Blood tests!
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@Anke thank you this is really reassuring! I might give you a message thank you!
37 weeks here and I had 4 during the whole pregnancy. 2x at booking apt as they messed up and forgot to test the blood and it clotted 😑😑 So had to come again, but majority of people go once. So that's 1 for you. Then you got screening tests at your 12 weeks scan so that's 2nd and then at 28 weeks to check iron levels so 3. But this is for straightforward pregnancy. If you have any risk factors, they do glucose test etc you might have blood tests more often. Equally every single test and medical procedure is voluntary so remember that ☺️☺️
I don’t know if that helps, but number of tests does not equal amount of needles! Yesterday I’ve had my 1st appointment where I had to give 6 vials of blood (in some instances it’s 4), but that was done with a single needle insertion and vials filled with a connector. So that’s just 1 needle for the whole day, not six individual needles.
That does help a bit thank you!
I’m not scared of needles but I am hard to get blood out of - I would recommend asking your midwife if you can have your blood tests done by a phlebotomist. They will always have butterfly needles which are the thinner ones so in my opinion don’t feel as bad and as their job is to take blood all day every day they are always super quick and efficient which if you’re scared of needles I would imagine you’d want it over as quickly as possible!
Hi! I am the exact same as you. Not a phobia of needles but HATE having my blood taken. I have to be honest I've had 4 now with a low risk straight forward pregnancy and it has got easier. I don't get as worked up or anxious now, still just need to use breathing and distraction techniques like chatting or watching something on my phone. The midwives have been super reassuring and understandable and in my opinion the best at taking blood 😊 the way I have gotten through them is trying to think of them as a positive - I'm doing this to look after my baby. That's always helped! Good luck and remember to always be honest with your midwife as they are there to support you x
I had a huge needle phobia and actually sought some CBT/phobia exposure therapy during pregnancy. It really helped and if you can afford it, I would absolutely recommend it. I think there’s usually about 3 blood tests - you can sometimes ask if you can get the booking blood test done at the same time as the anomaly one (at 12 weeks) to combine the two. My midwives were super understanding and sympathetic about that. You should also try to have all the recommended vaccines - flu, Covid, whooping cough etc. Feel free to DM me if you want some coping tips - my therapy helped me to the point that I was super relaxed getting an epidural and cannula in my hand during labour!