How did you know when to go to hospital?

[Dozeyland]

Other than the obvious, how did youknow?

I phoned them up when I was having regular 'contractions' to ask their advice. The midwives should be able to advice you as when it's your 1st you don't really know for sure.

My MW has said to call up when I think labour has started, but to only go to the hospital when ctx are 3-5 minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds each. So it's a stopwatch test!

I was told to phone the hospital when contractions had been five minutes apart (timed from the beginning of each contraction) for an hour. Even when I got to that point and they said 'ok come in' I was only 3cm dilated and it went on for hours more.

I was told to time contractions and go in when they were 5 mins apart and lasting for about 1 min. Did as I was told and was 4 cm dilated when I was examined.
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I was told to phone when contractions were 5 mins apart or waters broke which I did but they told me to stay home until I was having at least 3 contractions in 10 mins. Ime (this is not intended to scare anyone btw) when I really wanted to go in I was still being told to stay home. I was fully dilated by the time I got there and dd was born 20 mins later so I would advise you to be really assertive if you want to go in!

They try and keep you at home if they're busy, but in the end both times I rang in and said I was coming in, I'd hung on long enough.

I don't know why but midwives never believe in quick first labours. In my antenatal group of 10 there were 3 very quick first labours (not mine unfortunately).

I went in when my waters broke because they told me too. (I live about 15mins drive away) Went home again because was fine. Went back in a few hours later because I felt I was on the edge of needing some pain relief (couldn't speak or move when contracting). Was 5cms when they examined me.

You will just know. I know it sounds odd or stupid but you will just know.
Your contractions need to be a few mins apart (2 - 3) and lasting a good minute. When you start getting pressure in your bottom you might want to start thinking about it too. Contractions need to be close to gether like that for a few hours, not the moment they hit 2mins apart, rush to the hospital....good luck
PS: this is for a first baby!

Like above they told me to go in when 3 contractions in 10 mins. At 24 hours of contractions every 7 mins I said I wanted to be checked, so went in and was 4 cms. Never got to 3 every 10 mins until just before he was born. If you feel you need to go in tell them so, there's no shame in being asked to come back later. Good luck!!

I think like amberredsky experienced if you get to the point when you want to go in you should go in.

For me I'd spent 36 hours contracting on and off and I got to a point when I felt things were progressing and I needed to be in the place i was planning to give birth. I was 6cm when I went in although my contractions were all over the place!

Good question - wish I'd known the answer.
DD1 contrations started 5 mins apart lasting for 30 seconds. Left it 6 hours overnight and went in as I was tranitioning (didn't even know what that was). They told me off for not getting their sooner (I didn't want to waste their time).

DD2 I rang them when I thought I was in labour, had to stop talking through a contration I had on the phone and I was told to have a bath and take some paracetamol. Bugger me, but DD2 turned up 30 mins later in our downstairs toilet box room as I was doing a poo . So the hospital got it wrong that time.

Looking back I'd go in when they are 5 mins apart lasting about 45 secs.

Good luck - just trust your instincts, you'll be OK. If I can get it totally wrong and still deliver 2 babies anyone can.

I went from 1 in 8-10 mins to 3 in 10 mins very quickly. One minute the mw was telling me to take two paracetamol (hahaha) and have a warm bath and it would be some time yet, 10 minutes later DH was telling them we were coming in now please! Mw said ok but we might send you home again ...
Was 7 cm dilated and bleeding so no they didn't send me home. DS was born 4 hours later.

In my antenatal classes (which took place at the hosiptal with one of their midwives) I was told to go in when the contractions were about 4 mins apart and lasting for about 30 seconds. So at that stage, DP called the hospital but was told we shouldn't come in as it wasn't established labour. I'd been having regular contractions for 48 hours so I insisted we went in. We were sent home 3 hours later. At home they got much much stronger and more regular. I went in again, 8 hours after being sent home, when my contractions were 2 mins apart lasting a minute. I was 7cm then.
I think the time when I was sent home is when I should have gone in and the time I could have done with pain relief.

My contractions didn't ever work to time IYSWIM - they went from irregular to more or less constant quite quickly.

I had already been into hospital earlier in the evening as my waters broke, but they sent me home as I was fine and my contractions hadn't started yet. When DH called a few hours later to say I was coming back they basically poo-poohed me and said I couldn't possibly be that far along but I was 9cm dilated.

My advice is go when you think you need to. The worst that will happen is that you'll be sent home again. That happened to me the first time round.

Second time I thought I'd wait at home, so went to bed. Woke up at 2.30 am, waters went and by the time my parents had arrived and we'd made the journey to hospital, I was in the maternity unit for 11 minutes before dd2 was born!