When to go to the birth
Be careful not to confuse show with the discharge (wetness from the vagina)
that many women have in the 2 weeks before labor begins. That discharge is
mostly clear mucus and is not tinged with blood.
The bag of waters breaks
When the bag of waters breaks, there can be a big gush of fluid or a
slow leak. Most of the time, the bag of waters breaks during labor.
When the bag breaks before labor, labor usually starts within a
few hours.
If labor does not start within 6 hours after the bag breaks, there is
a risk of infection. As more time goes by after the water breaks, the
risk of infection gets stronger. You may choose to do something to
get labor started (see page 191). If labor has not started in 24 hours
(1 day and 1 night) after the water breaks, bring the woman to a
medical center.
If medical help is very far away, you should start on your way there earlier.
When to go to the birth
You should go to the mother when any of these things
happen:
• labor contractions begin
• the bag of waters breaks
• the mother feels she needs you
If you go to a birth and find the mother is in very early
labor (and you live nearby), it is usually OK to go home
for a while. Ask the mother to call for you when labor
gets stronger. But before leaving, consider these questions:
• Is this a first baby? Labor is usually longer for a first baby.
• Were the woman’s past births fast or slow? If a past birth was fast,
she may have an even faster birth this time.
• How far away is medical help?
What to bring to a birth
Bring a helper
When you go to a labor, it is best to bring a helper. If there is an emergency,
one person can take care of the baby while the other person helps the mother.
Or one person can go for help while the other stays to take care of the problem.
If you do not have a helper, teach someone at the birth (the mother’s husband,
sister, mother-in-law, or friend) how to help during the birth.
A Book for Midwives (2010)
151