Management of care of women with sign and symptoms possibly indicative of preter

m labor includes bed rest in a lateral , or side lying, position,external fetal

heart and uterine contractility monitoring , and , if the membranes are intact ,
monitoring with vaginal examinations ( preferably by the same examiner ) for ce
rvical change . Hydration has not been shown to make a difference in either diag
nosing or preventing preterm labor, may increase the risk of pulmonary edema if
tocolytic theraphy is subsequently used, and may delay prompt initiation of intr
avenous tocolysis when immediately needed . if the woman is given intravenous fl
uid , the risk of pulmonary edema is reduced if the fluid used is a hypotonic so
lution , i.e., 5% dextrose in water or 5% dextrose in 0.25% normal saline .