It’s always a surprise to me when I talk to pregnant women and expectant parents and they tell me how much they don’t know about what to expect from their care. It makes me sad because I think as midwives we need to take responsibility for the fact that sometimes we are just not good communicators. Our job as midwives is to be ‘with woman’ and to me that means to nurture, encourage, guide and advocate. For those of you who might be a little bit concerned about what kind of care you should be getting, I have put together a few paragraphs to give you some guidance.
Once you have confirmed that you are pregnant, you will need to make an appointment with a midwife. The easiest way to do this is to phone your GP’s surgery and ask to make an appointment with the midwife. You do not need to make an appointment with your GP. You will then be given a ‘booking’ appointment with the midwife at the GP’s surgery, a children’s centre or the hospital. This first appointment is usually about an hour long and the midwife will ask lots of questions about your medical history. You will also be offered some screening tests.
At 12 weeks you will be offered a dating scan. If you choose to accept this appointment you may also be offered further screening tests for conditions like Down’s syndrome. You can decide to have the dating scan without the screening or have the scan and the screening and you can decide not to have the scan or the screening tests.
Between 18-20 weeks you will be offered an anomaly scan. This scan checks the growth and development of your baby.
You should expect to see your midwife roughly every month for your antenatal check-ups until you get to about 36 weeks and then you may be seen between 1-2weeks until around 40 weeks or until you give birth.
If your pregnancy has progressed without any complications, you do not need to see an obstetrician or any health care professional other than a midwife. However, if you do develop any complications, you will be referred to the appropriate health care professional while still receiving care from your midwife.
You may have already discussed this with your midwife before this time but if not, at around 36 weeks your midwife may ask you about your plans for the birth. The discussion may include where you want to have the baby and any other birth plans or wishes you may have.
If there is anything you are unclear about, ask your midwife to explain it again or write it down. Make a note of questions you might have for your midwife before your next appointment so that you don’t forget anything. If there are any procedures that are being recommended to you, make sure you understand fully the benefits and risks of accepting or declining the recommendation. You are within your rights to ask for a second opinion.
I hope this has been helpful to you. If you would like more guidance, please have a look at my services and book an appointment.
In the meantime, good luck with your pregnancy.
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