Midwife didn't make it to my birth=partial refund? - Page 2

[Slabobbin]

Originally Posted by grapejuicemama

She had checked my cervix a couple of days prior and said that I "felt more ready than so and so", but she went home to wait for "so and so" to have her baby first because she didn't want to miss that birth.

I am surprised that no one else has commented on this. If I am reading this correctly, there were two women who were both due at the same time. There was every indication that you would go first (although I do realize that these things cannot be predicted) but she didn't want to miss the other birth so she made herself available to the other client rather than you?

[MsBlack]

Such a cervical check too often means nothing, anyway--I don't really consider it significant in terms of OP's question of refund. I do think it was a silly and maybe inappropriate thing for the mw to say, tho!

The only thing that troubles me about this story is that the mw did not come after the birth...and did not come for 6 days. Yes, I've missed a few for precipitous labors/late notice--but I consider it very important to come asap anyway, do newborn exam, help w/cleanup, make sure mom and BF is all good. And I come at 24 hrs, too, and again at 72 (this can vary, depending on who gives birth that week....). Of course, that info is on my contract--so people would have grounds for a complaint and/or some refund if I could not live up to that (or at least send another mw in my stead).

So, while I do not think you have grounds to ask for a refund based on missing the birth, you MAY have some grounds for asking for a couple hundred $$ based on lack of pp care--but I don't know what agreements were in place, so it's hard to say. I'm a believer in clear and specific contracts in this life--for all business purposes. Some people are out to cheat others--I would say that most are not. Regardless, sh** can get mighty stinky in the absense of clear contractual arrangements.

[MidwifeErika]

Did the apprentice and other woman (who was she? was she a midwife? was she the back-up?) provide pp care? Did they do the newborn exam? Did they come back again before the 6 days was up or were you left with no one at all checking in on you?

It might be a situation where she has the student do all the postpartum care alone on a regular basis and the clean up after a birth so maybe she thought nothing of sending her alone? And I am interested to hear who this other woman was that came with the student.

[g&a]

Originally Posted by Slabobbin

I am surprised that no one else has commented on this. If I am reading this correctly, there were two women who were both due at the same time. There was every indication that you would go first (although I do realize that these things cannot be predicted) but she didn't want to miss the other birth so she made herself available to the other client rather than you?

Could be the other client was high risk or something. There could be all sorts of reasons for that kind of choice.

g.

[mwherbs]

the cervical check means nothing to me other than to say that a woman has a certain bishops score- but really that is a tool for induction and not much use to me in figuring out when a woman will have a baby- and I have been around this system of cervical checks and without contractions or other signs of labor present meaningless --
also I don't know what the mw's protocols are as far as post-partum care goes- I have talked to clients from other parts of the world who actually see someone everyday after birth for 2 weeks- but not as many pregnancy visits.

to me I see a few points of baseline friction presented here coupled with wanting a refund, getting at the root of that would be something to consider. If it were me I would be stating my disappointments and expectations as well as letting it be known that I feel we have had some misunderstandings.
As for paying assistants or not , really none of anyone's concern- I have gone places unpaid many times to check on someone that another midwife could not get to - and I have been paid small stipends or made trades- really not the client's concern what contract I make with a midwife the global fee paid a midwife is for a variety of services including having back-up assistance- it would be a very rare occurance indeed that I would just appear unbidden at a woman's house who just gave birth to check that everything was ok- as for having 2 clients due at the same time- it happens- unless a midwife does only about 6 births a year you are going to have overlap- and even at that if someone goes into PTL then you may be at a hospital with a client giving birth when another gal goes into labor-that is why we try to have assistants and back-up to help cover-
I still think no refund is due but some misunderstandings should be discussed --

[grapejuicemama]

Thank you for responding, ladies

As always, I value MDC members' thoughtful and most of the time, polite, responses.

[hapersmion]

The midwives at the birth center where I was planning to have my baby had a policy of giving a partial refund if the baby was born in less than 25 minutes after arrival at the birth center. It was a big help that I got some of the money I'd pre-paid back, when they couldn't attend my birth because he was breech - I needed the money to pay my new midwives!

I thought it was a pretty nice policy to have in place, but if your midwife doesn't do that routinely, it's probably too late to expect her to. Of course, it couldn't hurt to ask, nicely.

Good luck!

hapersmion

[DoomaYula]

I don't think she should refund you just because you had a fast labor and she missed it. However, I would be upset that she didn't come for 6 days -- that doesn't seem professional to me.

I would definitely bring it up with her. It sounds like there was some disappointment/confusion on your part and hopefully you can help other clients avoid the same situation.

[birthgreeter]

I do agree about the no-show for 6 days, you should at least talk to her about that.

[Earthy Birthy]

Originally Posted by JunipersMom

I HATE missing births - its like foreplay without the climax

And who says "True Dat" anymore?