Naimi

A fellow Mum at the school playground is pregnant and about 4 weeks ahead of me. She came back from her 16 week midwife's appointment today and told me not to expect any whistles and bells. She was very dissapointed to find out that our clinic no longer checks the babies heart rate or measures your tummy. Apparently it causes too much worry on the mothers if by chance they can't find a heartbeat, so they no longer do it.

Personally I'm really dissapointed, the only real connection we have with our babies is the 2 scans and heartbeat checks at our midwife appointments so I'm gutted that I don't even get to have that anymore. I wasn't going to buy a dopler, but now I know this, i might invest it one. I can always sell it on aftwards.

What do your clinics do????

Naimi xx

Tezzy

at my midwife appointments my mw checked heartbeat but never measured me

Caroline

I had bp and urine check, checed hb, mesured size and felt babies poition at every appt from 16 weeks.

Naimi

Well thats what i was expecting too, blood pressure, urine dip, tummy measurement, but of a feel of my tummy and the heart beat checked. But apparently it's no longer done. I think I'll have a winge and give that "What do I pay national insureance for ...... blah blah blah" speech, cause I think i'm being short changed personally. Maybe thats just me

Imi

I have my bloods done, urine Dipped, BP, Tummy measured, felt and babies HB listened to ...

BUT i am high risk consutlant care ....

xxx

Jo

yep me too

sian

i had my bloods done at 13 weeks urine samples at 8,13 and 16 weeks scan at 8 and 13 weeks heart rate monitored today at 16 weeks blood pressure taken at all visits too but i'm under the epu and high risk so that might be why

vicky

i got heart beat feel round the tummy urine checked and everything like that, didn't get my tummy measured which i did want.

i would ask the midwife to do check anyway.

RachieH

Hiya Naimi

I think you are being short changed - Yes, trying to listen to the babies HB and not finding it and measuring the fundel height and getting an off measurement may cause the mother worry - But more often than not it can offer reassurance.
My concern is that by not doing these basic checks, your Midwife cannot pick up on potential markers for problems such as fetal growth restriction or Macrosomia (Big baby), or even bradycardia (slow hearbeat). All of which may require further investigation.
Having said all this I often find my Midwife appointment disappointing. I'm one of those annoying patients who feels like she knows more than the bloody Midwife (She has never offered anything didn't already know - I have much more faith in my Consultant) I often feel like saying "Give me one of those BP cuffs and some dip sticks and I'll look after myself!" - I have my own doppler and can measure my own belly! lol

Naimi

LOL, I agree Rachel. Maybe we should be given dopplers and dip tests to do ourself. Afterall they are always complaining there aren't enough midwife's on the NHS system. lol.

I am under consultancy care too, as is the mum that i know from school, who orginally told me about her recent appointment. We've both had previous c-sections so are under consultancy care. I think I might invest in a dopler afterall, but I'm definetly going to winge and my 16 week check up.

Thanks girls, i thought I was being unreasonable to expect the basic things at my appointment, but i don't feel like I am now.