When to Go to the Hospital for Childbirth

"Don't go to the hospital when you start having painless contractions. These can begin weeks before the baby is due to arrive, and you'll probably get sent right back home. It's also not time to go to the hospital when you begin spotting. If you're a woman, you've been spotting regularly since you were about twelve, so this tells you nothing."

"Just because you're dilated doesn't mean there's any reason to head to the hospital. For one thing, you have no idea whether or not you're dilated unless you're already at the hospital, so in that sense it's a non-starter. Also, it all depends on where you're dilated. If it's your eyes, for example, that's unrelated to birthing. If your contractions are more than ten minutes apart, it's not time to go to the hospital yet."

Many early signs commonly associated with labor do not necessitate immediate hospital visits. Painless contractions can begin weeks before delivery and often result in being sent home. Spotting is common and not a reliable indicator of active labor. Cervical dilation cannot be assessed reliably outside the hospital and location of dilation can be irrelevant to birthing. Contractions spaced more than ten minutes apart generally do not require urgent hospital care. Losing the mucus plug, nausea, or a bloody show can herald labor but do not alone demand rushing to labor and delivery. Confirmatory signs and active labor patterns warrant medical attention.

Read at The New Yorker