Would you be concerned? Midwife has rescheduled 2 appts. in a row

[pollyanna123]

I have a new midwife this pregnancy who works primarily alone. I originally had my first appointment scheduled for when I was 10 weeks (I'm 12 weeks now). My husband had taken off work and I had a friend who agreed to babysit. The midwife called me that morning and had to reschedule because she had a mom go into labor.

I completely understand, of course that's going to happen. She rescheduled me and I had to wait two more weeks, until 12 weeks. That was supposed to be this morning, and now the same thing has happened again! Same scenario... 20 minutes before the appointment, dh went ahead to work and I cancelled my babysitter.

I know these things happen. Would you chalk it up to bad luck, or would you be concerned that she's overextending herself and it's likely to happen for my birth? What specific questions would you ask? (I will say, I think part of the reason it's hard for her to reschedule this first appt. is because she schedules 2 hours for it!)

[Earthy Mama]

Maybe it was just a busy month for her? I would just ask her honestly.

[MaerynPearl]

I would personally chalk it up to really bad luck... because I know my midwife has a limit on how many women she books... so its not like a hospital where she could be delivering every single day. Maybe ask her if she has a limit and how many it is... because with my midwifes limit, 2 labors in a row WOULD be total chance... even with my every-two-week appointments.

During my first (get to know you) appointment she had a mom go into labor, we had already been there an hour but she had to cut it short because this was not a first time mom, and she had a history of fast labors, so midwife had to GO.

Personally, that only added to me choosing her! Knowing that momma in labor is always more important than a scheduled appointment... so when I go into labor it will not be *well Im in an appointment right now, Ill be there right after* but rather *Ill be right there!*

[secondimpression]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

Knowing that momma in labor is always more important than a scheduled appointment... so when I go into labor it will not be *well Im in an appointment right now, Ill be there right after* but rather *Ill be right there!*

I had my MW cancel an appointment on me about 15 minutes before it was supposed to start. I'd already left work and picked DS up from daycare too! Sure, it was inconvenient to me but life happens!

OP, since it happened 2 weeks apart, I really wouldn't be worried at all. For all you know, the 2 moms could've been due a full month apart and the first one went a week late and the second went a week early. Now if she had rescheduled you for a few days later instead of 2 weeks and it had happened again, I might be inclined to ask just how busy her practice is.

[donutmolly]

Does she have a limit to the number of births she attends a month? I have heard 4 mamas/month is typical... of course, you may have more births in a month because of mamas that go early or late. If she seems to have a reasonable load, then I would guess the missed appointments are just bad luck.

[thebigfam]

my Midwife also limits her practice to 4 a month. Just fyi

[MaerynPearl]

I mentioned mine has a limit... I believe it is 4 or 5 (but its a two-midwife team, CNM and CPM, so if one is busy with a labor there IS a backup... and all of my appointments have been with both... they will cancel an appointment if a woman is in labor rather than have only one midwife show up)

[dannic]

I travel to appts and had missed her call saying she needed to reschedule due to an eminent birth and drove the two hrs to the appt! Oops! I'd chalk it up to life and just ask her to schedule you as soon as she possibly can.

[annettemarie]

On the one hand, I get giving someone the benefit of the doubt. OTOH, if you're getting a bad flakiness vibe, I would really encourage you to honor that sooner rather than later. Asking what's going on definitely seems like a good idea.

[finnegansmom]

At least she caught you before you left.
My first appt with my MW last pregnancy, my dh and my kids drove the 45 minutes and were told when we got there, that she had to cancel. Ugh.

It was just bad luck I guess and hasn't happened since.
I think 2 in a row is kind of a bummer though.
If it were me, I would continue seeing her but I would also be looking around for another option on the offhand chance it happens a third time.

[luckiest]

2 back to back is a bummer, and so is the last-minute cancellation, but I don't think I'd be worried. I had to reschedule two back to back appointments as well, both due to births, but I was warned well in advance. My midwives have a policy of emailing cancellations because in case they get done with a birth at 4am, they don't have to worry about getting up early to reschedule the next day by phone. Both times they emailed me while the birth was still in progress and knew they wouldn't be having appointments the next day.

Especially if she's working alone, I wouldn't fret.

[pollyanna123]

Thanks ladies. I'm not very concerned, I think I'm just disappointed! I really want this appointment, but of course I know these things happen.

This midwife comes HIGHLY recommended by many, many people. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about her, she's a homebirth CNM, and she's in network with our insurance, making her at least $2,000 less than my other options. She's going to be hard to replace!

I think she takes 6 births a month, which seems on the high side, especially since I don't think she absolutely maxes out at that. She told me at the interview appt. that she will take on her repeat clients as well.

When I called to schedule an interview with her, she was already half full for February. I wasn't even 5 weeks pregnant yet and I'm due on the 8th, so she gets full unbelievably fast!

[new york momma]

My doc rescheduled my first two appointments and I considered changing docs. I stuck with her and fortunately, she hasn't canceled an appointment since then. Perhaps you could ask her if cancellations should be expected in the future and decide from her response.

[HeatherB]

That does sound on the high side, but not necessarily TOO high. My MW takes on about 4/mo now (I think), but mentioned that years ago she was doing up to 10/mo! She shook her head telling me that - it's just TOO much.

I would see if your MW can reschedule you sooner than 2 weeks out, though, if that works for your schedules. Or maybe she can see you in the evening so your DH doesn't have to take off work? FWIW, I always have my kids around for mine... Though these days they get SO over-excited I'm starting to think that's not a great idea.

Hope you get your appointment and have a clear sense of how she handles things!

[macandcheese]

This happened to me as well—not two in a row, but two out of three so far. The first time she had to reschedule was my initial interview visit. When we rescheduled, you can bet I asked how many clients she takes on at once! Turns out she does no more than 4-5 per month, and I just have bad timing. I guess pg ladies in my area like to go into labor on Wednesday afternoons, which is when my two appointments got bumped.

Like others have said, as long as it does not sound like she is unreasonably busy with too many clients I'd take this as a good sign that she prioritizes laboring women above all else, and attribute the timing to bad luck.