Announcement: We Are Switching Phone Numbers!

Since the beginning of my practice, I have always used my personal phone number as our emergency call number. What this means is that if a client comes into care and has an emergency, or goes into labor, they call my personal cell phone number. This was convenient for everyone involved for a long time. I did not have to pay for an additional phone service and clients knew they would be reaching me directly. 

The drawbacks of this is that if I am off call, have a family emergency, or need to go out of town suddenly, or for any reason cannot be reached, I have to make sure to contact every client individually, make sure they understand the situation, and give them the new number where they can reach a backup midwife. This also means that many people have another midwife’s personal cell phone number. 

As you can imagine, with hundreds of families served and many people having my personal cell phone number, even when they are not in care and I am on a vacation, I still receive inquiries, questions, and concerns on my personal cell. It is impossible to turn off my work mode while continuing to give out my personal cell. It is also inconvenient for families to have to keep track of multiple midwives' numbers and when to use a particular phone number.

For example, on my last sabbatical, I had to tell people the following:

-Call midwife Jane Doe November 1-17 at 123.456.7890

-Call midwife Molly Jane November 18-Dec 21 at 098.765.4321

-Call midwife…well, you get the idea.

If you have a concern and you are not yet due, the last thing I want you to need to do is to look back at your emails, find the right number, and make sure you are calling the correct midwife. If you only had one number to call and knew you were reaching the right person, it would be best for you and lower your stress level, which is my highest priority! 

For this reason and more, I am now switching to a Ring Central number. Ring Central will allow you to call one number, and I can forward it to my own phone, or another midwife’s phone, as needed. You do not have to remember more than one number ever again! And for me, I can easily forward the number in case something arises.

In my own life, I want to be ready if I have any type of emergency, where I need to suddenly forward my phone (or a colleague needs to do that for me) to a trusted midwife. I don’t have to be concerned about my beloved clients and their babies being properly taken care of, or text many people when I am under the stress of a personal emergency. 

I know there may be concerns about this being less personal, but I can promise you that when you call this number, you will still be calling a midwife that cares about you and will give you the same quality care. And if you are not reaching me, it will be a trusted midwife that gives the same quality, holistic, evidence based care in my place. Making this change will only improve your quality of care and reduce the likelihood of any issues if the unexpected happens.

If you are a current client, you should have received this new phone number via email. Please save it under your phone under Midwife or North Texas Midwifery Emergency/Labor Line, or whatever is easiest for you to remember. Please make sure to also have your partner/husband/other support person also save the number in their phone in case they end up calling the midwife line on your behalf. 

As always, please use email for any non-urgent concerns. This new number will not receive text messages so always call if you are in labor or experiencing an urgent concern. 

If you are not a current client, meaning you have not yet had an initial visit, or you are past 6-12 weeks postpartum and would be considered a repeat client and do not yet have this phone number, you will be given the new emergency/labor line phone number once you come into care. All clients are considered to be in care once they have had their initial visit at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy and paid their deposit. If you would like first trimester support and have not had your initial visit, please let me know as we do offer this service including lab work, referrals for ultrasounds, calling in prescriptions like anti-nausea medications and progesterone, for a fee. If you have a history of miscarriage, it is very important that you have a care provider to call in your first trimester. 

If you have any questions about this new change in phone number, please reach out! I would love to hear from you.

Love and Blessings, 

Midwife Bethany