when to call?

[Lizzybee]

I know waters can break and contractions not start straight away so how will I know when to call midwife?

 

[smallpeanut]

When the contractions are too painful to talk through them I think? With mine (he was my second) I called when the contractions were coming quite quickly as the midwife lived an hour away. Good job as she only made it with an hour to spare.

 

[JenStar1976]

Everyone seems to be given different advice, but I was told to call the midwife when the contractions were between 2-3 minutes apart or when my waters broke - whichever came first. As it turns out, my waters never broke (must have happened in the pool at the end). x

 

[hinkybinky]

I was told to ring when contractions were regular and less than 10 minutes apart, or if waters broke - not so that someone would come straight away necessarily, but just to talk things through and see if anything was of concern and to give them some forewarning.

 

[Mrs Cupcake]

i know what they say - when contractions are 3 in ten mins lasting 30 secs plus i think.

but my contractions never got regular with my second until right at the end, i telephoned from home to warn them i was in labour but basically i felt fine, minor pain, calm, irregular contractions. they offered to sent someone out to check on me but when they got there i was 10cm already!! i was so surprised, i felt like 4cm. i had an unplanned home delivery shortly afterwards.

i'll be interested to hear what the midwife tells me to do this time.

 

[NDH]

Based on my last experience of not feeling like I was really in labour until pretty much transition 30 minutes before she was born I'll be ringing asap. Contractions never got to 3 minutes apart while I was timing them.

 

[Mrs Cupcake]

same as me NDH. thing is i dont want the midwife there too early if you know what i mean! all that hanging around is boring! i would prefer to be getting on with stuff in early labour but then again, i would rather not have my husband deliver the baby!

 

[MindUtopia]

My contractions were almost a minute long and every five minutes from the very beginning. My waters went first, mild period pains started within about an hour, and once 'real contractions' started (the ones that feel like more than period pains), they were every 5 minutes. But I waited a couple more hours to phone the midwives. Basically, I called them when I felt like things were getting intense enough that I might need some support in about an hour or two. They came probably 2-2.5 hours after I phoned (we waited for a shift change as a midwife I knew and liked was coming on call that morning). They arrived about 7 hours after my waters went and I was fully dilated and starting to get the urge to push. I wouldn't have wanted them there any sooner. I think just trust your gut. Don't wait until the absolute last moment when you can't cope without support (or gas & air if you're planned to use it), but don't call too soon either. I think for me calling when I was doing fine but expected I might need support soon was a good call.

 

[Reidfidleir]

I called them when waters broke (first sign of labor) at 4am to inform them. The came around at 11am to monitor early labor and then left. Hubby called theme around 230pm when contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart and I was really needing to concentrate. They arrived again at 3pm and I started the pushing stage at 530pm. Birth was 9pm. (Yea 3.5 hrs pushing. Arms over face and water birth)

 

[BunnyN]

If your waters break first you are supposed to call right away. Personally I wouldn't . As soon as your waters break they start putting time limits on things. I'd rather have a couple of extra hours to go into labour naturally. Also internal exams increase the risk of infection after your waters break so I'd rather keep them away from me until I was sure labour was established or that it wasn't and needed help.

Most labours don't start with the waters breaking though. Mine didn't break until many hours after labour had started.

 

[Reidfidleir]

That's a good point bunny ^ it depends on if you're doing a home birth or hospital and your midwives policies.
Mine was a homebirth and my midwives were all in the same page with everything as natural as possible. They wouldn't even do an internal at all unless I had asked them too. (They never did).
My mom had a natural hospital birth and they ended up pushing pitocin on her because her waters went 12 hours prior. So I guess it depends on your birth.

 

[irish_cob]

I called my midwife when my contractions were 3 minutes apart. She came within an hour, about 6am and Ella was born at 11.08am. I wanted gas and air!

 

[Beneli]

Waiting it out after waters break can be risky. My waters broke and my son was born 1/2 hr later. No one even had time to make it to the birth so my husband had to catch the baby.

 

[BunnyN]

Waiting it out after waters break can be risky. My waters broke and my son was born 1/2 hr later. No one even had time to make it to the birth so my husband had to catch the baby.

I assume you had contractions right away though? I meant when your waters break and labour doesn't start right away. I was in labour hours before my waters broke and was in labour hours after so even if it speeds up loads for my next one I think it's very unlikely I'll have a quick labour but in your case I wouldn't wait around! That must have been a bit scary!

 

[NDH]

My water broke before I was in labour (ended up getting induced after a bit more than 24 hours for a variety of reasons and I was only 3cm and contracting very irregularly at that point) with my first. My second was born 7 hours and 20 minutes from my first maybe this is it contraction and my waters didn't break til I started pushing.

 

[wishuwerehere]

I would call if you're having regular contractions - we called when mine were 5 mins apart but midwife arrived at our house and baby's head was already out my midwife told me it's better to call early because your community midwife might be a bit of a drive away so at least she's on the alert that you're in labour if things move quickly!