lost confidence in midwife

[knowonedidit]

Hi I'm new here. Not sure if there is a newly welcome section, I'll go and have a look for in in a moment.
From our first meeting with our midwife at the medical center we have had misgivings. After today we have lost confidence in her completely. Everyone else has been lovely. Do any of you know how we could go about changing midwife?

Just contact the head of the midwife service and say you want to change.

I did it. I recall having to write to the head of midwifery in the local nhs and asking for a different one. It was an easy process.

In 4 pregnancies I haven't had a midwife that I would have liked to have again. I don't like the way they work at all, I was much happier with consultant-led care.

Can I ask how far along in your pregnancy you are and what happened today? It may be that you would be best served making a complaint or raising a concern about your care as well as changing midwife.

Thanks everyone.

24 weeks gone.
It's not any one incident, and the things individually would not warrant a complaint, the combination of gives us an uneasy feeling of what next.
Today was the straw that broke the camel's back. We had an appointment to see the midwife first thing tomorrow (booked a couple of weeks ago) and late this afternoon a voicemail was left cancelling that appointment and informing us of another one (at an unsutable time).

But she might have cancelled for any one of a number of reasons - if the new appointment is unsuitable then make another one.

My mw was constantly rearranging appointments as she was also on call (home birth team). I think as long as she's giving you reasonable notice then it's as much as she can do in that kind of job.
In my first pregnancy I saw a different mw every time but had all my appointments scheduled weeks in advance and none were cancelled. This time I had the same mw all the way through but had to accept that meant sometimes she would have to rearrange. I still preferred seeing the same person.

I agree, cancelling an appointment is not a reason to change. You're unlikely to completely avoid that sort of thing whoever you get. She may for example have been called in to cover the labour ward or home deliveries. That can happen.

I do think you need to feel like you trust midwives, so if you don't trust this specific one then feel free to ask if you can change/ have a conversation with someone more senior regarding your concerns.
But as you go through your pregnancy you may see a number of midwives due to rotas, holidays, sickness etc and when you actually go into labour you never know who you'll get anyway.
I have had the same midwife all the way through, but only as that is the way my surgery runs. She has had to cancel a once, due to sickness and I've had one of my appointments 2 weeks after I should due to her being on call with the labour team. But this is just the way things go, just like I've had to move my HV appointment as something else came up I couldn't move.
Many people who have their anti-natal care at the hospital never see the same midwife twice though!