what is a normal workload for HB midwife?

[artpen]

Hi,
I would like to get an idea of other midwives and how many moms they take on per month.

I've had two I've talked to so far:
One midwife (and her apprentice) takes on 4 - 6 moms per month
One midwife practice (consisting of 2 midwives and 2 apprentices) takes on up to 7 moms per month

I really would like to know how many is too many in a month? It makes me nervous to think that I might go into labor at the same time as another mom-to-be.

Thank you!

[abckidsmom]

My mw takes 4/month. A friend is an apprentice in a 2-mw/2 apprentice practice and they take 5.

[acemama]

I can't remember for sure but I think she said she takes 4-6 per month.

[cathicog]

One practice I know has one mw but 4 apprentices(2 teams) who do 4-5 births per month. The apprentices are trained doulas and can do labor-sitting and pp care. So if one mom is in early labor, and one on the other side of town is going fast, the mw has one two-person team w/ the first lady, then she goes to the second, then comes back to the first. When I have my own practice, that is what I will probably do...most mw in a single practice will only do 2-4 births a month, although I have heard of more.

[vegasgrl]

My m/w does 5 a month, but also has an extended network of apprentices in case of overlap.

[cocoanib]

Good question.
One MW we intervewed did 6-7 per month.
Another did on average 2, at the most 3.
I was a bit concerned with the 6-7. It was one of the reasons I chose the other midwife.

[xixstar]

I wonder if my mw tells anyone no. she's often a last resource for many mom's at the end of their pregnancy when their suddenly risked out of the birth they want. I recall when dd was delivered, she'd already been at 3-4 births that week alone. Of course, she did mention that was a very busy week for her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she does 8 or more births a month. maybe it comes and goes... think I'll actually ask her this next time we talk cause now I'm curious -- I could be totally inflating her busyness.

[dogmom327]

Each of the MW's I've used did 4 a month. They all were practicing alone no apprentices (they would contract with a second midwife for the actual birth but they're midwifery business was just them).

[brysonmom4]

My midwife takes about 4 a month, she has an apprentice and an assistant.

[*MamaJen*]

It seems like 4 - 5 per month is fairly standard for a solo practice.

[JJ'sMom]

I think that in our province, doing 40 births a year is considered a full time practice. I don't think there is an actual limit, just a practical one. Two midwives can share and do 80 a year.

This gets fuzzy because a MW only gets the full pay from the gov't if they deliver, so if the mom has an emergency C, the amount paid is less.

[brooklynbabymama]

nyc hb midwives are crazy busy. you often have to hunt around to find one who's available, i hear, though mine assured me that she would have fit me in regardless since she attended my first birth. i believe she has about 7 clients a month, and she works solo. the hb mw community is very tight-knit around here, and they all cover for each other when necessary. i try not to think about that possibility.

[deymm]

My MW works solo and I think she takes 6? She does have a nurse who comes to births as her assistant. I'm not sure what happens if births overlap. There are other HB MWs in our city, so maybe one of them covers?? That is a really good question to ask her at my appt on Thursday!

[cristeen]

Around here, it seems to be 3-5. Although I did interview one MW who only takes 1/month.

[ilovejeff]

I believe my MW's take about 6 or 8 per month. There are three of them. Although I could be wrong on this - it was months ago when I talked to them about this and I have preggo brain. I know that for September I'm the last one they took, I think I was the 4th. But they were trying to book lightly for September, since they have a lot of kid's birthday's that month, back to school, etc.

[MsBlack]

The question is not so much 'how many' but 'how far do you travel?'

An urban mw who has no more than about an hour from one side of her practice to the other (in drive time), *may* be able to well-manage 8-10 a month or even more. A more rural mw who travels much further--I know one whose practice circle is 5hrs across) probably cannot handle more than 3-5mo and even then may tend to miss births, or arrive only at the last minute. This kind of mw may also have less time to give in prenatal and postpartum care.

I would ask how far she travels, also what the backup plans are in case of labor overlap....and does she have experienced assistants/apprentices to help cover, or is it just her?

[kawa kamuri]

my hb ob typically takes five mamas a month. in october, when i'm due, he's seeing seven.

[D'sMama]

Mine did 6/month. I've heard of others doing up to 8, with backup of course.

[rebirth]

The birthing cneter I am seeing does about 50% homebirths, 50% center, and has 2 midwives and many assistants. They do anywhere from 6-14 births a month. I'd say average is 8-9