First doctors appointment and booking a hospital

S

staceycolyer

Registered User
I have just had a positive result on 3 home pregnancy tests. According to my dates and checking info online, I am 4 weeks along (but this is not confirmed). I phoned the doctor that I thought I would like to use to ask when I should book my first appointment and they said 8 weeks time. That would make me 3 months already. Did she mean the first appointment should be at 8 weeks, in which case that would be in 4 weeks time? I would like to get a blood test to confirm the pregnancy as soon as possible, but the doctors office was not very obliging. I was under the impression that hospitals got booked up really quickly in Hong Kong so you should get your pregnancy confirmed asap to book your place in your chosen hospital.
I'm very confused as to what is the next step.
Also, any recommendations on OBGYNs would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
 
Hi,

Be happy that your doctor is not the ultrasound kind of doctor, as nothing can be seen as early as now. 8 weeks is just 2 months preggy.

I went to see my OB on the day i had positive HPT (4 weeks), but it's because i know i need to have progesterone for support as i am on "high risk" age. No blood test for him as he said it's not that important, the most important thing is to hear a heartbeat. He then told me to come back on the 7th week to see if there is a heartbeat. So 7th or 8th is not a big difference.

My first OB with my first pregnancy, i had blood test, he wanted me to lie down to see the sac (that was 4th week) which i refused so he's kinda upset on my reaction, i know at that time nothing can be seen nor heard. I was scared to look at him getting blood and he told me that i should be more scared of childbirth as some mom dies from it. It was my first pregnancy and i don't need a doctor who scares me, i was gonna tell him that he has chance to die from a car accident too but i just left his office and did not go back to him again. I end up paying him almost $1,500.

Anyways, don't worry, just take a rest, eat healthy, if you really need to see him early, then 7th week is already okay, just ask the nurse to make a booking on that week.

Oh, for the hospital, you are right, at 4th week, he asked me where do i want, not sure if he did make a booking right away, but on the 9th week, i got the confirmation from the hospital.

Congratulations!
 
I would say it's worth getting a blood test to confirm your pregnancy (as crystall 88 said an ultra sound so early won't show much) but they can tell far more by hormone levels. The hospital will need to blood test as proof of pregnancy in order to book you in and for peace of mind do this sooner rather then later. We saw the doctor at 9 weeks and did get into one hospital but the other was already full!

Don't forget you are the pregnant one so at any point in your pregnancy if you have a worry or concern (no matter how silly you may feel about it!) just go to the doctor....afterall you have lots of preggers hormones to blame if the doctor does think you're over reacting!
 
Most doctors won't see you until 10-12 weeks unless you have issues. With my first I had to wait until 12 weeks. With the twins we found out a 6 1/2 weeks along because I had a miscarriage before and therefore early blood work and then an early u/s done.

Besides taking folic acid there is not much you can do the first trimester and doctors aren't able to add a great deal. If it goes right, it goes right, it not, there's unfortunately nothing you can do about it. I know from experience.

Miscarriages are common, about 20-25%, in the first trimester, so it's usually just a matter of "surviving" the first 12 weeks. Your EDD will be the first day of your last period + 40 weeks. You'll count how far along you are based on that first day of your LMP.

However, if you do have questions you should always ask. But you should be fine having your first appointment and bloodwork done at around 10-12 weeks.

Congrats and a healthy pregnancy.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I think the thing I am worried about is the booking of the hospital. I have read over and over again that you need to book a hospital really early. I am happy to wait till 8 weeks to get everything checked, but don't want waiting too long to go to a doctor to affect my chances of getting into my chosen hospital. The blood test (or whatever 'check' they would do) would just be for my own peace of mind - want it to be confirmed. So I guess I need to wait till 8 weeks to see the doctor and they will hopefully be able to book me into my chosen hospital?
 
Having recurrent miscarriages by the past, I went to see my doctor as soon as I new I was pregnant, and I had a scan (7 weeks from the last periods), and we could hear the heart beat. From that day I had a treatment to give me more chance to keep my baby (not to make it long, it worked :)).
You have to feel confident with any doctor you will choose, he has to answer your questions and help you through the booking process.
They booked the hospital when I was 5 months pregnant, and it was during the big births period last year. I had no problem to have a room.
Congratulations !! :yeah2
 
I have just phoned another doctor who said that they can only book the hospital at 9 weeks. Although, from what I have read on other threads, you can never be 100% certain that you will actually end up in the hospital you think you have booked.
Thanks for the info everyone.

:thanks
 
i went to the doctor as soon as i found out that i was pregnant. we had a scan and could already see the heartbeat. at this time i was only 6 weeks pregnant. i also booked the bed straight away. it wasn't a problem to book the bed that early. just go if you feel like going, i don't think any doctor will send you back home. it is such a special think and it is only normal that you want to be certain. congatulations and good luck
 
I saw my doctor at 6 weeks with this pregnancy but my room was only booked at 9 weeks.To my knowledge the Matilda will only take a booking at 9 weeks and accompanied by the relevant blood work.
 
ninahh said:
i went to the doctor as soon as i found out that i was pregnant. we had a scan and could already see the heartbeat. at this time i was only 6 weeks pregnant. i also booked the bed straight away. it wasn't a problem to book the bed that early. just go if you feel like going, i don't think any doctor will send you back home. it is such a special think and it is only normal that you want to be certain. congatulations and good luck
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I agree that you can see h/b. My twins were discovered at 6w4d with 2 h/b (early check due to previous m/c). As for certainty, unfortunately there isn't in the first trimester, I guess there never is, but again, m/c rates are high (20-25%) and docs and nobody else can prevent them so that's why most doctors usually see patients that early, unless there are medical reasons (be sure to tell them when you call!). I miscarried at 11 weeks, lost the h/b at 9-10 weeks. I am not saying this to scare you, I had 2 beautiful children soon after, but it's reality.
 
Actually, a really good OB will often to blood work and a scan as early as possible, You can see the fetal pole from as early as 6 weeks. A heartbeat from 6+.

If blood work turns up an issue (ie. antibodies of indication of an immune or blood disorder) then early treatment can lessn the risk of a miscarriage. So it's a bit of a misnomer to say that you 'can't see anything' at 6-8 weeks. By eight weeks I had three scans already to be able to plot the course of treatment.
 
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