Can someone remind me what I do and when?

[Mumswang]

I've been having strong cramps since about midday (4 hours ish). They are between 8 and 10 minutes apart

I think they might be contractions. They do hurt quite a lot

Had a bit of a show earlier today

This is all v different to my first labour which was sudden and full on

Anyway, sorry waffling, do I call the hospital when the contractions are 3 minutes apart, is that right?

2 to 3 in 10 minutes is what I was told. Ring them now and ask, they won't mind.

I think you are meant to ring then so that they are aware? I was induced though so have no experience.... Good Luck!

In the antenatal classes the midwife said;

1st baby - when the contractions are 3 to 4 mins apart to call

2nd baby -call when the are 5 mins apart

Good luck

I thought you were supposed to call them when it all starts, and then actually go to the hospital when they are 5 minutes apart. That's what I plan to do anyway. I think there is no harm in calling. Hope things are all going well for you OP, maybe you've even had the baby by now!!

I was told last time (and this time) to call when they start so that the hospital are aware, they'll tell you when they want you to go in and how often they want updates. I was told to stay at home until they were five minutes apart unless my waters broke, I wasn't coping, or I had any bleeding. They also told me to ring them with an update roughly every 4-5 hours and after the third update they asked me to go in for a quick CTG just to check baby was happy.

How soon they want you to go in will depend on different things like your pregnancy history, how this pregnancy has been, how far you live from the hospital and the time of day (my unit has told me that if it's rush hour they want me there ASAP as the trip can take around an hour in heavy traffic, more if there's roadworks or accidents), etc.

Just give them a quick ring, they'll let you know what's what.