Your stay

Pre-labour can last for days of weeks before true labour begins, so how can you tell when it’s really about to happen? When your contractions are getting closer together, stronger and lasting longer it’s time to think about contacting the hospital.

•    For your first baby and if you’re between 38 and 42 weeks pregnant, you can wait until the contractions are 5 minutes apart, or they’re getting too painful to manage.
•    For your second or subsequent baby, contact the hospital when they’re around 7 minutes apart.

Don’t wait. Contact the midwives straight away if:
•    You have having bleeding that’s like a period, rather than just a ‘show’
•    Your baby is preterm (under 37 weeks)
•    You’ve had a complicated pregnancy
•    You previously had a caesarean
•    You’re having more than one baby
•    Your baby is presenting as a breech (bottom first)
•    You can feel pressure in your bowel with a contraction and you feel like pushing
•    You had a very rapid previous labour (2-3 hours)
•    You have group B strep and need antibiotics in labour
•    You’re really worried or not coping
•    You live some distance from the hospital, or traffic is likely to slow you down

In Australia, most babies are delivered by vaginal birth. 30% of Australian births are by caesarean section. Your obstetrician will normally recommend a caesarean if they believe there are likely to be problems or risks associated with a vaginal birth.

Sometimes an emergency caesarean is carried out because of pregnancy complications or if your labour doesn't proceed as expected.

Labour is hard work and it hurts. Some women manage to cope with the pain without medical help while others are happy to consider pain relief options. For your first birth, you won’t know whether your pain threshold is high or low, so you might want to consider a range of options. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re not coping.

Non-medical pain relief methods include:
•    Staying calm and/or meditating
•    Learning breathing techniques
•    Support from a trusted partner, friend or doula
•    Listening to music
•    Hot and cold packs
•    Massage
•    A warm shower or bath
•    Staying active
•    Hypnosis
•    Acupuncture
•    Acupressure
•    Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Drug treatment
•    Nitrous oxide, known as ‘laughing gas’ can take the edge off your contraction pains. You hold the mask and start breathing it in as a contraction begins.
•    Pethidine is an opioid analgesic that provides strong pain relief for up to 4 hours. 
•    Epidural anaesthesia should make you completely numb from the waist down. It requires an injection into your spine. It is also used for caesarean deliveries.
All drug treatments have potential side effects which you should discuss with your obstetrician.

Your length of stay can vary according to your health and that of your baby, but women who have non-complicated births usually spend 3 to 4 nights in hospital, or 5 nights after an emergency caesarean birth. Our midwives will help you prepare for hospital discharge.
 

When your waters break, you’ll feel like you’ve suddenly wet yourself. This doesn’t mean you’re in labour, but contact the midwives for further instructions.