How to labor at home as long as possible

mgmoeser · April 2012

For those of you who have already had a baby, just wondering how you knew when it was time to go to the hospital? What I mean is, I hear about women going in early, only being 1-2 cm dilated and having to labor for hours at the hospital (which I hear many times gets Drs all in a tizzy and wanting to speed up your labor with interventions...) But then there are women who head in at like 7-9 cm dilated. How do you know when it's the "right time" and also not birthing in a car?

GaiaEarthMom12 · April 2012

I wonder about this too. Can't wait to read others' responses!

FyreFlyeRush · April 2012

I didn't. Everyone kept telling me when you get to a 6 in pain, it's time to go to the hospital. I didn't get there until after my water broke. Once my water broke, it was time to go to the hospital regardless. I labored at home for 29.5 hours. I labored in the hospital for 10 minutes and had ten minutes of pushing.

I'm still worried now I won't know how long to labor. Play it by ear. If you think you're there, go. Worst thing they'll do is send you home or give you an option. They will try to keep you at 4cm, and they WILL keep you if your mebranes have ruptured. They sent me home at 3-4cm, and that's where I got messed up.

TrendyTina · April 2012

This is one of the main reasons why I hired a doula. She will be watching me and ensuring we don't get to the hospital too soon. She doesn't routinely do cervical checks, but she can and will if I want her to. She says we should get there between 5 and 7 cm.

WildcatPrincess · April 2012

I've only gone in because my water broke both times. I'm kind of glad it did this time because the on call OB kept telling me it didn't sound like I needed to go in...we left the house as soon as my water broke and DS was born about 10 mins after getting to the hospital and into a bed.

monksmama · April 2012

I just hung out until I thought I was dying.

When I was sure it was 'real' labor we walked laps until I didn't feel like walking anymore. Then I hung out in the shower until I didn't feel like standing anymore, then I laid in bed until I thought 'okay, this is no freaking joke' and that is when we packed it up for the hospital. When I got to the point where I thought an epidural was an excellent idea I figured we were really hitting a labor stride.

I was at a 6 when we checked in and baby was born less than 2 full hours later.

Bingo1116 · April 2012

My water broke at 2am so I called my doctor. He said wait until my contractions are coming about 3-4 minutes apart and then go to the ER (since it was the middle of the night). I lived a half hour from the hospital at that point so I took a shower, dried my hair, put on makeup, sent a few emails and went to the hospital. When I got there I was 5-6 so they admitted me around 5am. She was born at 8:17am.

Holly_1007 · April 2012

My doctor (not very NM friendly) told me to come in when my contractions were2-3 min apart lasting longer than a min, or after my water broke. My water broke around 6-7 cm last time so this time I plan on just waiting until after my water breaks.

another way to know is when you get to the point that you "just cant take it anymore"

CaitlynWK · April 2012

My contractions were still about 5 minutes apart after 12 hours of laboring at home. We chose to go to the hospital after having two contractions where I was involuntarily pushing. I got to the hospital at 8.5 cm dilated and while that worked out well for my natural birth, I think that I was cutting it way to close and plan on going in sooner for my next child. My doctor was alarmed at my urge to push because I was close to blowing out my cervix since I was not complete yet..I shudder to think what would have happened if I had dawdled at home.

sschwege · April 2012

We live about 20 min from the hospital and my CNM told me to come in between 2-1-1 & 3-1-1. We went in when I was at 3.5-1-1. I had been in labor for ten hours, knew I wasn't super close, but didn't want to get to the point where driving in the car and triage would have been torture. I knew I would have 20 minutes of continuous monitoring when I first go there, and it got to the point where it was hanging over my head, so I just wanted to get it over with

Arrived at the hospital at 6cm, which was fine.

rosiemomma · April 2012

It is a big difference between 'happy' labor and 'unhappy' labor, when you are in 'happy' labor you can keep up conversations, eat, even relax and enjoy a book or movie... when unhappy labor happens you aren't keeping up conversations or hungry sometimes you don't even want people to talk to you! Depending on your family I suggest going in once you are fully into 'unhappy' labor, My family has fast births between 5-15 hours so when I became 'unhappy' I headed to the hospital. I was 5 cm which at at the time made me a bit sad I thought I went to early but was fine since I went from 7cm-10cm in about 20 minutes.

