# How did you know to go to the hospital



## Ginag88

How do you know its labor and not Braxton Hicks if your water didnt break straight away?


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## momof2babies

with real contractions you will start out like braxton hicks but they will get stronger, closer together and more intense until you just know


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## Bats11

momof2babies said:


> with real contractions you will start out like braxton hicks but they will get stronger, closer together and more intense until you just know

Totally agree, with my second daughter my waters did not break, but the contractions were just getting more and more intense and closer together.


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## cahgirl87

I spent most of my labor at home because I was in complete denial... I kept thinking ' I'm not showing any of the 'normal' signs of labor (besides the contractions of course)...No clear out the day or 2 before, my water didn't break, etc.' Even when my contractions were coming sporadically every 1-3 minutes and lasting for a minute I couldn't believe it.... Looking back on it, I know I must have been crazy since it had gotten really intense. But after I lost my mucus plug is when it really hit me and when we went to the birth center. Glad I did too... Had my little guy within an hour and a half of getting there.


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## LostAndAlone

with my first i went straight in as soon as i had sore pains as i wasnt sure how long labour would take and i needed an ambulance as we didnt have a car but with my 2nd i stayed in the house for about 12 hours until the pains got really bad cos i didnt want to be in hospital for ages lol. I find that once they are getting to the point of being unbearable but not quite there yet and maybe a few mins between contractions is a good time to go in. Eveyone is different tho so just go in when you start to feel like you could be doing with some pain relief or think you may be getting close x


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## Tacey

I knew when I couldn't talk through contractions, and they were coming around every 3 minutes. They didn't feel anything like Braxton Hicks.


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## Ginag88

Tacey said:


> I knew when I couldn't talk through contractions, and they were coming around every 3 minutes. They didn't feel anything like Braxton Hicks.

REally?? What was the difference??


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## Tacey

Ginag88 said:


> Tacey said:
> 
> 
> I knew when I couldn't talk through contractions, and they were coming around every 3 minutes. They didn't feel anything like Braxton Hicks.
> 
> REally?? What was the difference??Click to expand...

For me, Braxton Hicks weren't really painful. With them, my bump would go solid, and feel uncomfortable, and it would happen all of a sudden, and end quite suddenly too. Each proper contraction, however, would start out as a mild ache, and increase in intensity until I was having to concentrate to breathe through, before gradually easing off. 

I guess that's going to vary for everyone though. Every labour will be different.


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## embojet

My labour was weird! My contractins just started to get more regular and closer together and then they would taper off again, ands this went on for 4 days! I went oin to hospital after 3 days and was only 3cm so went home again. The next time I decided to go in again I had had no contractions all daty, then woke up in the middle of the night needing to push, and went in to hospital 10cm dilated! I had gradually dilated over all that time without realising.


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## goddess25

I didn't really know to be honest. I wanted to do all of labouring at home and our MW knew this but she had given my hubby a few tips... and one of them was if I started to behave oddly or my behaviour changed in some way to him it was probably a good time to go to the hospital. I was labouring at home and my hubby suddenly told me ok I have called the MW we are going to the hospital... I was argumentative and told him that I wanted to stay at home as long as possible. He eventually got me downstairs into the garage and shouted at me to get into the car. When I got to the hospital I was 9.5cm dilated. I was 10 about 15m later and started to push. My waters never broke until just before I started to push.


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## flump1

id had braxton hicks and lots of pains on and off for a few weeks leading up to birth from 37 weeks id say and i gave birth at 40+2. The pains even when they were bad and coming regular never got too intense or didnt get worse over time. 

When i actually was in labour i woke up with vey intense pains that i just knew it was the real thing, I had to breath through them and they were just so much more intense, they also kept coming regularily but actually mine started to fizzle out a bit after about 4 hours and me and hubby got disapointed then all of a sudden i had a couple of huge contractions and was throwing up (sorry tmi) and we just knew it was time to go. after that they just kept coming regularily and got more and more intense. I was 5cm when i arrived at the hospital (but i think with having contractions on and off for the few weeks leading up that must have helped me dialate a bit!) 3 hours later i was 10cm and feeling big urge to push. 

everyones so different though but id just say go with your instincts and call the hospital for advise if you are unsure, id say if your able to have conversation on phone to hospital then it might be worth sticking it out a bit longer till they get more intense, but then thats me i didnt want to be at the hospital a long time i wanted to labour at home as long as i could. goodluck!


