I had my first midwife appointment booked in around week 9 and when the confirmation letter arrived through the post I was a little apprehensive about what it would actually involve.
In the UK, midwife’s handle all of your antenatal care in the run up to ‘baby day’ and mine was at the local hospital I’d told my Doctor I’d like to give birth at.
My appointment took around an hour and a half and was a good way to get acquainted with the layout of the hospital – after all, I was going to be spend A LOT of time there in the next few months!
When we arrived at reception I was asked to do a urine sample before the appointment and got an infamous Bounty folder and lots of useful information to digest later.
Should you bring your partner?
Sure - I did, and it was absolutely fine. I think it’s nice to share in the antenatal experience and I wasn’t the only one either, the waiting room had 4 other couples doing the same.
Your midwife will want to speak to you alone for a few questions but the rest they can be involved in. It’s also handy to have them in the room as some of the questions about lifestyle and health relate to the father.
My midwife brought me into the room and later Jason followed and began to explain the whole process and important things I’d need to know. She was absolutely brilliant and, I’d imagine like most midwifes, very warm and kind to speak to.
Next, we began answering a long and varied list of questions all designed to find out about us and our health and wellbeing really. If we smoke, how much we drink, if we’ve ever done drugs, hereditary illness in our direct family, our mental health, my job etc etc etc.
After this my blood pressure was taken, my weight and height to determine my BMI and I was sent off for three blood samples. Then… we were done!
What was also great is that they had an online system set up called Maternity Notes. It meant that, when my results did arrive, I would be able to access them straight away in real-time from either my laptop or my phone.
6 things to do before your first midwife appointment:
- Drink plenty of water – they’ll expect a urine sample on arrival
- Make a list of questions you want to ask (You’ll find some inspiration here)
- Bring a pad and pen - You’ll likely be given a lot of information and possibly some new dates too
- Make sure you know the date of the start of your last period – they’ll use this to estimate your due date
- Avoid taking you top off every 5 minutes for blood tests and blood pressures by wearing a short-sleeved top
- If the hospital car parking charge is anything like ours way… be prepared to spend your life-savings on it
As always, thanks for reading!
Love
LauraClaire
