? about laboring at home as long as possible

Re: ? about laboring at home as long as possible

• margarita1365 member

  March 2009

  I'm not sure about the timing of contractions (never made it that far), but if your water breaks, your doctor may want you to go in.  Mine made me go in right away when my water broke.  Then again, I was not having contractions, so that may be why.

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• mrsmikey

  March 2009

  I'm probably not a good person to answer this either.  (but I'm answering anyway).  I went in as soon as my water broke, but I was also 8 weeks early.  I *think* as long as you have no issues, you can labor at home until the contractions are more consistent.  But different Dr's may feel differently about water breaking.

  
  
  
  
  

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• AngelPack

  March 2009

  I know that the recommendation is sometimes right away and I would absolutely go straight away if I was not at my due date yet.  I don't know what my dr. recommends yet, but if I am planning a natural childbirth and don't want to get in there and have someone push pitocin on me after only a few hours -that is what I am interested in finding out about

  My sweet boy
  
  

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• lalabee0425

  March 2009

  Obviously, I have not had experience with this yet... but when I was in L&D 2 weeks ago b/c of contractions, the nurse told me to stay home as long as possible if I did not want drugs. She did say if my water broke then I needed to come in right away though. I would talk to you doctor for sure and find out what they would prefer you to do.  I plan on holding out until my water breaks or I am having contractions that are 5 mins apart and pretty strong. We live about 15 minutes from the hospital, so we'll see! Lord knows what will really happen though when the time comes! haha
  

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• ECUGirl2004 member

  March 2009

  The rule we learned in Bradley was 4-1-1.  Even after my water broke, my midwife had me labor at home until my contractions were consistently 4 mins apart.  She didn't have me wait an hour though, b/c I live far from the birth center.  Once I felt confident that the contractions were 4 mins apart (I'd say after about 15-30 mins of contractions like that) I called and went on in.

  I think most hospitals and OBGYNs have you go in after your water breaks because they are worried about legal stuff... if you were to get an infection or have some issue, they don't want to be responsible.  I delivered at a birth center and the approach to L&D tends to be different there, so they let you labor at home even after your water breaks, as long as the water is clean (as in, no meconium).

  

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• ECUGirl2004 member

  March 2009

  Oh, and with contractions at 4 minutes apart and a 45 minute drive to the birth center, I was dilated to 8 when we got there.  It took an hour and I was complete.  So it worked out really well for me.

  

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• margarita1365 member

  March 2009

  I should add that there was meconium in my fluid as well, so I would have had to go in right away anyway, but the dr told me to go in before I told him that.

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• mrsmikey

  March 2009

  Yeah, I think most regular OBs want you to come is as soon as your water breaks, like ECU said.  I don't know if you go to a regular OB or are using a birthing center.  When I first went in, my water had broken but I was not having contractions yet, and even then they told me since my water had broken I could not leave the hospital, even if that meant I had to stay there until my due date, because of the risk of infection.

  
  
  
  
  

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