utterly hairraising) life, & as a mum of three lads, I wish you *all* joy.

Your GP is being a bit unsupportive as other than confirm your pregnancy, they can do almost nothing at all in these early stages. As, I'm sorry to say, the first 12 weeks are the dates during which mothers-to-be are most likely to miscarry. I do wish they'd seen you & advised you to mind your diet, lay off smoking (if applicable) & generally wished you good luck!

The booking visit is wonderful - you learn loads & it's always better is you get on with the midwife. (Not fatal if you don't - in the delivery suite I'd have welcomed Godzilla in a pinny - but if you can find one who you feel happy with so much the better.) It's also a bit scary - bloods, the urine sample etc, but the best tool to deal with Any fear is knowledge. (You *do* learn to pee into those tiny pots, and it's a skill that stays with you for a surprising length of time!)

Don't be afraid if you are utterly crackered some weeks. Your brain is trying to come to terms with the new reality, & redrawing various mental maps takes juice. If you find your parkrun times have slipped, or you're really struggling with the marathon training, be nice to yourself. Add it to the list of things to talk to the midwife about. (Carry a notebook & pen, or jot it on your phone, or whatever works for you, but write it where you can go over it with midwife!)

Drop in on your library & pick out a mother & baby book. Ideally, one that makes you *laugh* rather than flinch, or feel guilty already. Mop up the basics, in a comfortable chair with your feet up. (Anything you can do to maintain or improve posture is a good idea. Starting now - sit up, shoulders back.)

Give yourself a financial MOT. When that baby arrives, they will do so with a fleet of professionals available to make sure all starts well. *Noone* will do this for your finances, so you have to. Much of the advice given to those facing redundancy is appropriate (edited!) for the pregnant. Switch providers, ditch what you don't need, try to get rid of debts etc. I'd add include the father. As a London address means London costs & those on a single income can be tricky & on just SMP, very tricky.

Set up a baby-mail webmail account & apply for all the mother & baby stuff going. Accept generous gifts of travel systems etc from relatives, and try to limit yourself to buying only one baby thing a week. (Tough - so many lovely things, so many intriguing things, so many apparently essential things - and so much tosh yattered. Figure a personal budget & do your level best to stick to or undercut it.) Babies can't & don't judge others by their prams & pushchairs!

You will be told about classes - they're worth every minute.

All the very best for a healthy happy pregnancy & an easy delivery!

claire16c

amalis wrote: »

No, I contacted a couple of hospitals and they said they will provide a midwife after I will self refer.I just cant pick the hospital yet.
i calculated I am about 6 weeks now

But thqanks, you made me feel calmer. Its all so new and scary so far.

Ah ok so once youve chosen a hospital you will be able to be referred then?

Yeah dont worry about it, youve got a couple of weeks to decide then.

ABetterLife

Congrats! I haven't really read the other posts but I see you've been given some advice. I suggest Googling and asking around about the hospitals in your local area. Perhaps you could go and see the hospitals?

barbiedoll

I work in a midwifery team in a London hospital (I'm not a midwife though!) and our hospital allows women to self-refer, most of them just phone up and get a booking appointment for week 8-10.

Please make sure that you are on time for your appointment and do make a list of any questions, the appointment is around an hour long and there is a lot to get through! Make a list of any medical conditions that you may have and/or any medications that you take regularly e.g. asthma inhalers, diabetes meds, blood pressure tablets etc etc. Be honest if you drink/smoke, no-one will tell you off but they will be able to help and advise you if you need it.

You won't hear your baby's heartbeat at this appointment, it's too early. But you will be able to see your baby at your 12 week scan! (You probably won't get the sex though, if you do want to know, you can ask at your 20 week scan). You will have bloods taken, if you are likely to faint/be sick/scream, please let the midwife or phlebotomist know! (We don't mind but if you are going to faint, we will put you on a bed so that you don't fall on the floor! )

You will be given a book or a set of notes that you will keep with you. Please keep these safe and if there is anything that you don't want written down (you will be asked if you have ever had any STD's or terminations for example) then tell the midwife and she will ensure that the details are recorded on computer but NOT on your personal notes (in case your partner/mum sees them!)

