2ND QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Going to the Hospital Too Soon
Many first time mothers get mixed messages from friends and family members about how to react when labor begins. This confusion can lead to another common mistake in early labor, going to the hospital too soon.
Much worse than just stopping normal activity or timing every contraction, going to the hospital too early removes every possible normal distraction available to pass the time while labor builds. The mother in the hospital finds her activities restricted, and may even feel she needs to remain in bed. This works to prevent her movement, which makes it more difficult for the baby to move through the pelvis and may even cause labor to be longer than average.
Many hospitals will send a woman home if she is not yet 4 centimeters dilated. However, it is common for women to request to stay because of the emotional energy they expanded in coming to the hospital. To be sent home without a baby feels like failure and being let down. So many women will accept medications to speed labor rather than go home if they get to the hospital too soon.