The More You Know Birth Expectations: Arriving at the Hospital

What to expect when you arrive at the hospital.

Do you know what to expect when you arrive at the hospital to have your baby?

Most hospital maternity wards (especially at larger facilities) are separated into several different areas. They have a triage space, a medical space, and birthing suites. And when you go into the OB unit to have your baby, often you will stop in at triage first.

Hospital maternity units have a limited number of beds, and at busy facilities, they have to manage their number of birthing units that are being used at any given time. Since birth in unpredictable, an urgent need for a birth suite can arrive at any moment. In order to manage their resources appropriately, OB units are run on a triage system.

When you arrive in labor, you will start out in a triage room. These rooms are smaller with standard cots rather than labor beds. The space can be tight, so often it's advisable to wait to bring in all of your gear. When you arrive and get checked in, you will be given a hospital gown and possible a urine cup to collect a sample. The nurse will then connect you to the fetal monitors, take vital signs, and ask you several questions about your labor and your baby and then let the attending provider know that you are there.

About 20-30 minutes on the monitor gives the medical staff the information they need to know how often you are contracting, how long they last and how baby is responding to them. The provider will like step in and want to examine your cervix to determine where you are in your labor process.

You might be admitted if:

- You're preterm and having consistent contractions

- You're at or before your due date, contractions are consistent and your cervix is at least 4cm

- Your waters are broken

- You're past your due date and having consistent contractions

- You're having bleeding or baby's heartrate is decreasing

- Your blood pressure is high

You might not be admitted if:

- Your contractions are inconsistent

- Your cervix is less than 4cm

- You're just having some spotting

- You're wanting to labor naturally without intervention

Sometimes the decision to admit or not is not clear immediately. On occasion, the OB triage staff will ask you to stay for an hour or two in order to see if your labor progresses as expected. If you've made progress, they will admit you, and if things have slowed down, they may send you home.

Triage is usually staffed by OB Residents or Midwives unless you are at a rural facility. Don't be surprised if you do not see your personal provider before you are admitted to a birth suite.

Have you experienced triage? Did anything surprise you in that space?

Note: as the patient you maintain a right to accept or refuse any procedures or protocols and ask for a second opinion or a different provider.