ProperCharlie

Anyone on SN had a baby recently? I'm just wondering what the normal procedure is with doctors and so on. Basically what has happened is my "significant other" became pregnant (after much trying ). So she phones up the doctor and was told to register with a nearer practice as we had moved down the road. This all took a couple of weeks and she eventually saw a doctor who merely told her to provide a urine sample. This was sent off and another couple of weeks later we were informed that she was pregnant, which we already knew. 12 weeks have now gone by and she hasn't seen a doctor, a midwife or anyone at all. She phoned up and was told that the midwife would probably be contacting her within the next month or so. By that time she will be 16 weeks down the road. Is this normal? It strikes me as a pretty lax approach - how would we know if there were any complications or problems? By 16 weeks we could be in a difficult position. I am just wondering if we should be doing anything as neither of has have been through this before.

Cheers for any advice.

Charlie

[Edited by ProperCharlie - 7/16/2003 1:16:08 PM]

andrew6321

been a few years now, but i think you should be looking to have a first scan somewhere around 12 weeks - go back to your GP and make a noise...

congrats by the way

Tracey

That does seem a very long time before being seen by anyone. However I have heard from friends who recently have had babies and they have said that it has all changed now and pregnant women don't get seen as much these days. I wonder why? because like you said just incase there is any complications. You surely should have a booking in appointment by now I would think.

Mine are now 12,10 and 8, so it is a little while since I was in that situation.

Perhaps there is a midwife or doc on this board who may shed some light. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Congrats btw, it's a most exciting time of your life.

Cheers

Tracey

Devil's Refugee

Our little guy is now 8 weeks old.
However, yes, you should have had an appointment for a 12 week check and scan !
I'd chase them up about this asap.
You should only need one scan and they'll arrange for further appointments every 4-6 weeks (which will reduce nearer the due date) just to check on progress and health.
Then my friend, the BIG day arrives and you're life will change completely (and for the best!)
Just make sure you're there for the birth

[Edited by Devil's Refugee - 7/16/2003 1:26:09 PM]

Pete Croney

What a great term

By definition it implies there are insignificant others... who "mean nothing to me, Darling"

ProperCharlie

Thanks for the advice. It makes me bloody annoyed - I virtually never go to the GP (last time I did it seemed to be full of layabouts how would rather waste a doctor's time thann go to work). Then when you do need them for something that's important they don't seem to give a t*ss. I bet teenage welfare mothers get looked after a lot better than this. Grrrr..

anyway, I will speak to the GP myslef and see if we can't get something sorted.

Stueyb

Pete, was thinking the same thing myself, what a PC term eh. Congrats to the father BTW.

Pete Croney

By the way, Good Luck

Scooby96

Depends where you live but different health Authorities have different protocols. First scan should be around 18 weeks unless the mother is over 35 or there is a history of Downs or Spina Bifida etc. Contact the local midwifery team and say what they say plus theres no harm in signing up for ante-natal classes (through a midwife).

If you get no joy then try NHS Direct or get a book or keep hassling the GP!

ProperCharlie

Pete - i've had to give up all the *insignificant* others now .
I was being ironic with the PC term. Normally I call her the trouble but as we aren't married yet it's not strictly accurate. She will be 35 next week BTW, and I think I can fairly safely say that i *am* the father.

hail-hail

Yep it varies, I believe the firt NHS scan is at 20wks in England, however it is at 12 wks in Scotland.
You can pay for a scan in England at 12 wks, it's not that dear.

red_dog104

My son is 6 this year but I had my forst scan at 10 weeks. I would hassle them and tell them how concerned you are due to her age (did I read she is 35? As women get older there are slightly increased chances of complications). She should be having checks by now. Maybe she has been overlooked as she is a new patient. Don't be put off. Kick up a stink!!

Evo1910

10 weeks for me too. Seemed to be going for the damn things every 5 minutes!

Good Luck.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

My 'significant other' is now 19 weeks pregnant, we too decided to change doctors because by the time the little'un is with us we would have moved boroughs and wanted the same midwife / doctor/ hospital etc.

My partner is 31, I know its dependent on where you live but we went for the 12 week scan at Kings college hospital in Dulwich, since Epsom hospital (where we are having the baby) didn't have the facilities for the downs test. We are also booked in for the 20 week scan which is at Epsom.

A friend of ours lives in Basingstoke, when she fell pregnant for the first time she didn't have a scan till 20 weeks - she was 27 then. Also another couple had a baby at Epsom, again their first scan was at 20 weeks also - this was 5 years ago, she was 26 at the time. I think the 12 week scan is down to individual circumstance and the differing procedures in different regions.