Do look out for any free publications at the hospital or clinic, there are lots of free books available. If you sign up to any websites or send off any vouchers, do not put your personal phone number on them, your data will be sold on to marketing companies. :mad:

To be honest, finding out that you are pregnant and going for the first appointment and scan are very exciting and then it seems as though nothing much happens for weeks afterwards. You should be given an appointment for 16 weeks and then you may not see a midwife again until 25-28 weeks.

A lot of hospitals offer "shared care" which means that your GP will see you for some of your ante-natal appointments. Don't be fobbed off, your GP is perfectly capable of taking your blood pressure and testing your urine (standard tests which will be done at every appointment) and she should be able to measure your "bump" and listen to your baby's heartbeat. If your GP won't do this, let your midwife know.

If you feel unwell, if you experience any bleeding or if you are worried about anything at all, contact your hospital, where they may be an early pregnancy unit or a gynae department who will be able to help you.

Being the NHS, you won't get extra appointments just because you want to see a midwife for a reassurance chat, the appointments are set out according to strict NHS guidelines. You will only get extra scans if there is a clinical need, you will only see a doctor/consultant if there are any special circumstances in your pregnancy. A lot of websites state that you should "speak to your midwife" every time you have a question or if you have a headache, backache, are feeling a bit tired, want to get on a plane to somewhere hot, etc etc etc. Unfortunately, midwives are extremely busy and will be working at different clinics on different days. You should be given lots of telephone numbers to call if you are worried so don't be alarmed, just don't expect to be able to speak to your "personal" midwife at all hours of the day and night!

Finally, if you do see a midwife who is rude, horrible, or you simply don't like her (or him), please let someone know. We want our women to feel comfortable and at ease during a time in their life when they may be feeling very vunerable and a little scared. The NHS is feeling the pinch but you are still entitled to see a midwife who you trust and in whom you can confide. Most midwives are brilliant but if you have one who isn't, let the hospital know.

Please feel free to PM me if you would like any aspect of your care explained. If I don't know the answer, I know someone who will. And good luck with your pregnancy!

lobey

I had my daughter at Chelsea and Westminster hospital and had all my antenatal appointments locally to me instead of at the hospital which was brilliant. If you have a choice of hospitals I would really look into those which have community midwife teams and not just those based at hospital. Mine came for home visits each time after she was born whereas a few in my NCT group had to go to the hospital for their check which, with a new baby, is an extra hassle you don't need.

Congratulations and enjoy every second!

Scotsbride

amalis wrote: »

Dear all,

Please help me with advice or point into the rightdirection. I had a positive pregnancy test 2 weeks ago, phoned my GP and shesaid there is no need for her to see me, I should self refer to any hospital I choose.

Ok, I started to google “how to decide on hospital” and allwebsites tell that I should ask advice from my midwife. I don’t have anymidwife! Where do I get one? According to web sites GP was supposed to give mean information but she didn’t. She refused to see me at all.

I feel fine, but I don’tknow how long I am pregnant. What do I do? Please help me and let me know whatare the steps I should do,

I live in London.

I'd ask to speak to the pratice manager at your GP! And explain everything to him/her that you just said. they should be able to advise you on where to get the best antenatal care. I was 6 wks pregnant when I saw the GP and there is info you NEED to have! Such as what is and isn't normal not to worry you just there are thing such as what are signs of eptopic pregnancy and miscarriages it rare but something you should be aware of what vitamins you should take and whether you want to keep the baby. The booking appt (The first apt with the MW is long it's detail history of you, your family and that of your partners if you know it (don't panic if you don't) they will ask about blood test and take blood , your blood pressure, your weight and height and urine you can refuse any of the test at any time it's your choice! . my booking apt took place at 10wks but the MW was on holiday and had spoken to me prior to this on the phone generally they taken place anywhere from 8-12wks. In some places the booking apt will be with a GP. A word of warning the amount of info suddenly given to you can be overwhelming so take your time to read it at your lesure and website such as nhs.co.uk should help you with advise should it not be cover in the info that they give you. Good luck with it!