When should you call during the birth?

These are reasons to call from 37 weeks. If you are less than 37 weeks pregnant, check out the calling instructions during pregnancy†

Calling instructions during delivery, if you are going to give birth to your 1st child

• If you have regular, painful contractions for two to three hours that come back every 4-5 minutes and last about 60 seconds.
• When your waters break and the head has not yet descended. Then lie down immediately. We will always tell you at the end of the pregnancy whether the head has descended.
• When your waters break and the head has descended. Then look at the color of the amniotic fluid.
• Green or brown means the baby has pooped in the amniotic fluid. Please contact the obstetrician on duty immediately.
• Clear (no clear color but may contain flakes of wax). During the day you call the on-call midwife. At night you do not have to call immediately, but you can wait until the next morning or until you have contractions every 4-5 minutes.
  Always try to collect a little amniotic fluid or keep wet underpants or bandages.
• With bright red blood loss. Some mucous bleeding is normal at the end of pregnancy or during labour. However, if the blood loss is bright red and comparable to a normal period or more, please let us know immediately. Save the blood you've lost.
• When you clear less life feels than before. It is normal that at the end of the pregnancy you feel the baby move less strongly than before, because there is less room to move. In case of doubt or a clear difference with previous days, it is important to contact us at all times.
• If you have any concerns or doubts, you can always call us.

Calling instructions during delivery if you are going to give birth to your 2nd (or more) child

• If you have regular, painful contractions for one to two hours that come back every 4-5 minutes and last about 60 seconds.
• If you have irregular contractions, but which are very strong.
• When your waters break and the head has not yet descended. Then lie down immediately. We will always tell you at the end of the pregnancy whether the head has descended.
• When your waters break and the head has descended. Then look at the color of the amniotic fluid.
• Green or brown means the baby has pooped in the amniotic fluid. Please contact the obstetrician on duty immediately.
• Clear (no clear color but may contain flakes of wax). During the day you call the on-call midwife. At night you do not have to call immediately, but you can wait until the next morning or until you have contractions every 4-5 minutes.
  Always try to collect a little amniotic fluid or keep wet underpants or bandages.
• With bright red blood loss. Some mucous bleeding is normal at the end of pregnancy or during labour. However, if the blood loss is bright red and comparable to a normal period or more, please let us know immediately. Save the blood you've lost.
• When you clear less life feels than before. It is normal that at the end of the pregnancy you feel the baby move less strongly than before, because there is less room to move. In case of doubt or a clear difference with previous days, it is important to contact us at all times.
• If you have any concerns or doubts, you can always call us.

We may have special instructions for you to call us during the delivery, for example if you have given birth before and this went very smoothly. We will always mention this during your check-up at the consultation hour.