newly pregnant - need advice!

[reren]

I'm in the very early stages of my first pregnancy - so hadn't really thought i needed to do much in terms of midwives etc. (knowing 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage etc.) and just registered at The Gardens because I didn't have a GP in the area having moved quite recently. But have just gone onto the forum to find lots of discussion about Forest Hill GP and the Oakwood Midwife service - Forest Hill is much closer to me than the Gardens - I'd only registered there because that's where my husband registered. I'm wondering if I registered at the wrong place - especially as i didn't like the GP i met very much. (She was very patronising - I have a medical condition which could affect my pregnancy and she knew less than I did about it, but treated me very dismissively.) Should I change / can I change if I've only just registered? If you're at the Gardens - does that mean you don't have access to the same level of midwife care? Any advice would be very gratefully received! i had no idea that there were all these waiting lists and things that you're supposed to get on - everyone on this site seems so much more clued up than me!

[Pickle]

Congratulations :)

I think it's simple to change GP's... certainly when I switched from one on Lordship Lane to Dulwich Medical centre years ago it was just a case of walking in and filling in a form.

Forest Hill Road, or Dulwich Medical Centre would be good options, as both have midwife practices attached (the Lanes group operate out of Dulwich Medical Centre). I think the Gardens has one dedicated midwife, however she simply does your checkups while pregnant, and you'd then have a "random" midwife when in labour.

You also need to think about whether you want a home birth, or whether you'll go down the hospital route. If you want a home birth you could stay with the Gardens but register with Brierly Midwives who would then do all of your care and be with your during the birth. They fill up fast, although waiting list places do come up (I was offered one when about 34 weeks pregnant, having enquired about it at about 16/17 weeks which was very late to be thinking about it - but it just goes to show you can leave it late and still get the care you want - although illness on my part had dictated a hospital birth by that stage so I couldn't take the place).

I had both of my babies under the care of Dulwich Medical Centre, before they had the Lanes group up and running - so saw one midwife for all my checkups but then had the Kings midwives during my labours, and this was absolutely fine, so don't worry about it too much if you can't/don't change from the Gardens.

P

[reren]

thanks so much for responding so quickly! If you opt for a home birth with Brierly Midwives - can you just ring up and book a place before you've been to Kings for any midwife appointments. I love the idea of a home birth - though I worry a bit about the poor neighbours and I'm nervous about it being my first time and getting too attached to the idea and then for whatever reason having to go into hospital. Do the Brierly midwives go with you into hospital if you have to go to hospital in the end? is it possible to keep both options open - or do you have to choose now? sorry to bombard you! feels like there's so much to learn

[The Nappy Lady]

Hiya,

Phone Brierly NOW and book yourself in. You don't need to go to Kings first, and the sooner you get with them the better.

Ask them whether they can book you in for the 12 week scan or whether your doctor has to do it (may be your doctor). You would also get a letter from Kings inviting you for your booking appointment with midwives, but you can just 'phone them and tell them you are with the Brierley if that happens and they just cross you off their list, no problem.

Don't worry about neighbours, even if they hear you, it is a one off occassion, and a VERY good reason - they will cope with it (mine was just mega excited as guessed what was happening and couldn't wait to see the new baby)! She didn't hear much anyway, was just aware of our lights on all night and midwives arriving etc.

You do have to accept you may have to go to Kings, but if you do then yes, Brierley will go with you and stay with you.

You can change your mind and have a hospital birth instead at any point, but if you don't book Brierly now it is highly unlikely you will be able to change your mind and get them later, so better to book home birth and change to hospital if you change your mind.

Keep asking!

Molly

x

[The Nappy Lady]

P.S. Brierley Office: 020 3299 6163

Usually someone there on weekday mornings, at other times leave a message and they will call you back.

xx

[Pickle]

I was about to respond, then saw Molly had beaten me to it :)

[The Nappy Lady]

Sorry Pickle, thought this was part of reren's other thread I'd already posted on...confused.

Should be typing nappy advice letters so will go and do that and stop hogging the forum :-$

Watch out - by the time you've been in NZ for a few weeks I'll have my stuff spread out all over the place, feet up on the settee in the Family Room, and all my beer/wine in the fridge!! PMSL. :))

Molly

xxxxx

[Pickle]

:))

However due to my ongoing addiction you'll all log on in the morning to find I've been talking to myself on threads all night!

Reren - don't worry about the noise, you may not be noisy in labour... having watched every birth-related programme I could find on TV in the run up to having my first I was convinced I would scream loud enough for my Mum to hear me in NZ, however I was the complete opposite and was very quiet!

[laurac]

Reren

I was completely the opposite to Pickle - surprised myself with the amount of primeval bellowing I did during the second stage of labour! I think at that stage though you couldn't care less about bothering your neighbours and our neighbour actually very oddly thought we were having a party - I'm not sure what that says about her idea of a good time! I definitely wouldn't let neighbourly considerations put you off a home birth - even if you do screech it won't be for that long...

