So the Antenatal Triage take you in after 17 weeks of pregnancy. So if you have any issues in regards to your pregnancy, you would go there for an emergency check. Anything minor they tell you to go to your doctors for, but I would always ring them for advice because it's hard to know what is classed as an emergency in pregnancy world.
One thing you hear over and over in pregnancy is to keep track of your babies movements and if they change or reduce, you should tell your midwife. Now I haven't had a community midwife this pregnancy because she has been on leave. So the number I have for her should basically be null and void. If I have had any worries I have rung the antenatal ward for advice, much to their displeasure.
I personally have been up the ward about four times during pregnancy. Three times were for reduced movements and one was for spotting. All times they have hooked the bump up to a heart monitor and have tested my urine (sent it off to the lab) as well as my blood pressure. So they check you more thoroughly than a community midwife or doctor would.
If hadn't gone up there those few times I wouldn't have known I had GBS in my urine which is linked to premature labour. When they find Group B strep in your urine (opposed to just a swab) they like to treat you with antibiotics instantly, I don't know the reasons why but it is obviously a threat to the baby if they feel the need to treat you on the spot. So they gave me antibiotics to take orally for a week. They found GBS in my urine twice, once at 28 weeks and again at 37 weeks but both times I went there for different reasons (nothing to do with Group B Strep). Doctors do not test for group b strep in urine unless you insist, so I felt like everything happened for a reason for me to go down there and have everything checked out because although my other issues were nothing in the end, I did need treatment for something I was unaware of.
Every time I rung them up I contemplated it for ages. 'Am I being a hypochondriac? Probably.' But I never wanted to risk my babies health because I felt a bit embarrassed or felt as though I was an inconvenience. I joined a lot of facebook groups for babies due around the same time as me and a lot of them said DO NOT overthink going in for a check, if you feel like something is off then you are probably right. Some even said they had spates of going in for checks daily. You should never feel like you're being a drama queen because what if your instinct is telling you something is off like it was for me.
So the bottom line is, don't panic throughout your pregnancy but if you do have random moments of feeling like something is off or not quite right, I would recommend calling the antenatal ward. No symptom or lack of movement is overlooked like it could possibly be by a GP. Your local doctors are not trained in pregnancy related issues. I have even had to explain to my GP that if Group B Strep is found in your urine you need antibiotics and NO it does not always flag up as a water infection. They can't seem to wrap their heads around it because generally GBS is not something that is diagnosed or treated for by default. So I have insisted for swabs and samples to be sent off a couple of times because I am not risking anything!
P.S I recommend joining Facebook groups, even the American ones - Mine are 'Babies Due in July 2018' I'm in about 5 different ones and they have really helped my mentality when I've had worries and questions.
