Are you in labor?

Well here I am in OB Triage ! I usually do Labor but sick calls prevail! Do you know what we do for you here? Well in many hospitals this is where you first come to see if you really are in labor.The experienced nurses in triage will put you on a fetal monitor to assess your contractions and listen to your babys heart rate.If you are not due yet the nurses should assess where you are uncomfortable,ask you to give them a sample of urine;Why you ask ;well urinary tract infections very often will cause you to feel as if you are in early labor.also you may start having what we call "irritability" just a run of "tiny" contractions that are not real labor,and are often related to the "UTI"as well.These things are important to rule out in case of true premature labor.When you are determined to be having true contractions and you are due or close to your due date the nurses will examine you internally to see how far you are"dilated"this is the opening of your cervix that will indicate labor is starting.The nurses notify your Midwife or Doctor to admit you,at some hospitals the Triage nurses will also draw your blood,this in preparation of your admit to the labor unit,it lets us know many things,
#1 -the state of your general well being,a baseline to compare after birth if we need to
#2-you may want an epidural,if so your "platelet "count will determine if you may have one
#3-a double check on your "rh" status will tell us if we need to administer rhogam after delivery.
Now you and your partner are off for the most important physical and emotional challenges you will ever be given!
We will begin next time by taking you through the early stages of labor and what you can expect also some tips to help!!! please send questions????