When will your hospital admit you to L&D?

TiffanyTheMom

My hospital has the rule of 3cm for admittance, but here I've been 3cm for almost 2wks and they won't admit me. I mean, if I was JUST 3cm and no contractions, I'd be fine and not care in the least that I was 3cm. But since I've been having really rough contractions for 2wks now that make my pelvis feel like it's going to explode because she's THAT low, and hard to breathe because my lungs get squeezed with every contraction, and... well, let's just say it's exhausting. I wish they would admit me so I can just get this over with.

What cm do you have to be before you're admitted? And if you don't know what contraction pattern/dilation you need to be admitted, you should find out! Especially the contraction pattern since it's pretty difficult to check your own cervix...

Lisa Frank

It's 4cm at my hospital.

Oh, and contrax have to follow the 5-1-1 pattern.

madhatter2003

I was admitted at barely 1 cm with DD. I'd had prodromal labor for 4 days before that and I was DONE.  My doctor finally took pity on me once the ambien stopped helping me sleep, etc.

It all depends on the labor, the woman, etc.  With DS I was 3-4 when they kept me and in active labor, etc...the normal case. But with DD there was no way I was going home again.

laura&dan05

I'm pretty sure my hospital policy is 3cm but I don't know about contraction time. When I was pg with my dd we called my OB when my contractions were 5 - 6 minutes apart for several hours.  She told us to head to L&D so I could be checked. When we arrived I was contracting every 5 minutes but only dialted to 2cm. I was told I couldn't be admitted.  At that point it was midnight and we were 45 minutes from home.  I asked the nurse if she could give me an Ambien so I could get some rest because I hadn't slept in 2 nights (from irregular contractions).  I knew there was NO WAY I was going back home and I was planning on walking the halls if she couldn't give me Ambien.  She told me I could be admitted for a medicated rest and I agreed.  They put us in a private room and gave me Ambien and Morphine (neither of the drugs worked).  After and hour the nurse came back in the room and I was dialted to 4cm and was offically admitted.

I'm sorry you're so miserable and I hope your LO stops giving you a hard time and makes an appearance soon!

ThirtyOneGifts Mom

I have been at 4 cm for 3 weeks now.  A little over a week ago we went in with contractions following the 5-1-1 pattern and they still wouldn't admit me because I wasn't getting any further than 4 cm on my own   I have contractions off and on as close as 2 min. apart but unless I dilate further on my own, they won't admit until 39 weeks.  I feel your pain and exhaustion!  Try your best to stay hydrated but keep your bladder emptied, it seems to help me with keeping contractions to a minimum.  Good luck!!

TiffanyTheMom

With my son, I was kept at 3cm. With my daughter, I walked in at a 4 and they made me take a walk til I was a 5. This is the same hospital I'm delivering at this time around, the 'rule' is 3cm and they wouldn't take me til I was a 5. There was a woman who went to be admitted at my L&D ward at 6cm, but because she was 'calm' they told her to take a walk til her contractions were WORSE. They seem to watch for how you handle your contractions at my hospital rather than your contraction pattern or dilation. And that sucks, I was calm with my DD til 7cm!

jayellekay

This is crazy to me that hospitals have such stringent "rules" about when to admit--to me, it should totally depend upon the situation!

My hospital doesn't have a hard and fast rule. They "like" for you to have contractions 5 min apart, but as the nurses have told us over and over...if you are in labor, we will not send you home. Maybe part of that is because they serve such a wide rural area, and it would suck to get sent home, 45 miles away, only to have to turn around and come back immediately, or to not even make it back because you progressed quickly. But still...

MrsNiner

My hospital follows 5-1-1.  I'm not sure how many cm though.

sl_gordon

Honestly, my biggest fear is getting to the hospital too early.  I would almost rather have this baby on my bathroom floor at home than get to the hospital and find out I'm only at 2cm.  I know that you think your hospital sucks, but at least they aren't starting you on pitocin the second you walk through the door.

kabarbanel

I honestly have no clue what my hospital says for that. Ha. I was induced with DS, and never had any false alarms, so this will be all new for me.

dee1369

Hmm, I am not sure about this. My doctor wants me to call her cell phone if my contractions get too painful or to a 5-1-1 pattern and if it's office hours I'll go in to be checked, if not, we'll go to L&D. If the water breaks it's an automatic trip to the hospital, bypassing the OB's office.

daniellepanda

I dont think mine has a set CM in order to be admitted. my ob just told me once you are full term dont bother to call the ob office, just go straight to l&d if im having contractions, etc. The nurse at l&d told me to come in right away at 5-1-1.

skio

I just had my birthing class at the hospital and they didn't say anything about dilation for admittance.

They said over and over, however, that contractions should be 5 minutes apart, last 1 minute each, for at least two hours before coming to the hospital. They stressed that contractions needed to be regular and progressing.

Megaloo05

Sorry to butt in....Im a nurse on a L&D unit. If your water is broke, you get admitted as an inpatient. You do not have to be admitted as an inpatient to be checked. They will put you in the triage status. If you are in active labor, they will inpatient admit you. If you are contracting but not progressing, the RN will have you walk around for an hour and then come back and get checked. Of course every patient is case by case. Please always call L&D before you go in. It gives the unit a heads up that you are coming, so they aren't blind sided by you showing up. Our doctors tell every patient to call the MD before they go to L&D. This way the MD or RN can evaluate if you truely need to be seen.

Once again...sorry to butt in, i was just lurking on the 3rd trimester board & thought I could be of some help. GL to all you ladies.

spritz

I had my l.o. last week.  I was 41 weeks, and called my dr with contractions 5 mins apart for 2 hours.  He had me to go to L&D, but did say that if I had been 36 weeks, he would have had me wait it out a little longer.  When I got there I was 2 cm.  I hadn't been dilated at any of my appointments previous.  I was admitted and gave birth 12 hours later.

jwahle

The contractions have to be causing change to your cervix (dilating and effacing).  If you've been having contractions for a couple of weeks, but you remain 3 cm, the contractions aren't causing your cervix to progress.. and therefore you're not in true labor.  I know it's rough, but hang in there!!