Labour myths and facts: what KKH, SGH and NUH say, and the delivery room rules to check

Most labour myths don't hold up against what Singapore's public hospitals tell their own patients. SGH's own guide says an epidural doesn't raise your chance of a caesarean, and KKH and NUH let you sip water through labour. The rules that shape your day, like who stays with you and whether you can film, differ by hospital. Check yours before your due date with the steps below.

How to check your hospital's labour rules, step by step

1. Book a tour or an antenatal class at your delivery hospital. SGH includes labour ward tours in its antenatal classes and runs ad hoc tours at 11.30am and 3pm on weekdays (6326 5923). Our antenatal classes guide covers KKH and NUH.
2. Read up on pain relief early. KKH's anaesthetists, writing on HealthXchange, suggest doing it in the weeks or months before your due date.
3. Ask who can stay with you in labour. KKH encourages your partner and may let your mother or sister come instead. SGH allows your spouse, or a female companion in special circumstances.
4. Ask what happens if you need a caesarean. For a planned one at KKH, your partner is shown to a waiting area next to the theatre, so ask your hospital whether he can come in.
5. Ask about photos and video. KKH allows them in the Delivery Suite when no procedure is going on, including the birth, but staff can't be filmed without consent. Elsewhere on its premises, KKH bans unauthorised photos and recordings.
6. Ask about food and drink. KKH and NUH ask you not to eat once you're in labour, but you can sip water. The NHS suggests eating something in the early stage, while you're still at home.
7. Ask about the ward after the birth. KKH lets visitors into its wards from 8am to 8pm. At SGH, your spouse or one nominated caregiver can stay overnight, and NUH offers one family member an overnight stay in its single-bedded A1 wards.
8. Write the answers into your birth plan and give your partner a copy. If someone other than your partner will be with you, KKH asks you to tell the nurse-in-charge when you're admitted.
9. Save the route and number for your delivery suite. KKH's Delivery Suite is on Level 2 of the Women's Tower. SGH's Labour Ward 52A is open 24 hours on 6321 4520, and NUH's Delivery Suite is Ward 22, Main Building Level 2.

Labour myths and facts at a glance

Waters, due dates and when to go in

Plenty of women expect labour to start with a gush. The NHS says your waters are likely to break during labour, though they can go before it starts. SGH says to go straight to the hospital if you think yours have broken, even with no contractions, because of the infection risk for you and your baby.

First babies do tend to come later. KKH's week-by-week guide on HealthXchange says anything before 42 weeks is acceptable, and SGH says first labours are generally longer. Tend to isn't always, so have your hospital bag packed and your route planned well before the date.

Unsure? Get checked, even if it turns out to be early. At KKH, midwives check you on arrival. You may be admitted, or advised to go home. The NHS says the early (latent) phase can take hours or sometimes days, and the unit may suggest you go back home during it. Go in anyway if your waters break, you bleed or your baby moves less. Our contraction timer shows when contractions turn regular, and stages of labour explains each phase.

Spicy food or pineapple to bring labour on is a separate set of myths. Our guide on how to start labour naturally checks each one.

Epidurals, food and pain

Does the epidural slow labour? SGH's pain relief guide says it may make the second stage, when you push, longer. It also raises the chance of a forceps or vacuum delivery: 17% with an epidural against 12% without. It doesn't raise your chance of a caesarean, and it doesn't cause long-term backache, though a tender spot in your back can linger. Our epidural guide covers the other side effects.

You can drink, in small amounts. KKH asks you not to eat in labour because you may need a general anaesthetic in an emergency, and a full stomach raises the risk of breathing food into your lungs. Sips of water or ice cubes are encouraged, and NUH also allows sips of water. Our guide to what happens in the delivery room compares this with UK advice on a light diet.

Labour pain isn't one fixed level. KKH's anaesthetists say each woman feels it differently, shaped by her past experience, how long labour lasts and any drugs used to speed it up. Our guide to what labour feels like describes each stage in plain words.

Big babies, small hips and caesareans

A big baby on the scan doesn't settle how you'll give birth. NUH says ultrasound weight estimates can be 10 to 15% too high or too low. NUH encourages vaginal birth for all women unless there's a medical reason, and says that with a big baby, the safest route is decided between you and your doctor. Our big baby guide covers the scans and your options.

Small hips don't decide it either. Cleveland Clinic, a US hospital, says a baby's head not fitting through the pelvis is rare, at about 1 in 250 births, and is rarely diagnosed before labour. It adds that women with risk factors don't always have complicated births. In labour, SGH's team checks how far your cervix has opened and may step in if progress is slow.

A past caesarean doesn't rule out a vaginal birth. KKH's obstetricians, on HealthXchange, put the chance of a successful vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) at 50 to 60%, and higher if you've had a vaginal birth before. The risk of the scar tearing is 0.5% after one caesarean, so a trial of labour is closely monitored. Read VBAC in Singapore before you talk to your gynae, and C-section vs normal delivery for how the two compare.

When to see a doctor

Go to your delivery hospital, or call your gynae's clinic on the way, if you notice any of these:

• Regular contractions every 5 to 15 minutes (KKH, NUH).
• A sudden gush or a steady trickle of clear fluid from your vagina, even with no contractions (KKH, SGH).
• Vaginal bleeding, which SGH says needs the hospital straight away if it's as heavy as a period.
• Your baby moving less than usual (KKH). Go in that day rather than waiting for your next check-up. The baby kick counter follows KKH's Count-To-Ten chart.
• A fever (KKH).
• A severe headache, changes in your vision, or tummy pain (KKH).
• Signs of labour before 37 weeks, which the NHS says need a call straight away. See premature labour signs.

At KKH, go to the Delivery Suite on Level 2 of the Women's Tower if you're more than 22 weeks pregnant, or the Urgent O&G Centre in Basement 1 if you're under 22 weeks. SGH's Labour Ward 52A is open 24 hours, and NUH's Delivery Suite is Ward 22. In an emergency, call 995, SCDF's emergency number. Our signs of labour guide explains each sign, and how to tell real contractions from practice ones.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common labour myths and facts?

Common ones are that your waters always break first, first babies are always late and an epidural slows labour into a caesarean. The NHS says waters usually break during labour, KKH says first babies only tend to be later, and SGH says an epidural doesn't raise your caesarean chance.

What are the delivery room rules in Singapore?

Each hospital sets its own. At KKH your partner is encouraged to stay, your mother or sister can come instead, and photos and video are allowed when no procedure is going on. SGH allows your spouse and no other visitors in the Delivery Suite, apart from a female companion in special circumstances. Ask about yours on a tour or at a late check-up.

Can my husband be in the delivery room in Singapore?

Yes. KKH, SGH and NUH all encourage your husband or partner to stay with you through labour. For a planned caesarean at KKH, he waits in an area next to the theatre, and your baby is shown to him after the birth. Ask your own hospital whether partners can go into theatre.

Can I eat during labour?

KKH and NUH ask you not to eat once you're in labour, though sips of water are allowed, and KKH also encourages ice cubes. The reason is safety if you need an emergency general anaesthetic. Have something to eat at home in early labour, as the NHS suggests, because you'll need the energy later.

Does the epidural slow labour?

It can make the pushing stage longer, SGH's pain relief guide says, and it raises the chance of a forceps or vacuum delivery from 12% to 17%. It doesn't raise your chance of a caesarean. If you think you'll want one, read up on it in the weeks before your due date, as KKH's anaesthetists suggest.