# Hospital Birth: What Happens in Triage?



## Amatullah0 (Apr 7, 2009)

So, when you first get admitted to the hospital, you go up to L&D and they send you to triage. Then what happens? I have no idea.

I'm guessing that,

you fill out paperwork maybe?
they ask you to change clothing(which i will be declining)
they do a cervical check(which i will also be declining)
they put you on the monitors for a bit
they try to give you an IV(which i will be declining until later in labor, at which point i will take a saline lock for abx since i'm GBS+)
what else?
i'm just a clueless FTM...


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## kltroy (Sep 30, 2006)

well my situation was a bit atypical (read my birth story in my sig for details) but we did some consultation (should I stay or go), a cervical check, which made sense in my situation, and that was about it. Once I got my room the nurse did put on a monitor and started a hep-lock (both of which I only accepted b/c I was a VBAC). We verbally did some paperwork things but since my prenatal care was associated w/ the hospital there wasn't much. After that they basically left me alone except to pop in every couple hours and ask if I needed anything until I had my baby


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## kriket (Nov 25, 2007)

when I was admitted, they made me fill out some paperwork, got me a chux to sit on because I was leaking fluids, send DH out of the room and asked me if he abuses me









Thats it. Once my labour "didn't start" they hooked me up to the Pit and monitors.

good luck declining the lock until later in labour. If you are GBS+ they will get you started asap, I think they think you could squirt that kid at any second and don't want to miss it. If you don't want poked and prodded, stay home as long as you can.

It also depends on how busy they are, when I went in, there were 8 other women in labour. They pretty much left me alone for a long time only coming in to check on me and turn up my pit


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## cileag (Aug 16, 2008)

The biggest thing they will try to determine is whether or not you are in active labor. Many MANY people come in just when the contractions (every 5 minutes, last for 1 minutes, for 1 hour) tell them to whether they are just light crampings or not. This is often so early for first time mothers that if you aren't in rip roaring labor, your water hasn't broke, or you aren't requesting pain medication, they may have you walk around for an hour at the hospital and than recheck you to see if you've made cervical change. If you haven't, they may send you home.

Which is another reason to postpone going to the hospital.


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## snowmom5 (May 8, 2008)

I think it varies depending on the hospital.

At my hospital, first you stop by admitting, either at the main entrance (during the daytime, never done that) or at the ER entrance (night), and you get your wristband (I'll never understand why it takes so long when you've already pre-registered). After that, I've never gone to any separate location for triage, always straight to a L&D room.

In one pregnancy, I was only 33w with twins - they hooked me up to the monitor and shortly thereafter the doc verified that my water had broken, since I reported that it had.

In another pregnancy, as they were handing me the gown and I was getting on the bed, one older nurse, who was apparently teaching a younger nurse, said, "I don't even have to check, I can tell it's real. You can call her doc." I always thought that was funny, since I hadn't said a word - guess it was the look on my face. (At some point soon thereafter the young nurse did do a check, I was 5-6 with a bulging bag.)

In a third pregnancy, they hooked me up to the monitor and it wasn't picking up any contractions. But I could barely talk, as usual. She asked me some dumb questions for the computer (are you planning to breastfeed, etc.) and I wanted to give her the finger because I couldn't talk or even move (eventually I just stopped responding to her LOL). She left and came back maybe a half hour later and checked me (I was 5 cm, and layed there on my side silently; I delivered 90 min later). She knew I wasn't getting an epidural, so she didn't put the IV in and draw blood for the bloodwork (I was on anticoagulants) until I had been there an hour already. Then she left me alone again for a long time until my doc, who had had another delivery, got there and a few minutes later he was born. It was the middle of the night, dark and quiet, just like I like it.


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## Belle (Feb 6, 2005)

I didn't go to triage. I went straight to the L&D room. I went in there and the nurse checked me (I was 5cm) with waters bulging. I declined the IV/Hep lock with a simple "No thanks" and they didn't fight me on this. I was hooked up to the monitor for a token 5 min. of monitoring and got all the questions answered while I was on the monitor. Then I got into the tub.


