You have been waiting for so long when your baby will be born, and at the same time it’s so scary, because the birth is ahead , a process that is difficult to imagine, but everyone knows that it hurts. And not only that is scary. It is terrible that childbirth will begin suddenly, and you will not have time to get to the hospital. And friends, acquaintances, and generally everything in a row spur this fear with stories about childbirth in a car, a store, and an entrance. And after that the question “When to go to the hospital?” Arises unusually sharply.
However, you should not take all these tales seriously, provided, of course, that you carefully listen to your body and in time feel the approach of childbirth. Indeed, even a fast delivery is 3-4 hours, while normal births last from 8 to 10 hours, births a little faster, 6-8, but they already know what to expect.
When to go to the hospital? Births are considered normal, full-term at 38-42 weeks, however, you must be mentally prepared for them at 36 weeks, especially when it comes to multiple pregnancy. It is advisable that by this time you already had a bag with things that you definitely need to bring with you. Believe me, when the fights begin, it will be very difficult to concentrate and collect the package, even if you do it according to the list. And the documents (passport, policy and, most importantly, exchange card) should always be at hand, even when you are away from home. Naturally, you will be accepted into the hospital without them, but, firstly, without an exchange card, doctors will not be able to build a delivery strategy correctly, and may miss something important, especially if there were any complications during pregnancy. Secondly, a woman without an exchange card is most likely to be placed in an unexamined unit, since, theoretically, she may have infectious diseases. And here it is difficult to decide which of these two factors is worse. That is why when you need to go to the hospital, the first thing that you have to remember is the documents.
When the bag is assembled, it remains only to carefully monitor what is happening to you. Usually, although not always, the body warns of an approaching birth in advance. Some signs can be felt 2-3 weeks before birth. In particular, precursor or training fights. The uterus begins to contract slightly, preparing its muscles. These contractions are most often painless and irregular. This is their main difference from true fights.
For several days or directly on the day of birth, abdominal prolapse may occur: the abdomen moves lower, changes shape, and it becomes easier to breathe. At this time, the child advances to the birth canal and sets the head opposite the entrance to the cervix. This means that he is already ready to get out, and childbirth can begin at any time. At the same time, sometimes mucous discharge from the vagina appears, possibly with blood streaks. It's okay, the mucous plug is moving away , which indicates that the cervix is beginning to prepare for childbirth.
If you observe any of these phenomena, it means that just a few days, or even hours, are left before the birth. Be ready.
So when to go to the hospital? When the true fights begin. They should be regular, that is, at regular intervals, most often they are painful. In addition, over time, the periods between contractions will decrease, and their intensity will increase. If you are not sure if your fights are true or training, then it’s better to get to the hospital, no one will scold you if you make a mistake, you’ll feel calmer. In general, in all contentious situations it is better to go than not to go.
Often at classes in the school, expectant mothers are advised to wait a few hours, and only then go. Such advice is motivated by the fact that childbirth is a long process and there is no need to hang around in the hospital for too much time. This opinion is not entirely correct. Of course, if your birth is normal, then why not sit an extra hour at home, but if in your case there will be a rapid birth? If you go right away, you will have time to be guaranteed, and if you spend two extra hours at home, that is a real chance to give birth in a car.
In some cases, amniotic fluid leaves even before the onset of labor . Sometimes everything is at once, and then this phenomenon is clearly not to be confused with anything, sometimes the water only leaks a little. When to go to the hospital in this case? The answer is only one, right away. From the moment of rupture of the fetal bladder, your baby becomes vulnerable to various infections, and the faster in this case he is born, the better it will be for both the mother and the child.
To summarize, there is no general answer to the question when to go to the hospital, however, if you feel the need for it, it is better to go.