When is it best to come to the hospital after you’ve recognized that your water has broken? Generally, we recommend as soon as possible. The reason being is that the bacteria that live in the vagina, normally at this point, now have access to the uterus. And this is even more important for patients who test positive for Group B Strep. So these bacteria now have access to an environment that they didn’t have access to a short period of time earlier. So basically, the clock starts ticking at that point as far as concerns and worries about infection.
So it’s nice to get the patients into the hospital early, check and make sure everything’s going well. We don’t have to immediately respond to that and force them into labor, but it’s important to watch and make sure everything’s going well. So it’s best not to stay home. On occasion, I have patients who stay home for several hours. Sometimes that can prove to be worrisome. So again, once you recognize that, it’s best to come in, and we can make sure that you and your baby do well.
[Previously Recorded]
