A client at term in early labor calls the unit. Contractions last 35 seconds and occur every 8 minutes. The client lives 10 minutes from the hospital and has no risk factors. Which instruction is best?

1. 1Come to the hospital right away so that labor can be monitored continuously by the staff.
2. 2Stay home, drink fluids, and come in when contractions are five minutes or less apart.
3. 3Lie flat in bed and avoid eating or drinking anything until contractions get stronger.
4. 4Take a long warm tub soak and come to the hospital only if the contractions stop.

Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Labor & Delivery Care: First Stage of Labor. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.