Mrs. TLC · April 2012

CaitlynWK:
My contractions were still about 5 minutes apart after 12 hours of laboring at home. We chose to go to the hospital after having two contractions where I was involuntarily pushing. I got to the hospital at 8.5 cm dilated and while that worked out well for my natural birth, I think that I was cutting it way to close and plan on going in sooner for my next child. My doctor was alarmed at my urge to push because I was close to blowing out my cervix since I was not complete yet..I shudder to think what would have happened if I had dawdled at home.

i started involuntarily pushing at 8cm too and my cervix swelled to 6cm

what did the dr do ? did they help stop the pushing? or dilate u more?

lily225 · April 2012

I think the Bradley books talk a lot about the emotional cues you can follow to track progression which is usually more accurate than the timing of contractions. This was very true for me.

With my first I labored at home for about 4.5 hours when my contractions jumped to 2 minutes apart. I was fine, pain wise, but the timing worried DH and we headed in. I was already 3cm at my last appt. and was a 4 or a 5 when I checked in. I had a fine experience in the hospital for the remainder of the time so I can't say I necessarily was upset I went in "early".

With my second I knew that when my contractions zipped to 2 minutes apart again early on, to not really pay attention to them and rather to focus on how I felt in regards to the pain and emotionally how I was handling everything. I had been 2cm when my dr. had stripped my membranes earlier that evening and I think I checked in around 4cm again, but my labor was half as long that time so it wasn't long before DD was born after checking in.

I had to be induced with my third so I didn't really have a choice (although I was already 4cm dilated at the time).

I plan on listening to my body again this time before deciding when to go in. I know what it feels like in my pelvis when things are progressing at the end, how different contractions feel towards the end, and also my emotional state changes as I get further along. I would research this type of thing in order to assure you don't go in "too early" rather than the 5 minute rule Dr's usually give out.

wheelsonthebus · April 2012

With DS, my hospital was about 30 mins away so I felt pretty confident about laboring at home for as long as possible. At first, I didn't know if I was in labor. I had false labor for a month so when the "real thing" came, I wanted to be SURE. My H also was a total jerk (which helped in the end) and refused to take me to the hospital for yet another false alarm. So I waited until I started to get a feeling of panic with my contractions. haha I began to think "I waited too long. We should go." My contractions were coming 2 mins apart, but I was still talking and doing ok. When I got to the hospital I was 6cm and 8 when I got up to my room. I could have waited longer and maybe avoided an epidural from my drug pushing nurse, but who knows. I realize now that it isn't the frequency of the contractions, but how the mother behaves. If she can't talk inbetween contractions, she is in transitition and time ot head to the hospital.

All this being said, I'm 45 mins from my hospital this time and nervous myself about waiting too long!

Mary&Nick716 · April 2012

I'm a FTM so I have no personal experience with this, but my friend's Bradley coach told her to come in at 3-1-1 (contractions 3 minutes apart, lasting for one minute each, for an hour or more). She was 7 cm when she got there. i'm hoping to labor at home for as long as possible too. Worried DH will feel bad and try to take me to the hospital early, lol, but i'm not budging until I'm ready.

MrsCaddyshack · April 2012

I'm the girl who showed up to the hospital at a 1/2 cm. For real, that was me, after a day of contractions.

My advice, it really hurts, and you shouldn't go in until you can't walk/talk through the pain. Not that it's uncomfortable and you're distracted, but you truly cannot walk or talk while they're occurring.

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