If your due date is near and you've already started feeling contractions, you may not need to rush off to the delivery room just yet. Knowing when to go to the hospital can save you from getting there too soon (and being turned away) or not soon enough (and nobody wants that). Here's how to tell when it's time.
When should you call the doctor if you think you’re in labor?
If your contractions are mild to moderate and coming more than five minutes apart (and up to 20 minutes apart), you’re likely in early labor. Contractions in this stage of labor can be regular or irregular and last 30 to 45 seconds each. Early labor can last several hours or even several days. Which is why you probably won’t be heading to the maternity ward just yet.
The best place to be during this phase of labor is at home, resting (you’ll need plenty of energy for pushing later). No need to call your practitioner yet, either.
Once contractions start coming more frequently, are more consistent, are longer in duration and are more painful, it’s time to call your practitioner. Even if the intervals aren't consistent, or if you're not sure you're in real labor — but the contractions are coming pretty regularly — call anyway, just to be safe.
If you’re not sure if you’re in labor, but think you might be, get on the phone. And if you’ve had a baby before, labor tends to go more quickly (hooray!), so make the call as soon as you start having regular contractions.
Also call the doctor if your water breaks, you experience any bleeding or bright red discharge (not brown or pinkish), or if you experience blurred or double vision, a severe headache or sudden swelling.
How do you know when it’s time to go to the hospital for labor?
Once you’ve got your practitioner on the phone, he or she will let you know when to go to the hospital or birthing center. That timing is different for almost every mom-to-be — it depends on how far away you live, how dilated your cervix was at your last exam, how your baby is positioned (if you have a breech baby, you’ll likely go to the hospital as soon as you’re in active labor), if you’ve had prior uterine surgery or if you have complications like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, which need monitoring sooner rather than later.
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Signs labor is near
You’ll know labor is near when:
- Your show (a.k.a. vaginal discharge) becomes tinged with blood
- Your contractions start coming more frequently (perhaps every five minutes apart)
- These frequent contractions don’t subside and stay consistently strong instead of easing up (as they might in early labor)
- Each contraction is longer in duration (say 30 to 70 seconds long) and more painful than those in early labor
- Your back hurts (a lot)
- Your water breaks
What should you do if your water breaks?
Follow the set of instructions your practitioner has given you if your water breaks. Can’t remember them? Put in a call to find out what to do.
If you've tested positive for group B strep, you’ll likely be told to go to the hospital right away after your water breaks. Definitely call your doctor right away if the fluid looks green or brown — it could be that baby had his first bowel movement (called meconium) in utero.
If your water breaks before labor begins, you’ll likely start to feel contractions within 12 to 24 hours of that first trickle. Is it past that timeframe and nothing's going on yet? Most practitioners induce labor within 24 hours of a rupture if you’re near your due date (a few induce as early as six hours after) to prevent infection.
If your practitioner suggests you hang at home a bit longer, don’t be discouraged. Before you know it, your contractions will pick up steam and you’ll get to meet your eagerly anticipated bundle of baby!
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