Hospital Bookings?

staticdoor71

I have been reading a few threads on here about people "making bookings" with their hospital, trying to decide on public vs private and which hospital to use... and I'm confused and afraid I may have missed something??

When I found out I was pregnant I went to my doc who confirmed it, and filled in a form for me (a mother baby scheme i think I'm not sure). and nothing more was said about it..

Then on Friday I got a letter from the hospital with an appointment in Sept... Which I assume is my first scan as I will be 13 weeks then...

So im confused.. have I missed something?? Is there something I'm supposed to do that I havent?? I feel a little thick about all of this.. First timer, and feeling useless

Any help or advice you can give me would be great...

Its times like this I really wish my Mum was still alive.. I feel like Ive no one to ask for advice..

Thanks in advance ladies

Oral Slang

Hi, I booked my own appointment, so handy that this was done for you. I got an appointment at 12 weeks - going public with the Rotunda. I gave a urine sample and got a full blood check. The midwife takes all of your details, medical history, weight, bp etc. Then you go to see the doctor who will do a dating scan & hopefully get a picture of the baby. That's what happened with me, but can't speak for other hospitals I'm afraid.

If you have no medical problems & are going public, I'd advise going with the midwife clinic if this is an option in your hospital. There are no queues - literally in & out & if there is any problem, you'll get to see a doctor. So glad I went this route, at my last appointment there were 2 of us to see the midwife & seemed like about 30 to see the doctors.

Moonbeam

If you are not in Dublin and there is only 1 maternity hospital it might be a case that your doctor just presumed you were going public and booked the hospital for you.
In Dublin we have a choice of 4 hospitals so you have to choose a hospital decide on public,private or semi private and book it as early as possible especially if not public.

staticdoor71

ah, ok, cool

so my work has been done for me so to speak?

thats ok.. i was seriously freaking out!!!

foxinsocks

Just a tip or two, mainly because there are a couple of things I wish I had known before my first scan.

1: Bring a urine sample with you, you can get the sterile containers really cheaply from your local chemist. On my first, I found I was expected to somehow know this without anyone ever telling me...
2: You are supposed to have a full bladder so they can get a proper look. This can be tough, especially if (as with a lot of the public clinics) you have to sit there for quite a while. Bring something to read to keep your mind off your exploding bladder

The form your doctor filled out will cover visits to your GP (if they are pregnancy related) and the ob/gyn clinics, so you don't have to pay for any pregnancy related medical expenses (regardless of whether or not you have a medical card). They are limited to a certain number of visits free though, some GP's charge if you go over that number, some don't. Personally, my pregnancy has been a tad complicated, so I've only actually seen my GP once, all other appointments have been with my obstetrician.

Finally, congratulations!

Oral Slang

foxinsocks wrote: »

Just a tip or two, mainly because there are a couple of things I wish I had known before my first scan.

1: Bring a urine sample with you, you can get the sterile containers really cheaply from your local chemist. On my first, I found I was expected to somehow know this without anyone ever telling me...
Finally, congratulations!

Yeah, definitely bring your own sample & use your first wee of the day. They told me in the hospital to start to wee, stop, then take sample because that's the best type. I didn't bring one on my first visit, so had to give one while there. As I'd been drinking a lot of water so the scan was clearer, my urine was very diluted, which resulted in me being asked to come back & give a 2nd sample on another day.