Your doctor should have arranged a meeting with the midwife, ours was on 15 - 16 weeks. You can either have a home visit, or see her at the practice / hospital - whatever you prefer. Its this meeting where they take blood for tests and they talk you through all the various appointments / scans etc.

If you're at 12 weeks theres 2 things to note

1. If you feel that you want a downs test done arrange this with the doctor, if your partner is over 30 I believe this should have been an option for you.
2. She's now coming into the 2nd trimester, which means less nausia, headaches, depression, screaming at you for no reason etc - which for both parties is a relief

congrats BTW, your baby is now 7cm long, all bones are formed etc. A very exciting time

Justin

ProperCharlie

Cheers for all the input people. It can be quite worrying when you don't know too much about what is happening are are basically just keeping fingers crossed that it's all ok. haven't been able to talk about it with friends or family cos she dosn't want to let anyone know until she has had a scan. we have talked about this downs test thing and it's a bit of a worry. On one hand I would like to know if the kid's gonna be fine but the missus has been told that the procedure of having the test can cause complications itself. I suppose we will discuss this with the doctor when we get the scan done.

TURBORAY

hi there propercharlie,congratulations !!! i'm currently 7 weeks from having our 3rd baby,and i don't think your dr is giving good advice. your missus needs to make an appointment with the midwife asap.you can do this by ringing the surgery.she will need blood tests (which i do my best to avoid !) to find out her blood group ,if she's rhesus neg or pos (this can affect the baby) and if she's immune to rubella etc.you usually need a double appointment for the 1st time you see the midwife as she will need to fill in "booking in" forms for the hospital and which hospital if you live near more than 1. there's questions too, about how you would like to feed the baby,if there's any family history of certain illnesses etc and book for the spina bifida and downs syndrome blood tests (usually routine,but you can opt out) here, we have a scan around 18 weeks,to check that the baby's growing properly and make sure there's no abnormalities. i love this bit, seeing the baby for the 1st time and being able to have a pic ! the only downside is,your desperate for the loo !!the midwife should also be able to give you "advice" books on what to expect during pregnancy and the birth.she will also need to check blood pressure,weight and urine on every visit (urine test detects glucose etc) anyway ,good luck,book the appointment, and don't worry !!

donna.

Little Miss WRX

If I am ever daft enough to spawn something into the world. (I hope this never happens - one of me is bad enough. ) Then I think I would be pretty high on the list for a scan for Downs as my sister is Downs?

To be honest, IDGAS, as long as the wee one is healthy (and able to cause trouble )! Then again, having grown up with and looked after a Down's sister, the prospect of a disabled child doesn't daunt me, but I can imagine it is scary as hell for people who haven't been as fortunate as I have to have had experience.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Charlie,

Not true.

I take it you've read a book about all stages of pregnancy? theres loads in any of the large bookshops.

The 12 week scan at Kings (where this scan was pioneered I was told) is just an ultrasound scan. They get a good side on view of the foetus then freeze the picture on the monitor. They then take various measurements, the important one is the fluid behind the neck. All the data is inputted into a computer and a probability of the baby being born with downs is calculated. Now, this data isn't conclusive, they stress that it isn't a yes or no answer.

For example for a 31 year old, the risk of downs is 1 in 578.
After the test, they predicted in our case the risk is 1 in 1050, or basically 0.1%, or in other terms the same as a 23 year old.

If however you want to know for sure, they have to do another test which means the taking of the fluid in the embyrotic sack, which means an intrusion of the womb. There is a 1% chance of misscarriage with this procedure.

just type downs syndrone test in google.

stevem2k

The ultrasound Down's test is completely safe. They are measuring the nuchal sac from an image. From there they calculate a 'risk' factor and from that will (should) discuss with you whether a sample of the amniotic fluid should be taken. This has only a tiny (c 1%) risk.

Her chronoligical age doesn't mean too much when it comes to the test ... they work out a virtual age by which she is treated by the results....

Better get the 20wk scan sorted though. (and the decorating started .. ) It goes a lot faster than you think.

Steve ( at fatherhood - 3 weeks )

ProperCharlie

Never mind the decorating - I've got to tell my brother that he is being evicted by the newcomer! How much notice do I have to give him?

stevem2k

as it's your brother .. about 20 mins

ProperCharlie

Funny - that's exactly what I thought.

Thanks v. much to all the people who took time to offer their advice and experience - I feel a bit less nervous now. I'm not used to things that I can't control... better get used to it I suppose . It's amazing what you can find out on scoobynet.....

Charlie