Midwives and hospital care

Once they pick up on something like this they routinely do them to keep an eye on growth. It does seem odd you don't see anyone after though as from 20 weeks I've seen the consultant after every scan and they let me know if there are any issues. I'd definitely raise it with your midwife or at your next scan x

@Kirsty don’t get me wrong I’m more than happy for them to keep checking, I love seeing baby. But I don’t get any explanation after. I didn’t know if it was just me being fussy

No absolutely not you. It was the same in my first pregnancy, I regularly saw the consultant so they could explain how it was going and I could ask any questions

@Kirsty thank you for this. I’ll ask at my next scan 🥰

Generally with the growth scans they're just checking they're still following their curve and will refer for after appointment if they find any concerns otherwise just say all looks fine and send you on your way. Some sonographers are better at explaining everything's looking fine and going through the report and some are pretty much all done bye though.

Not just you! I’ve had a terrible experience between midwife and consultants etc! Honestly considering making a complaint, my family nurse has been amazing though helping me advocate for myself! Have an extensive medical history and am in remission from cancer and feel like nobody is concerned with numerous issues that have cropped up and I now also have ICP and don’t feel I am being taking seriously as I am younger. Best thing to do is advocate for yourself and baby if you feel like you’re not being listened to. I’ve been a pain in the arse but if I hadn’t been then things wouldn’t be getting dealt with🙈x

@Shaelyn oh I’m sorry you’ve had a tough time, you’ve got this 💪🏼. I’m going to be a bit make forceful at my next scan and go from there. Hope you’re ok xx

Thank you! Yes best thing to do is write a list and start listing everything you need to know so you don’t get muddled up and they should see to you after that! Think it took them seeing me actually be clued up and bothered before they planned on doing something. If i hadn’t said anything they would have just left it. Give us a wee update with how you’re getting on once you’ve spoken to someone☺️xx

100% couldn’t agree more with you!! I’ve had an awful time with midwife’s trying to a) tell me that I shouldn’t be having a c section for birth (yet I had a previous ECS), them going against consultant advice, generally not bothered and just don’t see to care! I have extra scans too and feel the same, they don’t seem to know what they are doing / contradict each other! One week I’ve got an accreta placenta, next not, next low lying , next not sure- the latest they can’t find the correct paperwork!! On top of this they rang me this week saying I was severely anaemic and needed iron tablets ASAP…. I’ve been on them since August 😂🙃. They can’t find it on Medway anywhere I’ve been prescribed them/ been taking them. xxx

@Shaelyn this is a good idea. I will do, thank you 🥰

@Hayley this is awful I’m sorry. I’m glad I’m not alone - I come home after my appointments and just sit and worry. I’ve started doing my own research which isn’t great as I then end up thinking the worst!! X

Awful experience with my midwife too ! *Every time i call if i need something,she’s on holiday or she’s off *months ago i had to repeat urine sample 6 TIMES cos there was always a problem with the container… *another time they had to repeat blood test 3 times cos they put a wrong lable on the container…(i have low blood pressure and a bit of anemia) * they made me wait 1week for an antibiotic prescription! * at 31 weeks she measured the baby too big, with a paper meter, booked me the next day for a scan with the result of the baby being small instead 🤦🏻‍♀️ * i asked her about advices on belly support belts (cos my back was really painfull) and the aswer was “you can check online there are a lot of types” ….wow really?!?!?….🙄 * no extra informations or advices unless i don’t ask….knowing i’m a first time mum i was expecting her to support me a bit more by telling me what i should be aknoledge of…. *etc… Results? I’ve learned and felt more reassured in this group than with NHSsupport team😅

This whole post has made me feel so much better knowing it’s not just been my experience!! Xx

Definitely not just you. It’s led me to hire an independent midwife. Unfortunately the NHS system is just a bureaucratic tick box exercise.

It seems like quality of care can be so varied. I’ve been quite lucky I think. I’ve been having extra scans and the sonographers always talk me through the report afterwards. I then have an appointment with the obstetrician that same day/week to discuss it. We discussed my birth options quite early on around 24 weeks and in my midwife visits they always ask if I have any questions.

The care from the community midwives in my first pregnancy was awful! Ok it was covid and I had 3 different midwives which probably didn’t help, and I had problems with growth during pregnancy which made things more complicated. But I am under the home birth team with this pregnancy and my experience couldn’t be more different! They are a team of 6 and only deal with a small amount of woman so it’s very personal.