Arriving at hospital.

Assuming that you have chosen to birth at your local hospital as opposed to home you will most likely transfer in when your surges (contractions) are approximately 3 in every 10 minutes.

Before you will be admitted to the midwife led unit or obstetric unit you will most likely be processed through the hospital’s triage system.

This is where you will meet a midwife who will ask for your birth notes so that she may check how many weeks pregnant you are and whether there have been any problems during your pregnancy.

She will run through some questions such as whether you have had a show, how long you have been labouring and the frequency of your surges and when or if your waters have broken.

She will then check your blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respiration rate. 

She may at this point also check your urine. She will then check in with baby using a hand-held device such as a sonicaid.

During this triage your midwife may ask if you would like to have an internal, vaginal examination to check how dilated you currently are…
...and here we sometimes hit a problem.

Vaginal examinations are optional. It is absolutely your decision as to who puts their fingers into your vagina at any point. ALWAYS.

The hospital will probably have a protocol in place that says a vaginal exam should be offered.

Why?

Well, they like to know how dilated a woman is prior to admitting her to the labour ward.

But, there are other ways of gauging this information and a skilled midwife will be able to do this.

Also, a vaginal examination in labour, to check how dilated you are is not an indicator of how soon you will be giving birth. It is just a snap-shot of where you are at that very moment.

I’m afraid that 5cms dilated does not mean that you are necessarily half way through. 

If a woman arrives to be told that she is ‘only’ 2cms dilated it can be terribly disheartening and reduces the woman and her experiences and feelings to just a number on a chart. Which is wrong.

You may like to know later on in your labour, and that is fine. 

But if you wish to refuse a VE upon arrival it is absolutely your right to do so.
To bully a woman into a VE is coercion. To offer it as a must as opposed to a choice and then do it is assault.

If for any reason this becomes a sticking point or if you feel that your wishes are not being listened to then always remember that you can ask to see someone else. You can find another midwife who can help or you can escalate to the head of midwifery.

Once through triage you will be taken to your own room where you will remain, all being well, until you birth your baby.

This can for some be an incredibly unsettling time.

So, keep breathing.

Keep calm.

Wear your eye mask if you like and listen to your favourite music or hypnobirthing tracks if you fancy.

Once in your room just settle down and relax and find your calm and still mental space again.