Whats the 5-1-1 or 3-1-1 rule...?

mx4l

I know contractions 5 mins apart is go time. Should I actually wait for them to get that close before calling hub to come home and going to the hospital? (hub works about 5 mins away)..

 

Id like to wait to the last minute before going to the hospital unless something is really wrong. Im not one for sitting there forever or going in earlier than I have to. Got to the hospital in the afternoon when my son was born and he was born at 1020 that night. My sis just had a baby recently and was pushing by the time they got her to the room.  Trying to get this over with QUICK lol... also been exercising since I was 4 months as the doctor said it will significantly help the labor process speed along.

 

What are the rules and how can I prolong going to the hospital when the time comes? I hope I dont panic when I realize its go time lol. Its been 9 years since my last baby Im a little ANXIOUS AND SCARED!!!

dontgiveupnomatterwhat

1 minute contractions, every 5 minutes, for 1 hour.

You should head to the hospital then.

eggymaye

I went when my water broke, but my labor progressed rapidly. I personally think at 5 minutes apart you should be en route to the hospital, or there already depending on how far away you are. If you are far away you may end up having the baby in your car.

mx4l

So when the 511 starts THEN head to the hospital?

luvmyducks

I went for 4-1-1 when I was pg with DD1 since I had a med-free birth plan and I was not GBS+.  This time I might do more like 5-1-1 just bc my labor wasn't exceptionally long with DD1 and my OB says I will probably delivery quicker this time.  

tokenhoser

With my first, I ignored the 511 rule because I wanted a med-free birth. I went to the hospital when my labour got intense enough that the thought of a 10 minute car ride was kind of terrifying. I arrived 10 cm dilated, but I pushed for about 90 minutes so it's not like DS was born in a hallway or anything.

I'll go in a bit sooner with this one because things will go faster, but I still won't be following any timed rules. I'll go by emotional sign posts and when I want to go in. 

Rosebean

Not to add more confusion, but my 5-1-1 ended up being completely bogus. My labour progressed so fast that I dilated to 8cms within 4 hours. In that time, my contractions that were 5 minutes apart only lasted 45 seconds and went on for 30 minutes before transitioning to 2-3 minutes apart lasting for only 30-45 seconds each. As a FTM, this really confused me. On top of it all, DH was working night shift. He barely got home before we were out the door and we got to the hospital just in time for an emergency c-section. I would say if your contractions start piling up on each other before you get to 5-1-1, get your arse to the hospital.