Positive Pregnancy Test – What Next?

Everyone has their own pregnancy and  fertility journey.

For us, I had a medical consideration due to my Iron levels and a history of blood clotting, meaning that I would have to be very careful and watchful as I would need to be ready to take Iron supplements from six weeks into my pregnancy.

So, when we decided to start trying to conceive I was very organised and was checking monthly when my period was due, to the day, using an app on my phone to track it. When I did get my positive pregnancy test I phoned my GP straight away to make an appointment so they could verify the pregnancy and then give me a referral letter to a maternity hospital.

At the appointment, the GP gave me a urine test to check the pregnancy and then asked when my last period was, ideally if you can have this detail to hand it’s great. I did, as I had been tracking my dates with the app on my phone, but if you don’t, don’t worry too much as the doctor in the hospital can still estimate your size and how you are tracking along based on estimates.

So, at this stage we had to start thinking about our preference for a particular maternity hospital. For me, my preference was The National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, I was born there and also I had attended appointments for gynecology in the past. At the time of my medical scare in 2013, I was referred there to check on my ovaries and ensure all was in working order as my body had been through so much and was in such bad shape, thankfully all was ok and they assured me I would be able to have children, but I remember thinking at the time that when I am having my kids, I will have them here in Holles Street.

The next decision to make is whether to go private, semi-private or public.

I went public on both my children, attending the Hematology Clinic in Holles Street. I cannot speak highly enough of the team of Doctors, Midwives and Nurses who work there! I went semi private on admission for the delivery of both children.

For me, I wasn’t sure how to approach the decision initially, I was lucky enough to have cover for private via my employer-provided healthcare package, however because of my health the midwife suggested it would probably be best to go public and attend the hematology clinic on a regular basis for monitoring due to my history of clotting, the level of care and regularity of consultations was best suited to my particular case.

I have heard people speak very highly of the Domino Scheme, if you have good health and a straightforward pregnancy it can be ideal. I know it gives a bit more flexibility for mothers in terms of appointments and delivery, especially if it is not your first child and you have the experience of having done it all before.

If you do decide to go private or semi-private you immediately see that having a baby is not cheap! Although, you are delivering a person from your body so you want to be as comfortable as possible and you will most likely only do it a handful of times in your lifetime, so if you can afford private or it suits your situation to have more privacy, I hear it is a great experience!

In the end, I spent the first night of my stay in the public ward after my son was born, I was so out of it after a hemorrhage and a blood transfusion following delivery, there was confusion in relation to my chart as I had gone public with my appointments at the hematology clinic and I was not lucid enough to notice where I was ending up! I have to say, it was lovely, the ward was great and the nurses and midwives were super-supportive.

I did love the comradery of being in a ward with other mothers, I have heard people say that when you go private it can be quite lonely in the room by yourself and can be quite a long day, especially on your first child when you are not sure what you are doing!

I found it great, especially on my first child, to hear the interactions other mothers were having with their babies. Also the hustle and bustle of the ward, with midwives coming and going and doctors or lactation consultants visiting was often a welcome distraction that made the hours pass quicker. However, if you have had a bad delivery and need some sleep or it is not your first child and you just want some peace and quiet, perhaps you would love the privacy of a room to yourself, it really is a very personal choice in the end.

In terms of appointments, after your initial consultation with the GP, they will give you a referral to the maternity hospital. At which point you’ll need to scurry across the road so no one sees you entering the building for your first appointment with the midwife where she/he will fill out your chart and start you on your (busy!) journey. You should get an outline of when your visits will be, most likely between two to three weeks apart with regular visits to your GP in between, up until 36 weeks at which point it becomes every week.

For me I felt it was useful to have a rough outline of when the appointments would be to juggle work and know when I would need to take time off, also you can work out when you will be 20 weeks and be getting ‘the big scan’ to determine the babies overall health and discover the gender of the baby if you so chose.