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## purplemoon (Sep 24, 2008)

I hated triage. I know I am in labor thank you! Anyway, I filled out the paperwork in advance so do that if you can. Then they do a test strip of the fetal heart rate and contractions for 15 minutes after you have changed (which you don't have to do). They check your dialation (which you could also decline). I know I was annoyed because I had to lay down for 15 minutes and the person next to me was blasting "Barbershop 2" so freaking loud I wanted to punch the person! They weren't in labor obviously.

After that was done, I got my midwife and could do what I pleased. Traige nurses IMO are annoying. My husband actually called my midwife to complain about being forced to lay down as I told him I hated being tied to the bed the first time (induction).

Oh, and the triage nurse asked if I wanted some pitocin to speed things up.


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## feminist~mama (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amatullah0* 
[*]they try to give you an IV(which i will be declining until later in labor, at which point i will take a saline lock for abx since i'm GBS+)


If you're GBS+ and going to do the ABX thing you might as well do it the way they recommend. At my hospital the goal is for 2 doses of ABX before baby is born- so they do the first dose right away and the next 6 hrs later.

Obviously not everyone makes it the 6 hrs to have 2 doses, but that's the goal as far as ABX for GBS+ goes...

Have you looked into different ABX for GBS? We usually use Ampicillin, but some folks are allergic or have a strain of GBS that is resistant to Amp. So if you want treatment but would rather avoid an IV why not request a different ABX? One that comes in a pill form!









Best of luck to you!


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## Amatullah0 (Apr 7, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *feminist~mama* 
One that comes in a pill form!









Best of luck to you!

hmm... i thought that the oral form didn't work as well(and thats why they offer the IV type) or, are you talking oral abx while in labor? hmmm.... would that work?


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

I didn't go in in labor. I filled out paperwork, changed into their gown, went on the monitor and then went for a BPP. We had a consult with the dr about what to do. We decided to stay and induce so they started an IV. Got a VE to determine how we should start the induction. Then we moved to the L&D room.


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

When I had DS, I didn't go through triage. I went to my doctor's office to verify that my water had broken and they called ahead to the hospital to tell them I was on the way. I walked straight up to L&D and they were expecting me. They set up the OR while I was on my way over. I had the C/S about an hour after I left the doctor's office.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommytoC* 
All I had was a quick cervical check, my temperature taken, and monitoring for 15 minutes.

Nothing else was asked of me and I asked for nothing else.

This is exactly how it went for me as well.


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## boringscreenname (Sep 26, 2007)

At my hospital L&D has their own triage, so we just went straight there instead of messing around at the E.R. or Main Entrance because they would've sent us up there anyway.

Once I was in Triage they asked me to take my pants and underwear off for a cervical check, asked a bunch of the same questions over and over which annoyed me, did a test strip of baby's heart, put me on the monitor and checked vital signs. After that they debated on admitting me or not, so I was back there for an hour when DS decided he had enough and had a huge heart deceleration and they decided to go ahead and admit me.


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## Murph12334 (Nov 12, 2003)

i was 6-7 by the time i got to the hospital and with first water broke and was 4 cent - both times they said skip triage and put her in a room. both times i was there about 1-1 1/2 hour and baby was out


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

We put in our birth plan that we did not want to go to triage and to put us immediately into a room when we showed up. We cleared this with our MW and let her know when we were on our way to the hospital so that she could calm the nurses down for us and they wouldn't give us a hard time about stepping outside of protocol.

I also showed up at 6 cm and in transition after being in labor for 14 hours, so that helped too.


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## mom2reenie (Nov 14, 2006)

It really depends on the hospital.

With DS1, we called my midwife and she was already at the hospital, so she told us to just come straight to the L/D floor. We got there, they gave me a gown, I changed and the m/w checked me (I was talking, laughing, walking fine, not even flinching during the contractions so the m/w wanted to make sure I was in labor before admitting me). I was 7.5 cms at that time so the nurses came in, hooked me up to be monitored and finished filling out the paperwork to be admitted.

With DS2 (different hospital), we called and they told us to go to the ER entrance (it was 4am). They called somoene down from L/D floor, she came down walked us up the quick way and I was put in a room. Answered all the questions, changed into a gown and got monitored. Checked me and found out that again despite me laughing, talking, and not flenching I was 6 cms and they admitted me.

