Does anyone else feel a bit in the dark?.....Little Rant, sorry!!

[sweetthang24]

I'm so excited to finally be saying i'm pregnant, this is my first pregnancy and i'm kind of just a bit lost.

My MW appoint isn't until 15th April where i will be nearly 10 wks. but until that point i'm not sure what i should be doing.

I feel that 1st time mums should be seen sooner to give them an idea of what to expect, what to eat and so on.

If it wasn't for you guys on here i wouldn't know half the things i do, but surely thats not right?

i dont even know if my MW books a scan for me or if i have to do it,

Sorry Rant over....... but does anyone else feel like this?

xxx

 

[missmousemum2]

Hiya luv,

I know EXACTLY how you feel.

When I discovered I was pregnant, my doctor didn't even check me or want to see me or anything, just said they'd send on a referral and I'd receive a midwife appointment.

At our hospital, we have our 1st midwife appointment and scan all at the same time, so I didn't see anyone until I was over 12 weeks!

As a first timer, I think that is totally outrageous! I was a nervous wreck for weeks - didn't have a clue. Of course, everyone that's had a baby before is keen to offer advice, the only trouble I had was that everyones advice was conflicting...

If it hadn't been for this site, i doubt I'd still be (relatively) sane!

Hang in the love, believe it or not, the time will actually fly in.

H xx

 

[lovehearts]

Hiya,

i am exactly the same as you. I have got my first doctors appointment tonight at 6 and im very nervous - i know they dont do anything there but im worried about all the waiting to come!! I dont think i can wait another 2 months to see if everythings ok.

I bought the book 'what to expect when your expecting' on saturday which has been great to read when i have a worry or a question.

Im not sure about the scan - its my first too.

Good luck xxx

 

[Kitten-B]

I couldn't agree more! In fact was just ranting about it in a different thread! It is crazy isn't it? There seems to be so much you can do in the first trimester as well that is risky. I guess they aren't interested as of the high mc rate at this stage but that just seems insane. I mean every child born will have been in this stage at some point.

Before I get pregnant I knew I had to give up smoking, could only have the odd glass of wine and should get someone else to change the litter tray. That was it. And I probably thought I was quite well informed! I had no idea views of even the odd glass of wine were so mixed, on caffeine limitations, on rare meat, blue cheese, soft cheeses, oysters, various types of exercise like sit-ups, various types of vitamins etc etc.

And I had no idea what symptoms to expect and more importantly which were worrying, Had cramps in my side to start with and read about eptopic pregnancies and panicked but of course had no idea whether I should be panicking or not.

Would def be nice to have had a chat with someone! Esp as I am sticking to the traditional not telling anyone for 3 months.

X

 

[babyjiva]

yep. i feel that way too.

well some tips i've learned along the way.... there are a ton of nice sites about keeping morning sickness to a minimum and the tricks really work.

my doctor said to drink half my body weight in ounces of water each day.
definitely be taking folic acid or a prenatal that has folic acid in it
sugar and protein are very important right now...but be careful not to overdue the sugar
other than that just eat a well balanced meal. its best to eat many small meals a day than to sit down to three large meals because they can be hard to digest and upset your stomach.
you should average only 300 calories more a day than you used to (doctors orders)

hope that helps a bit. those are the things she stressed... the obvious stuff is to eat fruit, veggies, nuts, dairy... so little one gets all he/she needs

 

[Xx-Lauren-xX]

completly agree. this is my first pregnancy and i cant believe how alone i feel! its stupid. my doctor appointment was a waste of time she booked me a midwife appointment weeks away, saying 'no point' in having one anytime soon as still in the early stages...thanks for the reassurance! then gave me no advice...didnt even test me to confirm pregnancy! lukily the weeks have gone quicker than i thought and my first midwife appointment is in 8 days time. but i feel ive had no support..i havnt a clue what to do, im rather scared tbh! just hope the midwife is more helpful! xx

 

[fairypop]

Me too. The receptionist made me feel like I was stupid asking to see a doctor, with a 'you don't see a doctor when you a pregnant, you see the midwife' comment. I went today to see a doc about the pains I am having and was seen by a triage nurse who was useless and didn't really help atall and said, come back if it gets worse!! Thanks for the helpful advice! I asked her about when symptoms started and she said she didn't know!! Also, she said if it were ectopic (as I am worrying it is), I think the pain would be lower down. 'think' - umm that was reassuring.

 

[pinklizzy]

I've been feeling exactly the same as you ladies, although I'm fortunate that my mum is a health visitor so she's been able ask the midwives questions for me.
Basically to try and eat as balanced a diet as poss, avoid pate/soft cheese etc, drink lots and eat dry biscuits and crackers for morning sickness.
I have a scan on April 12th so I suppose I'll know more then, not even sure how far gone I am although thought MS didn't start until 6 weeks

 

[eckarta]

I think why they do that is so that once you hit the 10-12 weeks your chance of miscarriage drops significantly.. LIke here in the states if everyone went to the doctor when they found out they were pregnant the OBGYN's would have such a huge case load.. and there really isnt much you can do early on anyway.. take your vitamins and keep yourself healthy.. ya know.. i think they just figure that we will read books or just KNOW what to do... but i can see both sides of it (working in a medical setting)

 

[Essjay]

well this is my second baby and let me tell you.. my little boy is 3 in july and i know its not that long ago since i was last pregnant but i still needed reminding on what i can and cant eat and stuff.. i totally forgot all of that stuff.. and when i first saw my GP to confirm my pregnancy she never even gave me any leaflets about what to avoid and stuff.. its wrong.. they should give you some books to read over while you wait to see your midwife.

 

[rai]

well this is my second baby and let me tell you.. my little boy is 3 in july and i know its not that long ago since i was last pregnant but i still needed reminding on what i can and cant eat and stuff.. i totally forgot all of that stuff.. and when i first saw my GP to confirm my pregnancy she never even gave me any leaflets about what to avoid and stuff.. its wrong.. they should give you some books to read over while you wait to see your midwife.

I think you hit the nail on the head. They should definetly give some pamphlets, reccomend books, or direct you to a website with the essential information they want you to know. My OB/GYN didn't even ask if I was taking folic acid or needed prenatal pills (and there is not way they could have known that I was). I mean if it wasn't for me being proactive and searching out information, I wouldn't even know which foods to avoid or not to go in a jacuzzi, etc. I think most people will know the important stuff (don't drink, don't take drugs), but there's so much other information out there that many people are just not aware of. Like, when I saw in my book that I should avoid hot dogs, and feta cheese I was like OMG! I was actually thinking about making a dish with feta cheese this week.

And someone mentioned here about seeing it from both sides.. My mom just retired (like in January) from being a head nurse. And she was surprised when I told her that my 1st appt wouldn't be until 7-10 weeks (I was lucky to get an appt at 7 weeks). She told me that at her clinic, they liked to see the mom at least 2 weeks afer she confirmed the pregnancy in order to talk with her about prenatal care. I know every hospital, clinic, practice, etc have different policies, but you hear so much about prenatal care and the first couple of weeks is so important for brain and spinal development...

Hmmn, that reminds me, I need to call my health insurance. They have a prenatal program for moms (if you enroll in the first trimester you get a $50 giftcard I think).