Just found out you’re pregnant, what’s next?

Firstly, congratulations! 

If you’ve decided to book with NHS care then you can either contact your local GP surgery and request to book an appointment with the midwife attached to that practice or make a self-referral via your chosen NHS Trust's website and you will the be contacted by a Midwife with your appointment date, time and place. Check the bottom of this page to find out your local maternity unit based on your postcode. Remember you don’t have to go to your local maternity unit, if you decide to you can go to another one that might be geographically further but suits your needs better. 

It’s important that you let the receptionist know that this will be your first appointment with the midwife and also, also letting them know how far along you think you are.

Be mindful this date may change after you have a scan. There are two ways to estimate your due date: through your Last menstrual period (AKA LMP) or by Ultrasound scan based on the measurements of the baby (USS). The health care professionals you see in your pregnancy will use the USS date. 

The booking appointment (first appointment with the midwife)

This appointment lasts anything from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. There’s lots of information being given out and much information that your midwife will need from you. If you have children that you feel may distract you during this appointment it may be wise to arrange childcare, it is always worth checking with your local NHS Trust Maternity Services as to their policy on children attending appointments as all Trusts have their own rules.

What You Need to Bring

• Any medications that you may be taking
• Any early ultrasound scan reports that you may have/ even if they are private scans 
• A list of any questions you may want to ask your midwife

Arrive 5 or 10 minutes early so that you can provide a urine sample and ensure that the health care professionals has your correct contact details.

• Have a look at the different types of pregnancy screening tests that each hospital offers. Many offer blood tests to assess your level of risk of carrying a baby with chromosomal abnormalities. These tests sometimes go hand in hand with the scans so you may have blood tests taken at your scans. 

Information You’ll Be Asked to Provide

• Your medical history; whether you have any medical problems currently or in the past
• They will discuss your mental health history and any support you may have previously had and if there is support they can offer in this pregnancy
• Your family history of any medical conditions.
• Your partner’s family history
• Any allergies that you may have; what they are and how it affects you
• Previous birth history including any complications during pregnancy, birth and with your baby
• An accurate birth weight or your previous births and the stage of pregnancy at which you gave birth (for example, 39 weeks and 3 days)
• The first day of your last menstrual period. If you’re unsure just give them the earliest possible date that it could be.

What Your Midwife Will Want to Know

• Where you would like to give birth, have your scans and any blood tests
• Whether there are any unresolved psychological issues regarding previous births as she may be able to offer referral for birth debriefing

Each clinic is different and some will wish to take blood samples at this appointment to check your blood group, iron levels, check for certain viruses and infections, amongst other things.

What Information Your Midwife Will Give You

• What foods to eat and which to avoid (NHS Choices has some excellent information)
• What kind of exercise is best for you
• Vitamin supplements that are advised in pregnancy (NHS Choices has some excellent information)
• Information regarding immunisations during pregnancy such as the flu vaccine and whooping cough vaccine
• Detailed information on the screening tests for chromosomal abnormalities that are offered by the NHS
• Information on infant feeding choices
• Information on the availability of antenatal education classes and how to book them
• Information on smoking and alcohol in pregnancy
• Advice and information on medications that are generally felt to be safe in pregnancy that you may be offered
• Information regarding the dating scan; what the measurements mean and what further tests may be necessary
• A list of the appointments you can expect to have throughout your pregnancy
• A discussion around the type of care that would best suit you; midwifery led care or consultant led care
• An explanation of the specialist referrals that may need to be sent and tests that may be required later in pregnancy
• Your pregnancy notes. Some NHS Trusts still have paper handheld notes but many have now switched to digital notes. If digital you will need to download an app and input some information provided by your Midwife - ask them to go through your notes with you as they are for your knowledge and will be useful if you need to be seen at another hospital for any reason.

  Research to Do Beforehand

  • Where you would like to give birth; home,birth centre, consultant led unit
  • Birth Choice UK website has lots of information on each hospital’s maternity care including statistics for types of birth

To sum up: 

Contact your local maternity hospital (or hospital you would like to give birth at) as soon as you can either via the booking system online on NHS Website or contacting your local GP and finding more information out. 

The booking appointment (first appointment with the midwife)

Now this appointment usually occurs at around 8-10 weeks gestation. Or happens as soon as you find out you are pregnant if it is after this timeframe. This is one of the most important appointments so we as midwives, can map out your pregnancy journey and know which referrals you need, how we can support you and more importantly give you a guide on what to expect. 

Want to see the pregnancy journey already before your appointment - check out our free pregnancy PDF’s, including the pregnancy pathway, wellbeing checklist, pregnancy E-Book and many more:

https://www.thebloomcollaboration.co.uk/offers/SYAcYFTX/checkout

Interested in having a consultation with us to discuss your pregnancy journey, or support you may need - book in a call now - 

https://calendly.com/thebloomcollaboration/30min

 Check us out on instagram and facebook @Bloom_midwives for regular content and tips to support you in your pregnancy 

Sorcha and Sam x

We look forward to supporting you in your journey!