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UK - Can someone please explain?

pgfairy

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I don't get the midwife situation, can someone please explain it to me? Are they nurses? Can they perform procedures like taking blood doing PAP smears, putting in IV's? Can they use fetal monitors like ultrasounds and dopplers? Can they dispense any medications? When will a midwife refer to a doctor? Do they refer to your doctor or do they refer to an associated OB?

I'm very confused and everything I find online is pretty vague. I get that they keep track of you and your progress etc. I just don't really understand what things I should be getting from a midwife and when I should see my GP and I would go on what my midwife says but I sort of got the impression that if there was any way to make it someone else's problem that was what she'd do. Thanks for any insight anybody has!
 
A midwife is a specialist nurse. They have completed a nursing degree, and specialised in midwifery, or they have completed a specific midwifery degree.

They are qualified in care of pregnant ladies, and infants. They can prescribe, draw blood, do vaginal examinations, perform episiotomies and deliver babies all without the help of a doctor / consultant.

In the uk if you are low risk you will only recieve care from midwives, if you require more extensive treatment or are high risk (age / weight / conditions already present) you will see a 'consultant' who are doctors who have specialised in obs & gynae. The birth may still be under midwife care with a doctor on hand if necessary. Consultants are there for vacuum deliveries, forceps and c sections, a midwife is not allowed to perform these.

You do not see a GP for anything pregnancy related, and your first port of call with regards to baby should be your midwife. If you are unwell in other areas then you would make a GP appointment as normal.
 
I'm expecting my third baby and most of my care will be through my midwife. I saw the doctor to say I was pregnant and then I think I see him again at 38 weeks but that's it. When I had my second baby I got automatically sent to the midwife led unit and literally had one midwife and a student midwife there while I delivered I don't recall seeing a doctor at all
 
That helps, thank you. It also raises a few more questions..

Can they give flu jabs? Am I Ok to see another nurse for a smear or should the midwife do it since I'm pregnant? At my booking appointment should my midwife have taken blood and a urine sample?
 
That helps, thank you. It also raises a few more questions..

Can they give flu jabs? Am I Ok to see another nurse for a smear or should the midwife do it since I'm pregnant? At my booking appointment should my midwife have taken blood and a urine sample?

Regarding the flu jab it should either be your GP or practise nurse (nurse situated in your GP surgery).

As far as your booking in appointment goes I think it varies. When I was last pregnant (5years ago) I had a midwife come to the house and take my medical history and give me my scan date. Once I went for my scan I got weighed, height measured and blood taken then I got my scan. This time I will get my booking in appointment which will include bloods and height and weight and medical history then I'll get my scan date!

As for the smear tests I don't think you'll get one if you're pregnant. I was due one last time I was pregnant but had to wait til after my 6week post natal checks.

Hope that makes sense!
 
The above poster has pretty much got it covered, but you shouldn't be having a smear when you're preg I don't think, safe to 6weeks after i'm sure x
 
ok with regards to the smear I am not due for a routine one I am on scheduled ones after a colposcopy. I understand the risks of pregnancy interfering with the results but I am going to have to insist on getting one, they do them routinely in the US its not a risk to the pregnancy. So midwife or practice nurse?
 
I'm pretty sure they won't due a pap unless you've had some recent major issues. I'm due one in march so I'll be 6 months late getting mine.
 
As your pregnant you will need to talk to the GP about the pap. They may not want you to but it sounds like you have some medical need so def discuss with them.
 
Midwives aren't nurses midwives are midwives (although some may have trained as nurses before hand not all are)

Midwives deliver care for pregnant women in non complicated pregnancies high risk pregnancies will most likely be seen by consultants and midwives. They can dispense SOME medication but not all there is a special list, they use dopplers do examinations. Basically midwives do everything in pregnancy apart from extreme medical procedures like c sections.
Everyone says in the Us that the doctors are just the baby catchers pretty much? Where as midwives deliver babies and also offer post natal care and help with breastfeeding etc.

They are 100 per cent accountable for themselves as a medical professional and are no way close to a doula although they do also provide emotional support. They provide antenatal care too it depends what type or midwife you are community etc and they also run parent classes and work shops x
 
You need to ring your doctors and get you booked in with the midwife. In early stages of pregnancy they only see you once and you'll get booked in for your 12 week scan but as you get fuehrer along you'll see them much more often. You can also decide if you would like a home birth wih midwife or hospital birth xx
 
:wacko::dohh: My GP's office is not exactly spectacular. I had one doctor tell me the chicken pox virus doesn't itch for crying out loud.

I think I am going to really struggle with the quality of my local healthcare providers this pregnancy.

](*,)
 
You need to ring your doctors and get you booked in with the midwife. In early stages of pregnancy they only see you once and you'll get booked in for your 12 week scan but as you get fuehrer along you'll see them much more often. You can also decide if you would like a home birth wih midwife or hospital birth xx

Thanks I have had my booking appointment. :thumbup:
 
Do you have the option to explore other hospitals (and midwives) pgfairy? Do you have more than one hospital that's relatively local? I have my booking appointment tomorrow but I'm already concerned about the quality of care I'll receive at my local hospital, so I'm going yo research a few that are further afield x
 
Not all midwives will draw blood too. Mine just had a chat with me and sent me to the nearest hospital for testing. She gave me the prescription exemption form (oh, must send that off). I see her again at 16 weeks.

I see my GP again at about 28 weeks for the whooping cough vaccine. I got my flu jab from the practise nurse.
 
Thanks His. unfortunately because of my location which is sort of....disconnected I have a choice of hospitals but the midwife covers both. Don't get me wrong she absolutely seems like the kind of woman I would want around for the birth itself, she's supportive while still being pretty no-nonsense, I just think growing up with a different kind of healthcare system sometimes makes the nhs a little tough to get used to.
 
I can understand that. It's nice to have someone you know that will ultimately get the job done but it would nice if they were a little personable too. I'm in a similar boat with hospitals, we're out in the sticks so our 'local' hospital is 30-35 minutes away. I'm from London so I'm used to be 10 minutes away from a hospital wherever I am, so the distance definitely makes me a little nervous.

I can understand why it's difficult to get your head around the healthcare system here. I have a lot of American colleagues that struggle to understand it- even those that have been here for 5+ years!
 
I don't think you're meant to have a pap smear during pregnancy. I got a reminder for my 3 yearly one just after I found out and I called the nurse at my doctor's office to check - she said no, they don't do it when you're pregnant and she put me on a one year recall list.

I'm not sure if this changes if you're high risk for something, you'd just have to check.
 
In the US it is standard to do a pelvic exam and pap at your first appointment. My OB was fine with me declining until postnatal though. They still do them annually here too, not the every 3 years that is now recommended. Sounds like the OP may need one though, I am sure they are perfectly safe as they are done as a routine matter here.

personally, I would much prefer the midwifery model of care for pregnancy here.
 
Thanks His. unfortunately because of my location which is sort of....disconnected I have a choice of hospitals but the midwife covers both. Don't get me wrong she absolutely seems like the kind of woman I would want around for the birth itself, she's supportive while still being pretty no-nonsense, I just think growing up with a different kind of healthcare system sometimes makes the nhs a little tough to get used to.

I've had 2 babies and neither of my midwives helped me give birth. The midwife who does your primary care general doesn't help you give birth as they are a community midwife. If you give birth at the hospital they already have a team of doctors and midwives to help you and if its a home birth you have the home birth midwife team. Sometime your midwife might be on this though. Hope that makes sense.
 

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