Midwife question for those who had unplanned UCS

[WriterMama]

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[ctdoula]

I have no answers to your questions, but holy crap!!! What in the freak was she thinking? Good for you asking for your money back!!!

[pamamidwife]

I'm not sure what the whole story was with your mw, but I have it clearly stated that if I miss a birth because of it going too fast or the parents waiting too long to call, I don't refund the money. However if I miss the birth because of my own procrastination / issues, then I will refund part of it.

I've left clients in labor when I felt like it was still early and they needed some time alone to dig in, rather than have me hovering over them. Honestly, a woman could go from 4cm to birth in an hour and we don't always know. Does that mean that I'm goign to stay with every woman at 4cm when I feel like it could be awhile? Not unless she really wants me to. I feel like privacy is sometimes a good thing.

That said, I'm not sure what your birth situation was like or what the mws were thinking, so I can't really comment on your situation.

[paquerette]

Did they check your dilation before they left? If so, what were you then?

[2+twins]

My mw missed my last birth b/c I went so fast. I didn't ask for any money back and she didn't offer. I would have liked for her to refund me for some of it, but not enough to actually ask. It just would have been nice if she had offered. From what you said about your birth, it sounds like you did the right thing IMO.

[sarajane]

We just asked my mid-wife today about such situations. With only three-months to go we have begun to talk alot about the big day. She said that it rarely happens where she can't make it. If she isn't there her assistant will be along with another mid-wife she calls in to take her place. The only reason she has ever even cut it close was because she by freak chance happened to be at another birth she couldn't leave. She takes four deliveries a month and they all happened right in a row one month and she said that had never happened before.

I was wondering what the chances were she wouldn't make it. I know her assistant rather well but still am more comfortable with her. Her assistant really can hold her own at this point because she is at the end of her training to becoming a mid-wife herself.

I don't know what I will do. I don't know if I should ask now about refunds and such....nothing was ever said of her missing a birth in any of the agreements we saw. I like her assistant and she is good but hey, we hired her not her assistant. When I first came to her I didn't even know that there would be assitants....

[Graceoc]

My mw missed my birth as well....it would have been nice to get a break off the price, but I wasn't about to ask. It was just what happened.....

[WriterMama]

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[plantmommy]

Mama, it sounds like you have good reason to be angry and want your money back, if she left you in active labor and you wanted her there!

My m/w didn't get to me in time because I delayed having her come, and I wanted the UC, anyway, so I had no problem paying her in full.

[mwherbs]

Hard to say, if they had stayed maybe it would have been alot longer till you gave birth. It sounds like it was more than they just "left" and missed the birth, it seems like everything was off kilter. They come at the wrong time- leave at the wrong time. She brought along someone you hadn't planned on (did I read that right?) I have left one birth and a few hrs after I got home they had the baby- it was a couple who originally wanted me to come after the baby was born to check everything out so they wouldn't have the fiasco they had when they accidentally had the previous baby at home alone- Someone sent for me and I went up the hill and stayed, played cards... but I just felt uncomfortable like I was sitting on the mom or something, talked it over with them-- went home and was half-sleeping on the couch and "saw"the whole birth(long story) and a relative came down the hill to get me again I said no hurry baby's here- lets get some juice and other things they need stopped at the store for 10 minutes and got up the hill at the same time I had the birth vision the baby was born. I facilitated the placenta and made food for everyone. They felt like it happened just the way it should have, so did I . But I think that if I had stayed around it could have been many more hrs- I had went for a walk before I decided to leave and really pondered leaving because it wouldn't be a normal thing to do.