My Advice about Midwives

To those that are pregnant or planning to be pregnant I have one piece of advice to offer you about your midwife. If you are unhappy - CHANGE! Even if you are 39wks pregnant - if you have significant doubts, then change.

I began to feel unhappy with my MW at about 20wks, but I was wanted to be secure and didn't like the thought of change. By 39wks I really didn't like my MW but I was freaked out at the thought of someone attending my birth that I didn't know.

After a terrible experience both during pregnancy and during my birth, and a complaint to the Health and Disabilities Commissioner and the DHB - 1 year later I am still getting over that experience. I met with some of the managers at the hospital today and the things that she neglected to do still has an impact on me emotionally to this day!

So my one piece of advice to any mothers-to-be is change your midwife if you are not happy - the sooner the better.

And rather than getting a midwife off a list - seek recommendations from people.

I am putting together a list of midwives through my small business on my website that are RECOMMENDED by mothers who have had a good experience with them. If you'd like to mention here who your MW was - I'd love to add them to the list.

My complaints to the DHB and HDC have been positive in terms of changes they have made - I wanted to make sure that no mother goes through the same experience as me. And that's why I'm creating a Recommended Directory of Midwives.

Yes, I agree: perhaps if you can put WHY you'd recommend your midwife then people can see if they are what they are looking for.

IMO there must be general things that we all have in common about what we like about MW's: supportive, available, approachable, answer questions, listen to our requests for the birth and do whatever they can, make referrals in a timely manner etc.

Obviously the rest is about personality??

I agree, I think you need to have a good relationship with your mw and I was lucky I had that with mine, I was so happy with how things went!

Recommend your MW

It's all been put in a table at the end

I changed MW even though Dh and my GP said not to-she told me not to ask any questions as she didn't have time to hold a first timers hand but as soon as I found my new one I knew I had made the right choice for me.
I find that you hear good and bad though with everyone. There's a MW on that list that I know many women who have had the most horrendous experiences with but some people obviously like her
Def a good idea to put why or a little note like, birth didn't go to plan but she coped well under pressure etc.

nathansmummy, what is your site that you can recommend midwives on?