Current Clients

 When to Call Your Midwives

Urgent concerns

Call anytime 24/7

You should page your midwives for any clinically urgent concern about your or your baby’s health. Some examples include: 

• Active labour (1st baby: 3-2-1 contractions | 2nd or more baby: 5-1-1 contractions) 

  • If this is your first labour: 3-2-1 pattern. Strong contractions (you have to stop what you are doing and breath through) that start every 3 minutes AND each contraction lasts 1 minute AND this pattern has been consistent for 2 hours.

  • If this is not your first labour: 5-1-1 pattern. Strong contractions (you have to stop what you are doing and breath through) that start every 5 minutes AND each contraction lasts 1 minute AND this pattern has been consistent for 1 hour.

  • These are general guidelines. Your midwife will discuss with you if your individual circumstances (e.g. long distance from hospital or history of fast labours) require you to call at a different time.

• Bleeding: bright red active vaginal bleeding, wear a pad to help assess the amount

• Labour or rupture of membranes (“water breaking”) before 37 weeks 

• Decreased fetal movement: if you notice your baby is moving less than normal, lie down in a quiet place to count movements. If you feel fewer than 6 movements in 2 hours, or if you are still concerned please page your midwife. 

• Rupture of membranes after 37 weeks and any of the following: 

  • you are Group B Strep (GBS) positive 

  • the amniotic fluid is any colour other than clear or lightly pink (eg. green, brown)

  • you have a fever 

  • you notice a foul odour 

  • decreased fetal movement 

• If you think you need to go to the hospital or require immediate assessment 

Call during daytime (8am to 8pm)

• Rupture of membranes (“water breaking”) with: clear fluid, normal fetal movement, you are GBS neg, and not in active labour (please page within 8hrs if occurring overnight)

• If you need support in early labour: irregular mild cramping/contractions, light spotting, loss of mucous plug

When paging, please leave a brief message with your full name, weeks of pregnancy, and your reason for paging. When your midwife returns your call, your phone will display “No Caller ID.” Please ensure your ringer is on and that your phone accepts calls from blocked callers. 

If you do not hear back within 15 minutes, please page again. In the rare event of not being able to reach your midwife, please contact Penticton Regional Hospital and ask to speak to Labour and Delivery.