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