Baby no 2 on the way 😀

[Luckymummyto2]

Hi everybody. After trying to conceive with partner for 6 months it's finally happened 😀 we have a 6 year old boy and he's always wanted a little sister or brother from being about 4... I can't wait to tell him but I think we will wait until our first scan and suprise him with a nice BIG BROTHER teddy and a photograph for him to see. Anyway my question is I've worked out I'm around 4 and half weeks pregnant and have booked an app at the docs. It's been so long since baby no1 I can't remember what happens on that first app. Can anybody help?

[ReBeCcA-90]

Hi I didn't have a appointment at docs, I phoned them when found out they gave me a contact number for local hospital and made appointment with them at 8-10 weeks, first contact all about urs/partners medical history, and blood tests, think mine also wanted urine test which i did there, blood pressure, carbon monoxide test, wanted to no my height/weight. After this appointment a letter came through with a date and time for scan. All areas r different though! Congrats on being pregnant! Xx

[Luckymummyto2 in reply to ReBeCcA-90]

Thankyou for ur reply. I'm over the moon xx

[Miss_slinky]

Oooh congratulations on your next lil' bundle of joy! Great news.

I did go to Dr's (this is my first) and it was literally a waste of time. All he did was give me details for maternity unit/midwife and ask me to call to make an appointment. I'd just call your Dr and see what they say, rather than making an appointment with them.

First appointment with midwife was mine and partner's medical history, urine test, blood tests, etc....just a whole lot of questions!!

I bet you can't wait to tell your boy! xx

[Luckymummyto2]

Thankyou so much and thanks for the info! I really can't but we r going to try and wait until we have our first scan xx

[roxannacar]

Just make sure you are taking prenatal vits. If your bmi is above 30 you need to be having 5mg dose rather than the lower dose (gp can prescribe that). Otherwise I wouldn't bother going to the gp if you can book directly with midwife. All the advice re. Eating you can find on the NHS website.

[Luckymummyto2 in reply to roxannacar]

Thankyou for that info. I just assumed they would book me straight in to see the midwife to confirm the pregnancy on their end and book my 1st scan ready for 12 weeks. It's amazing what u can forget in just 6 short years x

[roxannacar in reply to Luckymummyto2]

Well things change and are different acc to the hospital/gp. In general nobody confirms you're pregnant (they didn't when I had my 1st 17months old, and neither this time 15w) just took my work for it. They gave me no. For mw I called directly booked in at 8w I think it was and then mw booked scan and genetic screening (downs, Edwards, patau) at 13w.

[emmab178 in reply to roxannacar]

For genetic testing is it the harmony blood test or is that only done if you get a high risk off the nuchal?

I'm 10 weeks with no support from the nhs yet and booked privately for a harmony test, 10+3 scan and then a nuchal 12 week scan as a package for £400 in London as I thought nhs only nuchal scans.

[ChrisWest1983 in reply to emmab178]

Nhs do the nuchal (scan + blood tests) for everyone free to see the odds for Down's, Edwards' and Patau's syndromes.

[roxannacar in reply to emmab178]

That's what I mean by testing... The risk profile. Nuchal thickness with blood test. But picks up the majority of them (aka a high risk) but the actual genetic test amniocentesis normally offered NHS only for high risk, and I don't think many (or any) hospitals offer harmony

[emmab178 in reply to roxannacar]

Harmony seems to be speacilist clinics only. Harmony is being brought in to the nhs in 2018 but only when you get a high risk from the nuchal. I had my first midwife appt today. She said after the nuchal scan it's a two week wait for results , then if you present as high risk you get a blood test (not the same as harmony) and also the option of more invasive testing after that. For peace of mind I think we are going to keep the harmony appointment. Two private scans cost £180 anyway so to have those and blood test on top is a pretty good deal.

[roxannacar in reply to emmab178]

that doesn't sound right. The nuchal thickness isn't a result you have to wait for. It's a measurement on ultrasound which they tell you there and then. It's the blood test you have to wait for 2 weeks to know, and then they use this to find the risk together with nuchal scan. Maybe she meant amniocentesis if high risk rather than blood test. Anyhow I did have a friend who did harmony despite not being high risk so its personal choice.

[emmab178 in reply to roxannacar]

Did a bit of a google it's called the combined test. They do the measurement and take bloods to look for proteins and hormone levels. So then that's a two week wait. If you show high risk they offer invasive testing (harmony comes in in 2018). So no change on the nhs at the moment.Think I'm sticking with the private appt. first baby and through ivf the cost is worth the less stress and knowing we have an appt booked.

[Sarahj6]

Congratulations on your second baby. I have to say for my second pregnancy I didn't really have that many midwife appointments and only two scans I guess they think you've had a baby before so you can have another fine. I with they should treat each pregnancy the same it's like my midwife cared less just because I had one already

[Luckymummyto2 in reply to Sarahj6]

Aww thats not very nice is it. If ur like me everything goes out of ur head so I'd like the care I got the first time round. Especially since its been 7 years since I last got pregnant. I think we're going to book a 4d scan this time so our little boy can experience it with us and be involved xx