Do You Know When to Go to the Hospital in Labor?

Do you know when you should head to the hospital in labor? You don't want to have a car baby, but it's also no fun at all to check into the hospital, get attached to a bunch of wires, and THEN get sent back home because you're not in labor "enough". (A certain person reading this is definitely giving me the side-eye right now)

So here's a general rule of thumb for when to go to the hospital...

It's called The 4-1-1 Rule

There are variations like 3-1-1, and 5-1-1. You can ask your doctor or midwife what they prefer. But for the most part, they're going to tell you the 4-1-1.

Okay, so what do those numbers mean?

4: Your contractions are four minutes apart.
1: Your contraction lasts at least one minute long.
1: This pattern holds (or strengthens) for at least one hour

If you have a textbook labor, you might start out with occasional weak contractions every 10-20 minutes. After a few hours, they are a little more intense, coming every 7-10 minutes. You can probably still walk around and hold conversations with ease, or do things like read a book or cook dinner. But you're not in active labor yet, with strong contractions that are dilating your cervix.

A couple hours more, and your contractions are 5-8 minutes apart, and you have to stop and focus on them when they come. Your partner is probably excited to start using the contraction timer app on their phone...

Sometime in the middle of the night, your contractions start to take your breath away. They take at least a minute to fully hit their peak and start to decline, and they're definitely 3-4 minutes apart. You feel a little pressure in your bottom, and everything your partner says is a little extra irritating...

By the time you get to the hospital, there's no doubt on anyone's part that you are in active labor. Birth is imminent, but you still have enough time to check into a room, get monitored, put in a saline lock, and call your OB-GYN.

Okay, so that's how it usually works BUT...

When is this not a good idea?

You will want to go to the hospital sooner if...

1. You've discussed your particular situation with your doctor and they want you to come in during early labor
2. You are having a high-risk pregnancy
3. You are not feeling the usual number of frequent fetal movements
4. Your water broke and contains meconium, foul odor, or bright red bleeding
5. You have a history of precipitous birth (birth happens in a few hours or less from start to finish)
6. You have a gut feeling (mother's intuition) that something's not right and you would feel safer being checked asap

So you see, the 4-1-1 rule is a TOOL, that helps guide parents (especially first-timers) in their decision of when to go to the hospital. Not everyone will have the same experience. That's why it's so important to keep good communication up with your OB-GYN or midwife, partner, and doula. Know the signs that labor may be happening. And listen to your body!