Wednesday, February 20, 2013

When should I call the doctor in labor?

If you are full term (37--41 weeks) and you are having contractions lasting at least 30--60 seconds every 5 minutes for more than an hour, they are getting intense enough to make you not be able to converse normally during the contraction, and they don't go away with rest and fluids, then you may very well be in labor.  If it's during office hours, feel free to call us there.  If not, The Birthing Inn is always open and the staff there will be happy to evaluate your contraction pattern and cervical exam and determine if it's false labor or the real thing.  If you are just not sure you can call us on the on-call number any time after hours at (703)740-5378.  If you have a history of having had rapid labors in the past, or you have already had cervical dilitation of 3 or more centimeters, we may want you to come in a little sooner, especially if you live distant from Leesburg.

If you are contracting prior to being full-term, drink lots of water, empty your bladder, lie down, and if the contractions continue to occur more than 5 or 6 times in an hour, come over to TBI to be evaluated.  If you think your water has broken or if you have significant vaginal bleeding, we'd like you to be evaluated as well.  Finally, the baby should move at least a dozen times a day in the last 2 months of pregnancy.  If you think it is moving less than that, we would like to have you monitored at TBI.  

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