When to call the midwife…..or not!

So, when to call the midwife/when to go to hospital.

This is such a big anxiety inducing topic for many! Midwives get this question all the time. And many midwives give very specific answers. I have heard a variety of specific instructions, like ‘once contractions are regular for an hour, with contractions about 5 minutes apart, lasting about 60 seconds/when contractions are coming every 5 minutes, lasting 40-50 seconds/when contractions are regular, every 4-5 minutes, lasting a minute.

Not surprising that people are befuddled. Basically, the discussion as to when to call out the midwife/go to the hospital is a really complex one and depends on LOTS of different variables. It depends on distance from the midwife/to the hospital, it depends on preferences for ones labour, how many babies someone has had before, how those labour progressed etc etc.

Do you prefer hands on support/would you rather only have last minute support?

What pain relief if any are you planning, if you want an early epidural, the timing for you is going to be different to someone who prefers to eek out all the comforts of home before setting off.

What are your anxiety levels, would you feel less anxious with continuous midwifery support from the very start?

Or are you happier doing your own thing for as long as possible?

And also, even accounting for all the formulas and plans and taking these things into account in a very detailed discussion, sometimes babies STILL arrive before the midwife gets to you or on the side of the road. Cos labour is so very VERY individual.

I remember being a newly qualified midwife telling a woman who I had been chatting to me animatedly to come in when she couldn’t really talk through contractions anymore. She called back 10 minutes later with a screaming baby in her arms. I’ve never done that again since.

A client once called cos she felt a bit odd. Did we make it to her birth? Nope.

And many people have called in good strong labour, only for things to fizzle out again. And that’s ok! Usually, the conclusion to the discussion when to call is what is so often the conclusion:

LISTEN TO YOUR GUT!!

When you feel labour is accelerating/something feels different/things become a little fuzzy round the edges, it’s usually time to summon the midwife or go to her.

When something feels weird, and you can’t quite put your finger on it, CALL! If you are a birth partner, and the pregnant person suddenly seems odd, locks herself in the bathroom or is uncommunicative/especially argumentative/vague/is making animalistic grunting sounds of you are worried about her, CALL the midwife if the birthing person wants a midwife there (props to my husband, Chris Neiger 😂😂).

If you have had a baby before, quickly, CALL if in doubt! We can talk you through it. IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED A MIDWIFE, call!

We can even come out and go back home if needs be....however, it’s more disruptive to go to the hospital and come back home, BUT you can ALWAYS leave if you wish!

It’s also completely ok to decide you DON’T actually want a midwife at the last minute. Freebirthing is perfectly legal!

It can be quite helpful to have a little information at hand for the midwife as to the timings of contractions, but it’s a very very lose guide for anyone providing individualised care.

Obviously call if there is anything worrying happening, like bleeding or sudden changes in the baby’s movements, but for normal labour? It can be a hard thing to judge, and it’s one of those things you have to surrender to in the runup to your baby’s birth.

And only you can really make the decision.....♥️

P.S: Also, midwives get it WRONG! Even after chatting to you! Many many times I had NO idea what was really going on and just went with my gut. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes, not so much 🙄