So each of my hospitals were totally different experiences and neither were even like we were told would happen at our birth class and tour of the hospital.


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## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

At my hospital I:

Filled out paperwork
Had a cervical check
Had my vitals checked
Had monitoring done

They sent me home and told me they would probably see me the next day. On the way home my water broke and my contractions became harder and came faster. We went right back and I got sent to a room and had the babe not too long after that. Haha.


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## crunchy_mama (Oct 11, 2004)

The only thing I remember is just checking in and waiting for the cna from LandD to come and wheel me over to LandD. No checks or anything at all at the ER. We did a bit more paperwork once we got over there(even though we preregistered) and I was checked and they put on external monitors.


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## Care Lee (Feb 12, 2009)

Maybe it depends on the hospital, but I've always called my MW, gone through the emergency room, and straight up to my labor room. I do most of my laboring at home, though. Usually, I'm so far into labor and my contractions are so close together that I can't walk, so they get me a wheel chair and wheel me up, and I have the baby within the hour.

I'd be incredibly annoyed if anyone started asking me to walk around the hospital or answer questions. However, I have really fast births, and I think my MW tells them to get me quickly into the room.


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## meganmarie (Jan 29, 2005)

Quote:

Maybe it depends on the hospital, but I've always called my MW, gone through the emergency room, and straight up to my labor room. I do most of my laboring at home, though. Usually, I'm so far into labor and my contractions are so close together that I can't walk, so they get me a wheel chair and wheel me up, and I have the baby within the hour.

I'd be incredibly annoyed if anyone started asking me to walk around the hospital or answer questions.
This for me too. No idea what hospital policies really were... because both times I labored at home for 10-12 hours and was 9-10 cm dilated, throwing up, far past transition when I showed up. If someone had tried to send me to triage, my DH would have thrown them through a window, he was so stressed!

The further along you are, the less time you will spend in triage







.


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## gurumama (Oct 6, 2002)

For #1 I went to my OB's office--a cervical check confirmed 3cm dilated, 80% effaced. Sent me straight to L&D where they put in an IV, required an HOUR of EFM, etc.

For #2 I walked in at 10 cm







and they tried to get me to do admitting paperwork but realized they needed to get me upstairs FAST. Baby was born 30 minutes later and they did the paperwork after. No cervical check, no IV, I wore my own nightgown and they did 15 minutes of EFM.

Two completely different hospitals.


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## montlake (Mar 13, 2008)

When I went to triage all they did was put the external monitor on to make sure they were real labor contractions. (not just like braxton hicks or whatever). and they did a litmus paper swab to make sure I was really leaking fluid and not just having bladder issues. No IV or cervical check or anything else until they moved me into an L&D room. But then again, when I got there all of the L&D rooms were full of women giving birth, all of the triage beds were full of women in labor and there was a whole line of women waiting in the hall. A nurse told me later that it was their busiest day in the hospital history for births. If they weren't so crowded and trying to get all of these women who had no bed to go through triage, I think they probably would have done some of the other stuff.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Since my cnm arrived ahead of me... triage consisted only of a brief visual check of dilation and strap on monitor for a few minutes until I was moved to my own room. No paperwork.. we had done all that ahead of time.

I did put on a hospital gown for triage and then once I was in my own room, I stripped down. I prefer to be naked when laboring.


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## Romana (Mar 3, 2006)

I showed up ready to push. I was meeting my doctor but had to enter through the emergency room door because it was late at night.

An orderly told me I was going to have to go to triage (in the ER) and I looked at him like he was crazy but couldn't speak and then had a (rather noisy) contraction. Then I said my doctor was waiting for me, and my husband walked in from parking the car. Another orderly came over with a wheelchair and I sat down and we went very quickly (faster than I could have walked at that point) straight to the room set up for me in L&D.

I did not fill out any paperwork. I did take off my nightgown (with help) and was given a hospital gown, which I barely bothered with. I did not get an IV. As I was getting on the bed they put the monitor around my belly, which felt awful (the constriction).

There was just time to check that I was complete and encourage me to push and 20 min later my daughter was born. They didn't even have time to check my blood pressure.

If you can time it properly and have a decent doctor on-call, I recommend handling hospital births that way.


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