When should the first antenatal doctor's visit be?

L

ladypilot

Registered User
I called Queen Mary Hospital to make an appointment for registration today. After the lady took down some general info, she gave me a date but it is around the 10th/11th week or so. Isn't this a bit late or is that normal for the public Hong Kong system?

If I choose to do some private antenatal visits at my own costs, which week of pregnancy should the first appointment be? Any advice or insight would be appreciated!! Thanks!
 
I don't know the rules but I went to my first visit as soon as I found out I was pregnant -- that was even before I missed my period.
 
I would say wait until you are suppose to be able to see/hear baby's heartbeat - that is probably why they suggested week 10/11.
 
That's beacuse nothing really happens until around the 12th week where you may have a scan and blood tests. The only thing that they can really do before then is confirm you are pregnant(which you obviously already know.) Any visits before then are unnecessary and you have to wonder whether it is just so the doctor can charge an extra visit.
 
If you have your 1st appointment before 6th week, there is actually not much the doctor can do, because you won't be able to see your baby's heartbeat on ultrasound yet. To me, I think 10/11th week is a bit too late because if you plan to do oscar test (which has to be done around 11/12th week), you need to book it at least one month in advance as it is always full, whether you go for private and public system. I'd suggest 8th week for 1st appointment is good timing.
 
i think that it should also depend on the health of the mother. with my second, i knew that i had already had a very complicated first pregnancy. i also knew that due to the nature of the complications, the second pregnancy was likely to be as bad (ended up far worse!).

for this reason, i went to the doctor around 6 weeks. i also ended up having appts ever 1-2 weeks from the very beginning instead of once per month.

ps. why are you registering at QMH? if you want to deliver there, you need to register at Tsan Yuk (again unless it is a high risk pregnancy~ then you may only do visits at QMH... i did)
 
When I found out that I was pregnant, I first went to a general practitioner. You need to get a certificate from the GP stating you are pregnant. With that certificate, I went to the MCHC (Mother and Child Health Centre). Where I live, for example, first-timers to health centres go on Fridays, 9am-12noon (this is a fixed weekly time). So, depending on where you live, you might want to check out their schedule for first-time visitors. After I registered and got an initial check-up (an initial talk with a nurse/midwife and an examination by a doctor) at the MCHC, they referred me to the nearest gov. hospital to get appointments for several check-ups.
What I'm saying is, if you go to the MCHC first, you get an earlier check-up/treatment, till it's time for you to see a doctor at the hospital. Also, several things will be 'on record' at the MCHC until you go to the hospital - this did give me a certain peace of mind..
This is just one way of going about it, I guess. And it's the 'pure' public way. I didn't see any private doc until about last week (when I reached almost 26wks of pregnancy).
:bump:
 
Hi Carang,
Oh sorry to hear you had complications. Yes, I meant Tsan Yuk and delivery at QMH. I'm in good general health (knock on wood) but I'm starting to get anxious because I don't even know what an Oscar test is! If my registration is scheduled during my 10th/11th week, do you think I should call them back and ask them about which week they will get me in for that Oscar test?? Perhaps I should consider paying for private antenatal...or am I just freaking out?
 
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i don't know what an oscar test is either... and i thought i'd had every test in the book!LOL!
 
An OSCAR is a Down's Syndrome test which is done during the first trimester. It is usually done around yr 13th wk of pregnancy and it's optional. At POW hospital (in collaboration with the Chinese U), it costs $900.-
So, don't panic, you still have time :treadmill
 
oh, the down's test... i had one with my first, it was free back then.

this time round i decided against it. i figured that even if it came back with a chance of down's i wouldn't be aborting anyway, so what did it matter? as it turned out, i have a beautiful baby girl.
 
Ladypilot,

I've posted a longer response to your other post.
If you are considering doing private antenatal, don't register at Tsan Yuk until you are ready do antenatal visits there.
It saves confusion with their records (just hand them copies of everything from Dawkins) at your first visit.
Otherwise, they will be phoning you wondering why you aren't having checkups.

You can have your first visit as early as you like with a private OB. 9/10 weeks is good, as there will be a heartbeat.
 
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