Choosing a Midwife...

Hi everyone.

Last night I took a home pregnancy test and got a positive result. So today I went to the GP and had another test to confirm, yes, I am indeed pregnant and going by the math since my last period, about 5 weeks along.

My husband and I have only been trying for a month so I'm a little shell-shocked about the fact that we were able to conceive so easily (excited too of course but I seriously didn't expect it to happen quite so fast!!).

So after writing me a script for iodine, iron and folic acid supplements, my GP sent me to the lab to get my antenatal blood screening done and then to the ultrasound place to book my 6-8 week scan.

Now I'm faced with the task of finding a Lead Maternity Carer and I honestly have no idea how to begin. This is my first ever pregnancy and at the moment I just feel incredibly overwhelmed. Plus of course there's the fact that I am studying to be a nanny and so am at class 4 days a week so have limited time to ring around.

Do I need to have a midwife before I have my ultrasound or is there a bit of wiggle room there?

I'm in Palmerston North, does anyone have any recommendations about midwives or midwife services in the area?

I'm just so...wow right now, I don't even think the fact that I'm pregnant has truly sunk in.

I would really appreciate any and all advice - starting to feel a bit scared and worried about everything, doing the whole 'are you really ready for this' spiel in my head.

Congratulations!

I don't know about midwife levels in Palmy, but in Wellington I have always been told to start looking for a midwife as soon as you find out you are pregnant as they can book up really quickly. If you have limited time to call I would maybe start calling around on your next free day and leave messages as sometimes it can take a few days, or even a week, before someone calls you back.

And don't worry, I still sometimes wonder whether I'm really ready for a family (and it's WAY too late now! lol).