Knowing when to go in, and what happens when you do
And what being sent home means.
Going in very early in labor is associated with more intervention, largely because being admitted starts a clock. Many units will assess you and send you home if you are in early labor, which is a reasonable and evidence-consistent thing for them to do, and is not a failure on your part.
Go in without waiting if your waters break, if you have any bleeding, if the baby's movements have changed, if you have a fever, or if you are less than 37 weeks.
If you are sent home and unhappy about it"I am not comfortable going home. Can you tell me what would need to change for me to be admitted, and can that be written down?" It is a fair request and it usually produces a more careful assessment.
Where this comes from:
182. Caughey AB, Cahill AG, Guise JM, Rouse DJ. Safe prevention of the primary cesarean delivery. Obstetric Care Consensus No. 1. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;123(3):693-711. Withdrawn; replaced by ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 8, Obstet Gynecol. 2024;143(1):144-162.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.