when to go to hospital

[2CheekyMonkeys]

not doing antenatal classes this time and i cant remember what they said to do.. plus i was induced last time so it didnt really matter to me.
when do you go to the hospital? when they are really painful? how long apart?

oh, and how do you correctly time contractions?

[~Trish~]

I rang the hospital when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart just to give them a heads-up. I went in when they were 3 minutes apart. They usually say to come in when you're no longer coping with the pain.

You time contractions from the start of one contraction to the start of the next. So say for example you have a contraction at 6pm (it might go for a minute) and then the next one is at 6:05pm then your contractions are 5 minutes apart. Hopefully that made sense

[Thecla]

Just time the gap inbetween them. As it gets closer and closer, you're heading towards the end of first stage. To avoid unecessary intervention, wait until they're almost on top of each other before going to hospital. The closer you are to pushing, the less likely to have "hospital policy" pushed on you.

I was induced for my first, and natural for my second. The second one built up a lot slower, instead of hitting me all at once. I much preferred a natural labour. Good luck!

[Meegs]

It also depends on whether or not it is your first bub.. If it is your second or third they are happy for you to come in a bit sooner.

[Karina]

I rang them when my waters broke and they said to come in straight away... my waters breaking was only the very start of my labour. when my waters broke, I started getting sort of painful contractions 3 minutes apart, but it was not painful enough that I wasnt coping or anything like that. I wish I had gone in later!

But short story - they told me to come in when my waters broke.. or when contractions were i think 5 minutes or less apart.

[~clover~]

With DD1 I went straight in since my waters broke first.
Ended up with he option of going or staying. Stayed coz I was a bi freaked about it all & lived an hour away.

DD2 - contractions were still 30 mins apart, but the pain was unbearable. I wasn't gonna leave home til they were 5 minutes apart. Well as soon as I got up they were 5 minutes apart. Got to the hossy (an hour away) at around 7cm dialated.

DS - Was gonna hang at home even after waters broke til necessary, but had mecconium in fluids, so went in to be checked out.
Had to be monitored & ended up having him only 2 hours later.

I think the rule if your not sure is get checked if waters have broken, contractions around 5 minutes apart, or if your worried about something.
Its really whenever you feel comfortable depending on how far you have to travel.

[Sammiejane]

When my contractions started they were 5 mins apart. i called the hossy and they told me to come in soon.
I wish i had stayed at home longer, this was one of the factors that lead to my c/s... you can not be in active labour for longer than 12 maybe more at a hospital before they want to do something... wont go into it all, but i wouldnt rush there if you dont feel any urgency.
Also of course depends on how long it will take you to get to the hossy - dont want to leave it too long either and have your baby in the car!!! or an unplanned Homebirth

[Schmickers]

I agree, it depends on how far you have to travel. But most midwives will advise you to cope at home for as long as possible - you will labour more effectively and be more comfortable there.

OR - you could just stay home... :P

[Oorki Galoorki]

OR - you could just stay home... :P

:yeahthat:

[fionas]

I think it sometimes really hard to know especially if you have a really long prelabour like me.

I was always told, "oh, you'll always know when you're REALLY in labour." Well, it had been going on so long, I really didn't know and the only reason I went to hospital was that I was sick to death of pacing the floor for the third night in a row while DP slept. At that time, my contractions were still completely all over the place. Sometimes 2 mins apart, sometimes 15 mins apart.

I was just so completely over it and actually wanted some company and people to talk to! When I got there, I was about 6cm dilated but I would never have known from the actual pain - it felt pretty much the same as it had done two days earlier.

I remember huffing and puffing more than I needed to when I got to the hospital because I was scared they were going to turn me away and I was BORED and didn't want to go home.

[Ozziehoffy]

OR - you could just stay home... :P

I have been contemplating this cos I don't want to leave Oskar anywhere but with us!! lol. I'd have to call an ambo though cos we don't have a midwife cos of the expense, so it's prob not the smartest idea... very tempting though!!

We went to hossy when I think contracts were about 4ish mins apart?? They were regular enough that once we were in the car I zoned out into my own world for most of the trip there.

[AmandaJ]

This last time I went to hospital when I knew in myself if I didn't go know, then I would be having the baby at home. When I got there I was 10cm and waters bulging, I had him 10 mins later .

hugs xoxo

[Tobily]

If you're a short run to the hospital leave it as long as you can....go by how you feel rather than how far apart your contractions are because that can be really unreliable in some women.

If you have a one hour drive across town in peak hour it pays to plan a bit I think....I've done a few long hospital drives with women in heavy labour and it's not really optimal. Aside from the car not being a great place to labour comfort wise it literally drags you out of your zone too and out of that nice rhythm that most women get into labouring at home.

[LuluHB]

I have to agree with Fionas. My pre-labour had been pretty intense since about 33 weeks and lasted for hours and hours so I was constantly wondering if I was in labour. It ended up being the joke that I would be sitting in a pool of amniotic fluid before I would concede I was actually REALLY in labour. I thought things were maybe changing just before 2am so I called my Mum to come and look after DD1 and then headed in (hospital 5 minutes away). Its lucky I didn't wait for my waters to break because DD2 was on my chest 10 minutes after they did! I went from 4cm dilated to birth in 15 minutes.

Not saying that to scare you - just that all labours are different. My first was a 36 hour long induction and my second, well it was reeeeeaaaallly fast!

[Cyathea]

Yep, as late as humanly possible! Less chance of unnecessary intervention then

And if your waters break, it is actually pretty safe to just wait it out for up to 72 hours (according to NICE guidelines) if you take the usual precautions to prevent any infection:
Don't put anything into your vagina, don't immerse yourself in water (bath or spa) if not in active labour, keep an eye on your temp, and dose up on garlic, vit C to help boost your immune system.

[satya]

My hospital said to go in when contractions were 3 mins apart. Can't remember how far apart they were when I went in but they weren't that close & I was 6cms when I got there after a short car trip. The middys had kept telling me I was only in pre labour as the pain was too low - only just above the pubic bone, but labour it was. I knew that I had to go in when I got the uncontrollable shakes with each and every contraction.