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Anastasia’s pregnancy diary – weeks 22-24

Anastasia is a freelance writer living in London with her husband, Nick. They have been married for 3 years and are expecting their first baby. This is Anastasia’s diary at week 22 of her pregnancy

How much is too much?

As an American in London, I enjoy the differences between the two countries and, although I have been here for six years, I find new ones all the time. The way a woman is treated medically, during pregnancy, is a big one. Since I’ve never had a baby in the US, it’s all new to me, but I have friends and a sister-in-law in the States who have made the differences very clear.

In the states, the approach is very, shall we say, hands-on. Since there is no NHS, all medical care is private (provided at a cost to both the individual and his/her employer). Once you’ve got the positive pregnancy test under your belt, you get on the ‘pre-natal train’, which has about ten times more stops than the ‘antenatal train’ you’ll find here in England (at least in my experience). For example, when my little stick showed two lines, I immediately called my GP and asked to come in. My first appointment consisted of filling out a form and receiving an information booklet. Not even a confirmation of my pregnancy. I was out of there in two minutes flat – my next appointment would be eight weeks later. In Chicago, however, my sister-in-law was immediately scanned, had blood taken, a full exam, weight, medical history, nutritional advice and a given little card to note her next appointment – two weeks later. And the pre-natal primary caregiver is an obstetrician/gynaecologist – all doctors and no midwives.

The next time I had any antenatal contact was my first midwife ‘booking-in’ appointment. After several questions and a blood pressure check, she told me my next appointment was three months later. Meanwhile, my sister in law has visited the doctor at least every three weeks, moving up to every two weeks as of week 25. On every appointment, she’s given a urine test, blood pressure, weight, measurement of her bump, and a great long talk about how she's doing. That’s what I miss most of all. I’d love to just have someone to complain to legitimately. But every time I have had midwife visit (a grand total of two), they have seemed so rushed and overworked that, I wouldn’t dare waste their time asking silly questions (even though I have a long list of them).

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