when to call the midwife

[bez]

my mw said to call her when contractions 5 mins apart or when i think i can't cope with them anymore but surely when they're this close together im nearly at the end and about to start pushing

Afraid not . When they are 5 minutes apart and strong and regular it is "normally" a sign that labour is "established". During the last part of labour contractions can last for about a minute, with about the same gap between them (so every 2 minutes.)

Of course, everyone is different - just because it isn't "textbook" doesn't mean bigger spaces between contractions mean nothing is happening.

Agree with Oakmaiden. That is the time that labour is established and can last for a good number of hours after that.

Go for when you can't cope, love, even if it's isn't textbook five minutes.