Midwives: what are your requirements before you are willing to come to a birth?

[janellesmommy]

What I mean is, when a woman calls you in labor, what are your requirements, (if any) before you are willing to come to her house? Do you try to judge her labor over the phone, or have specific requirements for contraction timing, or do you trust that when the woman wants you to come, that you should probably come?

[Paige, CPM]

I don'e have any hard and fast rules.

Usually the partner calls and says this is going on and then I ask to speak to the mom and chat with her for a while...see how close ctx's are, can she talk through them, what is her breathing and what are her noises like. Either I say I am comeing or we talk about it and I say what I think...like if it is not as heavy as I think it could be I repeat what I have heard/timed to the mom and say what I think and ask her what she thinks and then she decides.

I always tell my clients that if they need me at anytime to ask for me to come. So far this has worked well and I haven't been called too early...I am sure it will sometime but that is fine.

[Veritaserum]

Usually if they are calling, it's because they want/need me and I'll go. I do ask for a "heads up" call early on if they notice stuff starting to happen.

When I was having my first home birth I don't think my mw believed I was really in labor. I was using hypnosis, had not one bit of pain, but knew I would see my baby in the next few hours. She asked to listen to me over the phone so I gave her a show. I just wanted her to come. I gave birth two hours after she arrived (less than 3 hours after I called her).

[bryonyvaughn]

Not a childbirth professional but...

I'd *like* to think a MW would at first call of moms with a history of precipitous labors. My longest spontaneous labor was 1hr 40m.

~BV

[memiles]

I know from personal experience, my midwife dropped everything and ran when I called. My last labor had been short. I've seen the same with clients with histories of quick labors.

[jengacnm]

I usually do what Paige does. For multip mamas I'll usually come at first call; for primip mamas I'll do the "phone triage" thing. I also go over this a bunch during prenatals: I will ALWAYS come if the mama's gut says I need to be there.

I also reserve the right to leave and come back if it's still very early. I may just go to the coffee shop down the street, but I think it's detrimental for me to be there in early labor. By leaving and coming back I hope to communicate, "You're doing fine and you don't need me here."