Knowing when to leave for the hospital

OBGYN Mike Brisinger, MD, explains when the best time to go to the hospital is when going into labor, depending on various personal factors
Knowing When to Go to the Hospital to Have Your Baby
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Knowing when to leave for the hospital

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Whether you should wait until the contractions are 4-5 minutes apart and the pros and cons is really up to the individual patient. If it's your first child and your labor can take a long time, maybe even 24 hours. So to wait longer, even closer than that, maybe 2-3 minutes apart, when your water breaks, then it's time to go to the hospital. If you've had a few children before and you deliver very quickly, maybe a few hours, maybe even less than an hour, then you might even go to the hospital even sooner, maybe even the first onset of labor so you don't have to deliver at home or deliver on the way to the hospital. The disadvantage of coming to the hospital when you're not really quite in labor yet, especially with the first child, is you often are sent home. And you might feel discouraged and upset, but that's what happens often in labor and delivery.

OBGYN Mike Brisinger, MD, explains when the best time to go to the hospital is when going into labor, depending on various personal factors

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Mikael Brisinger, MD

Obstetrician

 

Dr. Mikael N Brisinger practices Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles. He has been practicing medicine for over 22 years. Dr. Brisinger did his residency at UCLA Medical Center and has been on the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1997. He is a native to Sweden, and has five children. He loves outdoor activities and spending quality with his kids. 

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