Obstetrician appointment

[Woo19]

Hi

I am pregnant, 6 weeks today. I had a difficult birth with my first son and ended up having an emergency c section with a drip to stop internal haemorrhaging.

I have received a letter to make an appointment at Obstetrics department at the hospital. Has anyone had a consultant led pregnancy who can shed some light as to what to expect and, what the first appointment involves?

Thank you

🙂

[Woo19]

I had a drain sorry but also a drip lol

[Wishingfortheday]

Hi there, congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm under consultant led care (37.5 weeks now, getting close!).

For your first appointment you'll likely have a scan, give a urine sample and have some other checks by a nurse such as weight and blood pressure, to get baseline readings to compare against as your pregnancy progresses. Followed by a chat with an Obstetric consultant. They will go over your history and any concerns you may have, and recommend options for your pregnancy and birth.

After your initial meeting you will have several follow up appointments during the course of your pregnancy and most likely some additional growth scans in addition to the usual 12 & 20 week scans. They'll keep an eye on you and baby and help you formulate a plan for the birth based on your history and how this pregnancy progresses. I continued to meet with a community midwife as well, where we discussed the more routine topics in pregnancy.

Best wishes for a healthy and positive pregnancy and birth! xx

[Woo19 in reply to Wishingfortheday]

Thank you and, congratulations to you also! Baby will be here soon, I hope you are feeling okay.

Thank you for replying, I had no idea what to expect and, some people have said it’s a pointless appointment so, this is helpful to know.

Can I ask, did you get much say in your birth option? This is something that has been causing me anxiety since my previous birth...

Thanks again

[Wishingfortheday in reply to Woo19]

If you have strong preferences, I'd recommend doing some research on evidence to support your view, this will enable you to have a more informed discussion with the doctor. AIMS is a good source of info, you can get in touch with them via their website and they can provide you with unbiased, recent studies and information. Always remember you have a choice, and don't have to sit back and allow decisions without your consent. To be honest, I haven't had to advocate very strongly for myself, as most of my preferences have been accepted. But better to go in prepared for anything 😊