When You Should Go To Hospital During Labour?

It is obviously extremely important for all pregnant ladies to be aware of the stages of labour and to know when it is time to go to hospital with labour pains. The entire 9 months tenure of pregnancy can be terrifying for multiple reasons. One of the most horrifying experiences that pregnancy brings along besides constant nausea is the experience of contractions.

However, these contractions can be shifty most times and cannot be identified as true labour alarm every time. Not all, but most pregnant women may experience Braxton Hicks contractions since the middle of their pregnancy.

Braxton Hicks contractions are irregular occasional contractions that generally subside. These contractions create the panic of true labour but actually they are a false labour indication.

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When you are in true labour, your cervix starts to open/dilate as you experience excruciating contractions. On the other hand, in false labour you experience painful contractions that do not open your cervix.

So when to go to hospital with labour pains?

Identify Real Contractions
Real contractions are more regular in duration and spacing. On average they can last from 30 seconds to 1 minute every hour. When you experience about 4 to 6 eye popping, excruciating contractions for 2 hours straight, it is time for you to go to hospital.

Time your contractions with a stopwatch to see their duration and time them again to measure the time intervals because this information will help your doctor determine over phone if you should leave for hospital immediately.

Your contractions can start off as dull and manageable pains and suddenly become over the top, gut wrenching pains instantly. This indicates that your baby progressing toward the birth canal and thus requires you to reach hospital immediately.

Know The Labour Stages
When your cervix starts experiencing contractions that cause it to dilate, it means you are in the first stage of labour. This stage has two parts. In ‘early labour’, your cervix dilates and in ‘active labour’ (also known as transition stage), your cervix dilates more speedily and contractions are more painful, longer and closer together.

Early labour ends when your cervix has dilated at least 4 centimetres and the progress in dilation becomes more rapid. You can expect to pass the early labour stage at home but at the transition stage, you need to be in hospital.

Other Important Signs
Besides the contractions during the labour, you should reach to hospital if your waters break even if you have not experienced any contractions as yet.

You may also experience a lot of mucusy vaginal discharge which may be blood tinged which is a perfectly normal condition but if you see more blood than just a tinge, you need to go to hospital.

If you are worried about your baby’s movements, go to hospital immediately.

Also, if you have not yet reached the 37th week mark and you are noticing contractions and other signs of labour, don’t resist from going to hospital as your may be in preterm labour.