Labor Pains

Labor pains may be:

1) True Term Labor: more than or equal to 37 weeks, Cervical dilatation and effacement, Ruptured membranes.
2) True Preterm Labor: less than 37 weeks, Cervical dilatation and effacement, Ruptured membranes.
3) False Labor: less than 37 weeks, NO cervical dilatation or effacement, NO ruptured membranes.

True Preterm Labor is managed as follows:

Mother and fetus stable: Bed rest, Fluids, Cervical Culture, Steroids if less than 34 weeks , Antibiotics if ruptured membranes occurred more than 18 hrs ago.
Mother and/or fetus are unstable: terminate.