Labor Instructions

							                              Labor Instructions
When to call:                         Call Dr. Riley: (925) 932-0390

Uterine Contractions – When they are about every 5 minutes for 1 to 2 hours. The contractions
should feel like painful menstrual cramps with tightening. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the
worst pain, the contractions should be around a 7, and last about 1 minute.

Membranes Rupture – (Bag of water breaks) – This is usually a gush of fluid that runs down
your leg. Occasionally, the last few weeks, the baby’s head hits your bladder and this can cause
you to urinate on yourself. This can be confused with breaking your bag. If you’re not sure, put
a pad on. If it gets continually soaked then call.

Bleeding – if your bleeding is heavy, like a period. After your vaginal exams, here in the office
you may bleed a bit. This is normal. Don’t call. You may also have “Bloody Show” which is a
bloody mucousy discharge. I don’t need you to call when this happens, because it doesn’t mean
you are in labor. I also don’t need you to call when you lose your mucous plug or have heavy
discharge. This also does not indicate actual labor.

                                        Group B Strep
We culture for this bacteria at 36 weeks. The bacteria can be found in the vagina and is
asymptomatic and causes no harm to you. However, if a baby delivers through a colonized
vagina it has a slight increased risk of getting an infection. The transmission rate to the baby is
quite low. If your culture is positive for Group B Strep then we will give you antibiotics while
you are in labor. This will decrease the risk of the baby getting an infection. We do not need to
treat it prior to labor. We will tell you if your culture is positive, and the hospital will be
informed as well. It is still a good idea to know your culture results, and remind the Labor
and Delivery Nurse on admission to the hospital if your culture is positive. That way we get
the antibiotics going as soon as possible.