If you preregistered at the hospital
before your due date, it’ll save time checking in and may help reduce
your stress. If you didn’t preregister, fill out forms early. If you
wait until you’re in labor, you may be concerned with other things.
Have your insurance card or insurance
information readily at hand. It’s helpful to know your blood type and
Rh-factor, your healthcare provider’s name, the pediatrician’s name and
your due date.
Ask your healthcare provider how you
should prepare to go to the hospital; he or she may have specific
instructions for you. You might want to ask the following questions.
• When should we go to the hospital once I’m in labor?
• Should we call you before we leave for the hospital?
• How can we reach you after regular office hours?
A full-term baby has little room to move.
This is one reason fetal movements may slow down in
the last few weeks of pregnancy.
• Are there any particular instructions for me to follow during early labor?
• Where do we go—to the emergency room or the labor-and-delivery department?
Many couples are advised to go to the
hospital after an hour of contractions that are 5 to 10 minutes apart.
However, leave sooner if the hospital is far away or hard to get to, or
if the weather is bad. When you get to the hospital, you’ll be checked
for signs of labor.
In the Hospital.
A copy of your office chart is usually kept on record in labor and
delivery. It contains basic information about your health and
pregnancy. When you’re admitted to labor and delivery (or a birthing
center), you may also be asked many questions. They may include the
following.
• Have your membranes ruptured? At what time?
• Are you bleeding?
• Are you having contractions? How often do they occur? How long do they last?
• When did you last eat, and what did you eat?
A brief pregnancy history is taken. Vital
signs, including blood pressure, pulse, temperature and baby’s heart
rate, are noted. Tell them about any medical problems you have and any
medications you take or have taken during pregnancy. If you’ve had
complications, tell them when you first get to labor and delivery. This
is also the time to tell them any information your healthcare provider
gave you about your last pelvic exam.
A pelvic exam is done to see what stage
of labor you’re in and to use as a reference point for future exams
during labor. This exam and vital signs are done by a
labor-and-delivery nurse (the nurse can be male or female). Only in
unusual situations, such as an emergency, will your healthcare provider
do this initial exam. In fact, it may be quite a while before you see
him or her. In many labors, the healthcare provider does not arrive
until close to delivery.
Once You’re Admitted.
If you’re in labor and remain at the hospital, your partner may have to
admit you to the hospital if you haven’t filled out preadmittance
papers. After you are informed about the procedures that may be done
for you and any risks involved, you may be asked to sign a form from
the hospital, your healthcare provider and/or the anesthesiologist
acknowledging you received this information.
After you’re admitted, you may receive an
enema. Blood may be drawn. Your healthcare provider may want to discuss
pain relief, or you may have an epidural put in place, if you requested
one. If you have decided to have an epidural or if it looks as if labor
will last quite awhile, an I.V. will be started. You may still be able
to walk around.
During this time, you and your partner
may be alone, with nurses coming into the room to perform various
tasks, then leaving. A monitoring belt may be placed on your tummy to
record your contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. The monitoring
record can be seen in the room and at the nursing station.
You may not realize it, but having a baby is hard work! You can do it.
Blood pressure is regularly checked, and
pelvic exams are done to follow labor’s progress. In most places, the
healthcare provider is notified upon your admission to labor and
delivery; he or she is then called at regular intervals as labor
progresses. Your healthcare provider will also be called if any problem
arises.
In some cases, when you get to
the hospital you may learn someone else will deliver your baby. If your
healthcare provider believes he or she might be out of town when your
baby is born, ask to meet those who “cover” when he or she is
unavailable. It’s not always possible for your healthcare provider to
be there for the birth of your baby.
