Many women will not want the midwife in attendance until late first stage. If we have traveled a distance to the home, and the woman is in early labour we will often remain very much in the background until progress is evident. Listen to FH asap after rupture of membranes or change in the pattern of labour. I record urges to push, and woman's responses in determining second stage. In second stage I listen to FH about every 10-15 minutes, immediately after a contraction, and listen through a contraction if there is any concern.
Postnatally observations are fairly informal - ensuring mother and baby are well is top priority.
We usually follow physiological third stage, but have oxytocics handy. The cord is usually not clamped or cut until after the placenta is out. Small tears are not sutured, and some women prefer to leave second degree tears unsutured. In my limited experience they have healed well, and the women have been very satisfied. A set of formal obs are done on both mother and child somewhere in the first hour postnatally.