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

ABetterLife

How are you? xx

amalis

ABetterLife wrote: »

How are you? xx

Hi! Thanks for asking.
I had my first appointment with MW in the hospital. She explained to me that I ewill not have a dedicated MW, the hospital I applied to operates some type of "shared with a GP" care policy. Every time I will go to hopsital I will see a different person and if I have some questions I should call "maternity helpline". My husband asked then who is ultimately responsible for my care and MW told- no one.
This is Q Charlottes hospital in London.
In general, I feel fine and dont need some extra care, but last week I cot flue and there was no one at all to advise me which medicine I can take. I ended up going to pharmacy and seeking help there.

In general, the MW Ive seen was very nice to me and itsa shame that next time I will see some other person.

barbiedoll

Hello amalis :wave:

Nowadays, very few women get a "nominated" midwife or one single midwife who is responsible for their care, the demands of the job mean that this simply isn't possible, sadly. You will be under the care of a midwifery team though and you may well see the same midwife more than once!

The maternity helpline will be able to answer any questions that you may have during your pregnancy and of course, the internet is a valuable source of information, although you should choose your websites wisely.....don't rely on the hysterical types that frequent Mumsnet and the like, you'll be scared witless after reading some of their birth stories! Look for NHS websites or check out the website of your hospital, they may have links to helpful sites.

The pharmacy is absolutely the right place to get information about medicines that you can take during pregnancy. Pharmacists are far more qualified than midwives (or even doctors!) to advise about medications, if you'd asked your midwife, she probably would have sent you to the pharmacy anyway.

Your midwife wasn't quite right when she said that "no-one" is ultimately responsible for your care, the hospital and your GP are equally responsible. You will see your GP for some of your ante-natal appointments, and the midwife for others. Scans and blood tests will be done at the hospital but if you need treatment for say, low iron levels, you will probably be sent to your GP as most midwives cannot prescribe medications.

I think that women who are pregnant with their first baby often have a rose-tinted view of the midwifery service. When I was pregnant, I had this vision of visiting the midwife who would hold my hand, give me a cup of tea, and listen sympathetically to my worries and fears. Of course, in reality, I was one of hundreds of women who passed through their doors, they really didn't have time to pander to my tales of woe about my aching back and nausea on the train home! They are medical professionals and they are extremely busy. They often have to cover clinics for absent midwives so they may well have never seen you,or any of the other women, before. This is why you keep your notes with you, so that everyone who sees you has access to your information. If you have any serious worries, you can call the labour ward/birth centre at your hospital, the midwives there will always be able to set your mind at rest if you are really worried. Although they probably won't appreciate a 3am call just because you have heartburn (yes, we really do get calls like that!)


You won't get any information or advice on birth plans and the like, just yet. It's too early to bombard you with all of this stuff, you will forget most of it in the next six months so you will have a chance to talk about it at later appointments. Same with ante-natal/parenting/breast-feeding classes, they will be offered to you much nearer your due date.

Good luck with your scans and your future appointments, hope it all goes well from here on in!

Scotsbride

amalis wrote: »

Hi! Thanks for asking.
I had my first appointment with MW in the hospital. She explained to me that I ewill not have a dedicated MW, the hospital I applied to operates some type of "shared with a GP" care policy. Every time I will go to hopsital I will see a different person and if I have some questions I should call "maternity helpline". My husband asked then who is ultimately responsible for my care and MW told- no one.
This is Q Charlottes hospital in London.
In general, I feel fine and dont need some extra care, but last week I cot flue and there was no one at all to advise me which medicine I can take. I ended up going to pharmacy and seeking help there.

In general, the MW Ive seen was very nice to me and itsa shame that next time I will see some other person.

I'm glad all is well pharmacy are great for advice as are the helpline. Enjoy your pregnancy and relax. the best advice I've been give is to trust your insists and remember every pregnancy is different what you feel or don't feel maybe different to others so try not to compare to others.