When to call us

Instructions

Always call us on the on-call phone (06-52520705):

• If you are worried
• First baby: if you have had contractions every 4 minutes for an hour, each lasting about 60 seconds
• Second or later baby: with strong contractions every 5 minutes, unless agreed otherwise
• If the amniotic fluid is coloured
• If your waters break and the baby’s head has not engaged
• If you lose bright red blood (a full sanitary pad)
• If you need us

ALWAYS call if you have contractions, loss of amniotic fluid or blood loss before 37 weeks.

Contractions

If you are expecting your first baby, you can call us when you have had contractions every 4 minutes, each lasting a minute, for an hour. Bear in mind that the birth of a first baby takes 12 to 24 hours on average, and the first few centimetres of dilation take up most of that time. If you are expecting a second or later baby, dilation can go a lot faster. Whenever you think you need us, you can call us.

Your waters breaking

If your waters break during the day, call us straight away. Try to catch some of the amniotic fluid or put on a sanitary pad. We will then come to your home to check and listen to the baby’s heartbeat. The contractions do not need to have started yet at this point. It is quite possible that they only start hours later. You do not need to worry that the baby will dry out. If the baby has not been born 24 hours after your waters broke, we will refer you to the gynaecologist.

If your waters break late in the evening or at night and the fluid is clear, you do not need to call us straight away. Do let us know the next morning, or when you have regular contractions every 4 to 5 minutes. The fluid may also be slightly pink and contain some white flakes; this is normal too. You can put on a sanitary pad and try to sleep. We will visit you in the morning and discuss how things will continue from then on.

If your waters break and the fluid is green, yellow or brown, call us straight away. This means the baby has done a poo in the amniotic fluid. This is no reason to panic, but we do want to keep a closer eye on the baby, and we will hand over your care to the midwife and the on-call gynaecologist at the hospital. They can monitor your baby continuously and speed up the birth if necessary.

Blood loss

If you lose a lot of bright red blood (a full sanitary pad), call us straight away. Put on a sanitary pad so that we can see how much it is. During contractions you can also lose some bright red blood. We call this a ‘show’. The cervix is starting to open and some small blood vessels can break in the process. This is nothing to worry about.

The mucus plug

Losing the mucus plug does not mean that labour is starting. It can come with some pinkish blood loss. You do not need to call us for this.

In doubt? Always call us

If you are worried for any reason, you can always call us: 06-52520705.