Tub availability worth going to hospital a little early?

AutumnBride929 · January 2011

There's one room that has a tub available at my hospital.

Once your labor was well under way, would you call and head over there ASAP if this one room happened to be available? Or just stick to your original plan of laboring at home for as long as possible and get the luck of the draw once you're admitted (and hopefully don't have much longer until the second stage)?

The hospital is about 10 minutes away from our house. Smile Just curious.

cheerleader.08 · January 2011

I would labor at home as long as possible. With DS1 I looked forward to laboring in the tub the entire pregnancy, and when I got in the tub I hated it! I was just miserably uncomfortable in it. I was going to try it again with DS2, but he came to fast.

But all I am trying to say is that you don't know what will feel good until you are in labor, so if you are comfortable at home, I would stay there.

AutumnBride929 · January 2011

cheerleader.08:
But all I am trying to say is that you don't know what will feel good until you are in labor, so if you are comfortable at home, I would stay there.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. Smile

sschwege · January 2011

If you have a tub at home you could always try laboring in it first to make sure it is helpful to you.

I LOVED being in the tub, so to me it would be worth it to head in if I knew that room was available. It helped me so much in fact that I was fully dilated and decided to wait another 1 1/2 hours to push because I didn't want to get out!

thebigmare4 · January 2011

AutumnBride929:
There's one room that has a tub available at my hospital.
Once your labor was well under way, would you call and head over there ASAP if this one room happened to be available? Or just stick to your original plan of laboring at home for as long as possible and get the luck of the draw once you're admitted (and hopefully don't have much longer until the second stage)?
The hospital is about 10 minutes away from our house. Just curious.

I could have written this exact same post!! We live just as far away and our hospital only has one tub. I mentioned this to both my MW and my doula and they both assured me that a shower will still feel great (but it's no the same as a tub!!!). I still think I'll labor at home as long as possible though because I don't want to get to the hospital and have their "timeline" start.

pixieprincss · January 2011

The Jacuzzis tub was HUGE to me. It really made a difference w/ my back labor. We still waited until ctrx were 2-3 min apart, so I did labor at home for awhile. When we got to the hospital and found out I was only 1cm despite 8h of labor & the cntx frequency we decided to stay b/c we had 1 of the 2 tub rooms.

I think it is one of the things you have to decide in the moment and depends on how fast you think they will push inteventions if you don't progess fast enough.

StellarStina26 · January 2011

I have this dilemma. We don't have a tub at home and all of my friends had water births. And said the water was the best thing while they were in labor... I can't have a water birth at the hospital, but they do have lovely bathtubs in the birthing suite. I want to labor at home as long as possible... but I want the tub too.

We live 8 blocks from the hospital... I'm not sure what to do either. Thanks for asking this question. I have liked the answers.

fionacaitlin · January 2011

I would wait & follow your birth plan. I know at the hospital I work at you have to be at least 5-6 cm. before you can get into the tub. (To make sure your in active labor) I was 7cm. when I went to the hospital but had NO idea I was in labor & it went WAY to fast to even think of tub which sucked...but hopefully next time!

Best of luck!!! I just attended the most BEAUTIFUL water birth as a doula = )

Jennicap · January 2011

Do they have a portable tub too? There were 12 rooms at my hospital and 2 had tubs but they also had a portable tub. When I got there only 1 other women was there, we both did it naturally and had the tub rooms! lol

Genevieve_kris · January 2011

I was in exactly the same situation. One tub at the hospital. But it frankly would not have mattered when I arrived because I'm pretty sure they allocate the tub time based on need. In other words if you arrive at the hospital early - and are only like 2 cm - but someone else arrives at the same time who's at 7cm, the 7cm lady is going to get the tub. I labored at home as long as I could, arrived at the hospital at 9cm, and there was someone else in the tub. I just pushed in the hospital room until the tub was available and they moved me at that time. I did end up pushing three times in the hallway on the way to the birthing room with the tub, but at that point I would've given birth in a football stadium.... all modesty was lost.

Blackvelvet · January 2011

cheerleader.08:
I would labor at home as long as possible. With DS1 I looked forward to laboring in the tub the entire pregnancy, and when I got in the tub I hated it! I was just miserably uncomfortable in it. I was going to try it again with DS2, but he came to fast. But all I am trying to say is that you don't know what will feel good until you are in labor, so if you are comfortable at home, I would stay there.

I originally wanted a water birth but my hospital wouldn't allow it. Turns out in labor water was horrible and I couldn't be in the water it made it so much more painfull for me wait and see how you feel when labor starts but if you stay home odds are good you will have less intervention

Firedancer1013 · January 2011

I'd probably stay at home as long as possible too. That way you can be in your tub in case you don't get one at the hospital. That kinda stinks that they only have one tub. I was nervous about our hospital and they have seven (although those wanting to labor or deliver in the tub at our hospital is pretty low per our birth class instructor). I had just asked my OB if he would let me deliver in the water if it felt comfortable- I'm not stuck on any position for laboring but I'd really like to not be told to stop doing something that was making me feel better- and he said that it is 'weird and awkward' positioning for him, but if the baby is not in distress he'd be fine with it. I guess I'll take that as a yes?

Tub availability worth going to hospital a little early?

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