5 weeks to go....?

Question

I'm having my first child and have been reading up on labour and the best course of action to take (Since all labours are different) and i'm a bit confused. They tell you that you should wait as long as possible before going to hospital but then say the waters breaking is really important. Do you go in once they break or wait?

Answer 1

The waters inside the amniotic sack protect your baby from infection and harm. The majority of women don't actually have a spontaneous rupture of the membranes (waters breaking) until they're actually in active labour and in the hospital, (although in the world of TV and film a characters waters will always break dramatically in the middle of a shop!!). If your waters break in the early stages of labour (it can even happen days before active labour begins) your baby is a little more susceptible to infection. This is why the midwives suggest that you should always go in and be checked when your waters break.

You're told to wait as long as possible before going into the hospital for two reasons, firstly, because you are more likely to stay comfortable and colm in your own home (although if like me it's your first baby you'll be desperate to get to a hospital to check that everything is ok....i phoned about 6 times in the space of a coupe of hours!). Secondly they have limited resources at the hospital and as mean as it may sound, they don't want you there for what could be many hours taking up a bed that may be needed by someone in far more advanced labour than you.
Hope this helps. Good luck and stay calm !

Answer 2

When you start having contractions you should time them. Start timing from the end of one til the beginning of the next one. When they get to 5 minutes apart, then you should go in. You can also time the actual contractions. At the beginning they may only last about 10 seconds or so but they get longer and stronger as you progress. It is usually advised to go to hospital if your waters break as there is a risk of infection. If the waters have green or black stuff in it you should get there quickly as it can mean that the baby is in distress. Also if you bleed more than a little bit. The best thing to do is speak to the hospital when you think you are in labour and they will advise you when to come in. If you're anything like me, you'll probably be so excited that you'll be phoning everyone when it happens anyway! Good luck when it happens and congratulations!

Answer 3

You should go when your waters break as labour becomes more painful when they do, plus if your labour doesn't progress once the waters have broken you are prone to infection. I have had 3 kids and my waters broke when I was having strong contractions close together so I was already in hospital, but that's just my experience.

My advice would be to trust your instincts and go to hospital when you feel ready. There are no hard and fast rules as everyone , like you said, is different.

Good Luck
xx

Answer 4

Hi, if your waters break you need to go to the hospital asap - if everything is ok they may send you home again ( this happened with my first). Otherwise I was told to go in when the contractions are 4 minutes apart if your waters haven't broken.
Don't worry I am sure you will know when everything is happening -the best thing to do if you are worried is ring the hospital and see what they reccomend.

GOOD LUCK, I hope everything goes ok for you- I have 9 weeks left to go and can't wait to see my little boy.

Answer 5

Believe me they tell you to wait for a reason. With my first I went in too early so they sent me home (they won't admit unless you are 4 cm dilated) and when I went back I was only 4 cm dilated and ended up having pitocin to speed up the labor which resulted in stronger contractions. When you are at home you can walk around and are more relaxed. If your water breaks yes you are supposed to go immediately to the hospital, otherwise you should wait until the contractions are 4-5 minutes apart. Good Luck!!!

Answer 6

I would wait. You could walk around (it helps lower the baby). Even though your water breaks, it takes a while until you're fully dilated. Sometimes the doctors will send you back home and make you wait a while as well if you're not far enough along to be in the hospital to wait.

Congratulations and good luck =]

Answer 7

If you're not sure you can call your local midwife first or one from hospital you booked with, check with them then go. My water broke at 5pm ish on Fri then I just called them to make sure if it's all right to stay home (they asked couple of questions about colour of water and etc). We waited till 10pm ish then I had bloody water which terrified me, of course, so we rushed in to hospital. They did some check ups and sent us home cause I didn't have any contractions. Of course, they started as soon as we got home and I didn't sleep all night. By morning I already had very strong contractions almost every 3-4min apart by the time we got hospital it was 12noon ish and I couldn't even walk from pain. They asked if I wanted pain relief and I did say yes, but I think they would send me home I recon if I said no (not sure though) cause I wasn't dilated much maybe only 3-4cm. My baby girl was born at 2am ish on Sun. So everyone experience is different, just call to midwife or doc and see what they say. Especially if you're not driving don't waist money on cab as we did.
Good luck and best wishes!

Answer 8

Hi! I've got 5 weeks to go too - little girl due April 30th!

I suggest that you go into the hospital when your contractions are about 5 minutes apart and regular. I wouldn't wait until your waters break, as mine didn't break at all with my first.

When I got to hospital they had to break my waters for me, and this happens to a lot of mothers, the waters don't always break naturally.

I didn't lose my mucous plug with my first either, so don't go by that either!

Good luck, hope all goes OK!!

:-)

Answer 9

i got 6 weeks to go n found this equally as confusing! also, half the books say eat 2 keep ur strength up, the other half say dnt incase u need a op!! bloody things.
i intend 2 go in as soon as i either get horribly painful contractions, or my waters break, which eva comes 1st. hopefully the waters cuz dat generally means a short labour

Answer 10

The risk of infection is very low. If your waters break, call the labour ward. They might want to see you. But they would usually give you another 36 hours before they were too worried.