Laura

[reren]

thank you thank you thank you - so helpful to have this advice - couldn't think of anything to ask the GP when I was there and of course had loads of questions afterwards! Its so weird at this stage when you don't know if its all going to be Ok and it doesn't seem real - really wonderful to have this advice.

[The Nappy Lady]

Enjoy it reren, it is the most magical time.

Molly :))

[nylonmeals]

As a first time pregnant women I echo a lot of the thoughts here. Change from The Gardens. I moved to DMC and The Lanes and it was a major improvement. Really happy I did. Best of luck! (oh and book your NCT if you haven't already)

[linzkg]

Forest Hill Road Surgery rocks! that's if that's possible when it comes to doctors ..

Completely agree with Molly - Brierley midwives are fantastic too!

Congratulations and all the best x

[reren]

Thank you for these last post - nylonmeals, do you think I should change from The Gardens even if I get a place with Brierley? Do you have much to do with the GP when you're pregnant - or is it really the midwife that counts? Would you recommend Forest Hill/oakwood over Brierley - or are they all equally good?

And NCT - wow, do i need to book that now - how to i do that - assume just get in touch with the nct?

[Natalie Doula]

Congratulations reren on your pregnancy!

Oakwood midwives are fantastic but Brierly are just as great. And NCT- trying calling Alison on 0844 243 6921 for Antenatal classes in our area (it's worth getting in as early as possible) and you could email Alice about Bumps and babes (weekly group for expectant and new parents) [email protected].

Natalie x

[jrthomas_uk]

Hi Renren,

I had my first baby with Brierley last year and had absolutely nothing to do with my GP, I had all my midwifery appointments at Dulwich Hospital and in the last month the midwives came to my home.

They do get booked up very quickley as only take on 18 ladies per month so I would call asap.

[sillywoman]

Hi reren, and congratulations.

Apologies for the long post that follows. I'll try and make some sense of the very fragmented maternity services that are available in our area. My information may be a little out of date as things change quickly, but I know that if I'm mistaken then some friendly forumite will correct me (please).

The way the system generally works in the UK is that once you're pregnant you see a midwife for antenatal care once a month or so until the last month when the appointments become closer together. Any health issues that aren't pregnancy related are still dealt with by your GP.

In my opinion the advice to switch surgeries is sound. If you're in the catchment for Oakwood midwives (based at Forest HIll Road surgery) then you're very lucky - they are one of the midwifery teams people fight to get into - but you need to move fast, they get booked up quickly and can only book a certain number of births each month. I would check before you switch GP that Oakwood can, in fact, take you.

Once with one of these community midwifery teams (Oakwood, Brierly, The Lanes etc.etc.) then all your antenatal care will be with them. Oakwood & Brierly are very pro homebirth, they aim to have one of their midwives attend you through your labour and birth, without changing shift, wherever you have your baby. This is only an aim & the ability to provide this service depends on a lot of things (who's available, how many hours they've already worked, how long your labour is, whether the team is running at full capacity, all sorts of stuff really). each of these teams is autonomous & operates in a slightly different way, but they all aim to practice 'caseload midwifery' i.e. you get allocated to a midwife (or a team of 2) & she's yours for the duration.

At the Gardens, your antenatal care will be done by either Stella or the other midwife now based there (whose name I can't remember - sorry). If they are busy (and I must say the feedback I've had is that often they are & it can be quite hard to get appointments - though this may have improved since just before Christmas?) They won't attend your labour or birth, you will either have hospital midwives on the labour ward (watch 'one born every minute' to get a sense of a busy city labour ward & the care you can expect there), or a midwife from King East Team, if you plan a homebirth through them.

After the birth you will be visited at home, for the first 10 days by your community midwives (if there's an issue for you or your baby they may keep you on their books, i.e. carry on visiting you, for up to 28 days post birth. If you stay with the gardens you'll be visited by a community midwife from the East team.

Once you & baby are signed off from the midwives at 10 or 28 days, your care is then shared. Any general health issues for either of you will be dealt with by the GP, any developmental issues for your baby are dealt with by the Health Visitor (there's a thread on them somewhere on here). There is a certain amount of crossover in the early months, but generally then things settle down and it becomes clearer as to who deals with what as your baby grows.

The main advantage of the community teams is that you have the opportunity to get to know your midwife, and for her(or him!) to get to know you. So the chance of you having a midwife with you through labour & birth who knows your history, fears & anxieties is high - though not absolutely guaranteed. The same midwife also has a high chance of being the one to care for you & your baby once you get home. You don't get this opportunity through the antenatal service at the Gardens as it is just a standard hospital based service.

Hope this helps, PM me if you think I may be able to help you with any further info.