Ok this is bugging me now. Any midwives around to answer the question of when you go to hospital??

[babyignoramus]

When I went into labour I went from having mild cx every 20 mins or soto suddenly having excrutiating ones every 3 minutes. I rang the hospital and was told to take two paracetemol and have a bath. I went into hospital two hours later only to be sent home with the same instructions as I wasn't in 'established' labour (i.e. was less than 4cm dilated).

I then phoned them again four hours later to say I was coming back in as I couldn't cope any more (cx were 2 mins apart) and they still tried to discourage me from coming in.

My question is, how the feck are you supposed to know when is the right time to arrive at the hospital?? I can judge the length of contractions, how much they hurt, how far apart they are. The one thing I cannot do is check how dilated I am. Are you supposed to stay at home until you're in transition?! I am really struggling with this concept.

Answers please!!

written as OA or occiput anterior, or anterior.

The occipt being the crown area of the baby's head, and anterior being the fron of your pelvis, relative to you.

Spending plenty of time with your knees lower than your hips can assist in optimal fetal positioning. So slouchy couches are bad, as your bum sinks down.

Having said that certain pelvic shapes encourage cerain positions and it takes contractions to help the baby navigate the bony pelvis. Like mine, a mix of android male flat pelvis and gynacoid baby bearing. Looks like a squashed heart on xray

Treedelivery - can I just say thank you for comparing your labour to toothache. I think it's the first time I have heard anyone compare labour to another type of pain. It's reassured me that my labour was a painful one in comparison to some other people and that I wasn't being pathetic. It's so hard to know whether you just have a lower pain threshold when you have no frame of reference - one of the things that really frightens me about doing it again is that my labour may have been a mild one and I was just a wuss, so to read that was actually a massive relief to me.

On the subjest of positioning, annoyingly DS was in the perfect position until the day before he was born, and then turned back to back while I was in labour. No idea how he ended up though as he was ec.

NB - does anyone know if the whole thing about subsequent labours being quicker still works if you didn't have a natural birth first time round?

Hey listen, some people Hate the comparison thing.

Pain is where, how and when the person says it is. First rule!
I found my second less painfull than my toothache. But someone else might think I was potty, or wrong to try and gauge it. It's all so personal

Your labour was painfull if you found it to be so. No embarrassed feelings, or apologies should be made! It nips like fury!

She was rotating in labour too. Oooph! My pelvis inlet is like a a rollercoaster ride it seems.

Y'know starllight -you are one of the few people I have come across who can describe being in as much pain as I was iyswim? I always feel like I being dramatic or whatever when I talk about thinking I was dying. It's really good to hear others find it was just as 'out there' in terms of pain.

It's just too crazy the difference there can be. Wow. Sounds like we had similar pain experiences. I thought I was going to deliver in the lift on the way in. I was 1.5 cms, begining to efface. And I'm a freaking miwife. Would have been if wasn't so uncomfortable.

I managed to get on top of it a bit then and go for long walks around the grounds etc, I found it very very very painfull then. At 6cms I thought death was near. Truly. Awful - it stil pops in to my head.
It was awful when I was 30 weeks or so with dd2, that period around 6-7 cms was never far from my brain.

Nearly went for elective infact.

The dd2 just sort of came out. Although the actual delivery bit was a bit..er..intense doe to bowl issues. Quite funny really.

Yup! But with dd1 I had only done a few bank shifts, and with dd2 I had started as a midwife at 30 weeks. Same hospital though.

The place I knew really really well and where I worked the most was too far.

I was a bit pushy at 3 cms too. We had very similar labours!

Mind you am saying that 'But different to you, for the most part with dd1 I felt really well looked after and in control'. I thought I had read somewhere you had not had a great experince care wise, but I may have made that up. Apologies if so!

Thanks for the OA info, from what mw said last apt think baby might kinda be like that now?? P.s I think your all so brave! I'm terrified!

No idea. I went in because I had meconium in my knickers and knew this wasnt a good thing.
I'd had no contractions at that point, although I started having period type pains in the car on the way there.
Had first contraction in the hospital, and had no concept of how often they were. Midwifes told me I had ages yet and babys head was engaged.
Shortly afterwards student midwife came in and asked if I'd 'needed to push' - clearly there was evidence that I'd had down the bottom end of the bed. She examined me and discovered baby's foot was poking out. He was born (assisted) breech in less 3 hours from me arriving.
So I'm extremely glad that meconium made an appearence, because I'm pretty sure I would have been told to stay at home and DS wouldnt be here today if that were the case