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## Danielleee

My contractions never built up closer together, they were every 3 minutes from the start, i just "knew" labour had started, i went into hospital when the pain began to get more unbearable (16 hours after first contraction) x


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## jillypoop

I knew when to go in because I just started getting contractions every 5 minutes from the beginning. Literally nothing to BOOM! OH rang the hospital and they asked to speak to me and his words were (while I was on the floor screaming like a banshee) "erm she's a little bit hysterical" so they told us to go in. My contractions started at 4.30am and Pashley was born at 3.33pm that afternoon. 
x


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## madisonk

Every pregnancy and woman is so different here is my one word of advice: If you think your in labor (sever pain, consistently close together times) GO to the hospital!! I was in denial with my first and almost had the baby in the car! Trust me...you would rather go into the hospital and be turned away 100 times becuase its false labor than sit at home in agony, not having the baby monitored, and jeopardize not getting an epidural (that is if its part of your plan :) )


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## XJessicaX

I didn't know. We were told "wait until contractions are under 5 minutes apart lasting over 45 seconds".....so I went into hospital when they were 3 minutes apart and lasting over a minute and they sent me home....TWICE! (Apparently I wasnt in 'active labour')


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## mamaduke

Ginag88 said:


> How do you know its labor and not Braxton Hicks if your water didnt break straight away?

I never felt the tightening of Braxton Hicks when I was in real labor. For me, though, contractions started as "gotta pee" urges without the other bladder signals. Once those were 3-5 minutes apart and 1 min in length, we were to call our OB who'd authorize us to head to the hospital.


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## pooch

Tacey said:


> Ginag88 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tacey said:
> 
> 
> I knew when I couldn't talk through contractions, and they were coming around every 3 minutes. They didn't feel anything like Braxton Hicks.
> 
> REally?? What was the difference??Click to expand...
> 
> For me, Braxton Hicks weren't really painful. With them, my bump would go solid, and feel uncomfortable, and it would happen all of a sudden, and end quite suddenly too. Each proper contraction, however, would start out as a mild ache, and increase in intensity until I was having to concentrate to breathe through, before gradually easing off.
> 
> I guess that's going to vary for everyone though. Every labour will be different.Click to expand...

same here. they are nothing alike. contractions hurt like hell, i kept feeling the need to poo so i sat on my toilet for each one until i went in. i thought i would have a prob knowing, too, but like everyone says-you will know. just start timing them (i found an app on my phone) and try to rest until you go in.


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## XJessicaX

Yeah, Braxton Hicks are just tightenings. Contractions start like Braxton hicks but then you get a dull pain at the bottom of your bump (I did) which quickly progressed into a sharp pain which then progressed into some sort of 'SAW' movie torture scene. Felt like my hips were being sawn through.


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## loverguts

I got really painful braxton hicks in the last few weeks of my first pregnancy (and have been having them for much longer this time, grrr!), so i was a bit worried that i might not know when i was truly in labour.

But i did :)
The pain was way worse than the most painful braxton hicks i had, i literally couldn't speak or focus while i was having a contraction and when i called the labour ward and had a contraction in the middle of a conversation i threw the phone down as i couldn't speak during it and they told me to come in straight away. I was only having them every 7/8 ish mins which is why i held off calling for a while as i was always told about the 3-5 min apart 'rule' but i was still around 5cm dilated, thank god, so everyone is different :)


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## gretavon

The day before was a Sunday and I was tired of being pregnant so my husband took me out of town to eat a spicy chicken sandwich and walk around a shopping center for a couple hours. The next morning I was having contractions and went to the bathroom and there was bloody show. I waited and things started slowly progressing so my mom took me to get checked and I was dialated to 2cm. ta da


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## Quackquack99

I had irregular contractions for 10 hours, really painful but my waters went naturally and I was asked to go into hospital. And nearly 3 hours later I had a baby.


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