Referral?

Since this is to do with my health and wellbeing  


I went straight to the doctor after finding out I was pregnant. I was on holiday so it wasn't my family doctor but he did a blood test and measured all of my levels, then gave me a letter and a copy of the results to take to my doctor when I arrived home. So last Monday I make an appointment with the doctor, hoping that after giving him the things from the other doctor that he would refer me for an ultrasound. He ordered another blood test anyway and told me to come back in 1-2 weeks for the results. I can't understand why it should take a week, let alone 2! So I made an appointment for the following Monday and that was it.


Today I went for my appointment and he pretty much says:

"Okay so you're pregnant, I'll send a referral to the hospital and they'll send you a letter with an appointment sometime within the next 4 weeks." Right now I'm somewhere between 7-8 weeks pregnant and so according to him, I don't need any type of care or ultrasounds or anything between now and 12 weeks?! Is this right?! Should I make an appointment with someone else or do I just have to wait until I go to the hospital appointment?

That's fairtly typical. Unless you're high risk, the initial appointment is usually around week 12.

Quoting Bettinas:" Since this is to do with my health and wellbeing   I went straight to the doctor after finding ... [snip!] ... this right?! Should I make an appointment with someone else or do I just have to wait until I go to the hospital appointment?"

A lot of docs don't do u/s until later unless you are high risk.

Quoting Bettinas:" Since this is to do with my health and wellbeing   I went straight to the doctor after finding ... [snip!] ... this right?! Should I make an appointment with someone else or do I just have to wait until I go to the hospital appointment?"

I didnt have my first appointment n no prenatal care till 11 weeks...with twins...

I think it's normal if nothing is wrong and your not bleeding or anything to wait. I think my second one which would have been my first if I was high risk was at 18 weeks.

This is so different to last time, I think that's why I'm worried. With my last pregnancy I went to the doctor and he sent me off for an ultrasound the next day! That was at 6 weeks and then I came back the next week and he did a full blood analysis. This guy has just done the same quantitative blood screening that I had done a few weeks ago and said nothing more!

my first u/s wasn't until 12 weeks
but if you want one for your own piece of mind I know you can go to a screening place (rather than the hospital) to get it done, may be out of pocket expenses though

Everyone keeps saying I either don't need one or that I should see someone new! I'm so conflicted! And I wouldn't want to pay out of pocket unless it were a bigger view like the 18 week one because money doesn't grow on trees  

My mum reminded me of a few things today that I completely forgot about from last night so I may need to have them checked sooner, rather than later anyway! I guess it'll be back to the doctor again  

We live in Australia!

You should have been offered a referral for a dating scan straight away, if I were you I'd change doctors.

Mine went a bit like this.

I got BPF.

Sw my gp, had antenatal serology or something (blood tests)

Got the results (a few days later), at that same appointment she gave me a referral for a dating scan.

Waiting two weeks before getting dating scan because hcg seemed low for how far I expected to be.

I went on holiday, found out I was pregnant, had my levels checked and the doctor gave me the results to give my doctor when I got home. He ordered another blood test to check things out (at that point, I was annoyed but I guessed he wanted to make sure things were going alright) and then asked me to go back a week later. I go back and he pretty much clicks a few buttons and says "yeah, you're pregnant. The hospital will contact you." And I STILL haven't heard from them!

<blockquote><b>Quoting Bettinas:</b>" I went on holiday, found out I was pregnant, had my levels checked and the doctor gave me the results ... [snip!] ... much clicks a few buttons and says "yeah, you're pregnant. The hospital will contact you." And I STILL haven't heard from them!"</blockquote>



That does not sound at all right, or professional of him :/

I've been getting mixed opinions from everyone about this. A lot of people I know have said that they never had anything happen until 13 weeks, others say that they had great care from their doctor from the start! One girl I know is now 12 weeks and her doctor has referred her for 3 ultrasounds already just because he wanted to see how things were going. I still haven't even had one!