Combined care question

Muller_magic

Hey,

My wife is due our first child in June and we have decided to go private in the coombe and use the combined care option.

My question is, what should my wifes GP go through each time she visits and should the consultants fee be the same as if we were seeing him all the time instead of him & the GP???

Hope someone can help

houseman

Hi Muller,

My GP goes through blood pressure, weight, quick discussion on general health, urine sample for some sort of dip test (i forgot to ask so anyone knows what they check for, please let me know).
My doc also has a heartbeat device where he was able to let me listen to the baby briefly - this was amazing! NEArly better than the scan.

Thats pretty much it really - its a 5 min visit each time, every few weeks.

January

houseman wrote: »

Hi Muller,

My GP goes through blood pressure, weight, quick discussion on general health, urine sample for some sort of dip test (i forgot to ask so anyone knows what they check for, please let me know).
My doc also has a heartbeat device where he was able to let me listen to the baby briefly - this was amazing! NEArly better than the scan.

Thats pretty much it really - its a 5 min visit each time, every few weeks.

The urine test is to test for protein and sugar in the urine, which could be a sign of either pre-eclempsia or gestational diabetes.

silja

Same as Houseman. After 28 weeks, my GP would palpitate my belly (touch it with her hands) to figure out how baby lies and whether it is extraordinarily big or small. Consultants fee will be the same.

AmcD

Combined care from the GPs point of view is the same, whether the woman is public, semi-private or private. Urine is tested for the conditions above and the blood pressure is checked. Depending on how far into the pregnancy a woman is, the GP will also measure the height of the bump, check the presentation of the baby and listen for a heartbeat with a foetal doppler. Then any queries are gone through and any other things that may be needed e.g. prescriptions, notes for work, social welfare certs, signing of maternity benefit form etc.
From the woman's point of view, it may be handier visiting her GP for some of the visits as it is usually closer to her and not as much hassle as visiting a hospital.
The semi-private or private charges will remain the same, whether you do combined care or not. Speaking as a (barely pregnant) GP, most women who go private rarely do much in the way of combined care.
GP care is free once you have signed up for the mother and infant scheme.