Labor and Delivery

Premature Labor: What to Expect If You Experience It

Here's what's likely to happen if you go into labor before your baby is ready to be born.

Premature Labor

If you're experiencing any symptoms of premature labor, your practitioner will want to assess you, either in the office or (more likely) in the hospital. You can expect the following.

Premature Labor Tests

  • Your cervix will be examined to determine if any dilation or effacement has begun.

If these tests and exams show that you are not in labor, you'll be sent home, often with instructions to take it easy — or perhaps to go on modified bed rest.

If You're in Premature Labor

If your practitioner thinks you might be in labor, you can expect the following to occur, depending on how far along in the pregnancy you are and what other complications you may be having:

  • If you haven't yet been tested for Group B strep (the test is usually performed after 35 weeks), you'll be given IV antibiotics to prevent transmission of the bacteria to your baby in case you are indeed a carrier.
  • You may be administered tocolytic agents, such as magnesium sulfate, which relax the uterus and (theoretically, at least) stop contractions. These medications are usually only dispensed if you're less than 34 weeks pregnant and if your baby's lungs are deemed too immature for delivery.
  • If your baby's lungs are still immature, corticosteroids will be administered to speed fetal lung maturity.

Your Baby's Health

Babies born before 34 weeks will almost always need to stay in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for a few weeks or months. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation who have no other health problems generally do fine — and often only need a short stay in the NICU before they head home. Join the Moms of Preemies group to meet other members who have experienced preterm labor.


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