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Childbirth

To/From Hospital with no car

35 replies

Redling · 05/05/2014 21:42

Husband and I don't have a car at the moment as he works in London and I walk to work so we don't really need one, but people are starting to act like how could I have possibly got pregnant without the use of a car for getting to and from hospital for the birth! Midwives started when they kept recommending I go to miles away midwife led units when the hospital is about 1 mile away, and were shocked when I said I didn't drive. Does anyone have any experience of getting to hospital in labour in taxi's? I do have friends who can take me but just in case! Also coming back, we have a car seat to put in other peoples cars, would that be acceptable to the midwives? Again, people act like I'll not be allowed to take my child home if I don't have my own car!

I also am annoyed that people claim I won't possibly cope without a car when I have the baby, but that's another whinge!

OP posts:

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GlaikitFizzog · 05/05/2014 21:47

Taxi should be doable. Call the firm before hand and say you will need their services and see what they can do for you. Flag your address or something. They can also take your card details so you don't need to faff about with money on the way in.

Your car seat in a taxi will be fine for the homeward leg.

constantlystartingadiet · 06/05/2014 09:24

We got a taxi, lived in London so didn't need a car, it was my husbands job to ring around to make sure they would take me, as he would be the one ringing at the crucial time! I took a towel and a Pampers care mat to sit on just in case and a old ice cream container as had been vomiting earlier. We had a car seat and just got a black cab from outside the hospital home.

constantlystartingadiet · 06/05/2014 09:25

We got a taxi, lived in London so didn't need a car, it was my husbands job to ring around to make sure they would take me, as he would be the one ringing at the crucial time! I took a towel and a Pampers care mat to sit on just in case and a old ice cream container as had been vomiting earlier. We had a car seat and just got a black cab from outside the hospital home.

constantlystartingadiet · 06/05/2014 09:26

We got a taxi, lived in London so didn't need a car, it was my husbands job to ring around to make sure they would take me, as he would be the one ringing at the crucial time! I took a towel and a Pampers care mat to sit on just in case and a old ice cream container as had been vomiting earlier. We had a car seat and just got a black cab from outside the hospital home.

constantlystartingadiet · 06/05/2014 09:27

We got a taxi, lived in London so didn't need a car, it was my husbands job to ring around to make sure they would take me, as he would be the one ringing at the crucial time! I took a towel and a Pampers care mat to sit on just in case and a old ice cream container as had been vomiting earlier. We had a car seat and just got a black cab from outside the hospital home.

rootypig · 06/05/2014 09:29

You'll be grand in a cab, we were. When you're leaving, get DH to go out first and get the car seat in, so you're not standing around with the little one.

constantlystartingadiet · 06/05/2014 09:31

Sorry not sure why it posted so many times x

ShatterResistant · 06/05/2014 09:33

We got a taxi both times out of choice, because parking at the hospital was £2.20 an hour, and who knew how long we'd be there?! There are stories of husbands missing their babies' births because they were out feeding the parking meter... Anyway, is fine, and actually I preferred it- someone else drives, and your husband can look after you. No experience of coming home though...

slartybartfast · 06/05/2014 09:34

i remember i had knew someone in london when we were both pregnant, she said she would get an ambulance when the time came. as her oh didnt drive.
my dh didnt drive either and we took a taxi when i was induced.

you no doubt will have a car seat so why should mid wives mind?

mismylinford · 06/05/2014 09:41

An ambulance should take you if a taxi won't. I would use a local taxi and inform them when its closer to the time.
When i was booked in at the midwife made me sign an agreement stating i understood that i will not be allowed to.leave the hospital without a car seat for the baby. Even if i wasn't.leaving by car.

threedaystogo · 06/05/2014 09:46

I got a minicab to/from the hospital when we lived in London.

The only slight issue was that when I arrived, the midwives would ideally have sent me home again for a bit (as everything was happening very slowly) but they were worried I mightn't be able to catch a taxi back in again, so kept me in instead. So I ended up being on the ward much longer than necessary IYSWIM.

Me23 · 06/05/2014 09:47

Please do not call an ambulance unless it is an emergency! And no being in labour is not an emergency unless you want to push or are bleeding etc..
Taxi will be fine. Although when I had my first I was livig in Central London and no taxi available not even a black cab so I got on the bus! Wasn't the most dignified experience but it got me There and was quite far along in labour too 7cm when I got to hospital.

Pinkandpurplehairedlady · 06/05/2014 09:51

I took a taxi to mine, it didn't even occur to me that try wouldn't take me! It was only a 5 min drive though. We walked home and clipped the car seat to the buggy chassi (the midwife had warned us we wouldn't be able to leave with DD in a pram).

slartybartfast · 06/05/2014 09:53

you couldnt take her away in a pram ? because of the cold? why?

NickyEds · 06/05/2014 10:05

We took a cab to hospital. We don't drive so didn't have a choice!! We started to use our local cab firm fairly regularly for other trips towards the end of my pregnancy so they knew us....but I went to hospital after my waters broke but before I was in labour so in the end I didn't have to have contractions in a taxi. It will be fine either way but I think that if OH could drive we might have hired a car for a month or so. It's good to have a driver on call too- we had my sister- for if you need trip home during labour, if you forget anything etc.
You will get looks of shock when you tell people you have a baby and no car!!!- We've never needed a car so don't have one but the way most mums talk you'd think we were cavemen!!

Redling · 06/05/2014 10:41

Thanks everyone, we have brother in law down the street so most likely will have transport to hospital and he will have a tiny baby then as well, so a car seat will be in there already, but he has a job so can't expect him to leave work if I need to go in during the day. Me23 that's amazing that you got a bus! I do have a bus stop which goes to the hospital very close actually :) PinkandPurple they won't let the baby go away in a pram even if you walk home? That's odd. I worried that car seat in a taxi wouldn't be 'safe' enough for the midwife, I don't know why. Anyway, we are very likely to have family taking baby home. We will get a car eventually when DS is bigger and we want to do trips out and stuff but with £6000+ a year already spent on DH commuting we've always avoided it as we live in town and have everything we need a short walk away. Travel is expensive!

OP posts:

squizita · 06/05/2014 11:03

Not baked yet but plan on doing the taxi both ways thing! :) I am going to ask the hospital for their preferred firm of taxis - so I know they'll take me!

Good tips about sitting on something and taking a bowl!

GwenStacy · 06/05/2014 11:07

When I asked a couple of cab firms about wherher they'd take me, they both asked that I called them when contractions started to prewarn them so that when we needed to go, they could make sure we got one quickly

Pinkandpurplehairedlady · 06/05/2014 11:10

We were told they have to see then strapped in a car seat before they leave.

DebbieOfMaddox · 06/05/2014 11:12

I got a taxi in in labour first time (my husband was in Edinburgh, we live in London) -- it was fine, although the taxi driver did ask me (massively pregnant, sitting on pile of towels, carrying bag) which bit of the hospital I wanted and I was so tempted to say "Ear, Nose and Throat" . You may find that some taxis don't want to take a labouring woman, though, so allow yourself plenty of time to find one that will (and don't actually mention the labour bit when you phone).

So long as you have a carseat, they'll be fine with your leaving. Just make sure that you/your husband have practised putting the seat into cars first as some of the first stage seats can be tricky and doing it in an unfamiliar car trickier still. It was only after we got home with our first baby that I realised my husband had put ours in wrongly.

holidaysarenice · 06/05/2014 11:16

A hospital cannot stop you leaving with your baby in any manner you wish.

They can only stop you with a social services court ordered injunction. I love to see the face of them if it came up that they wanted an order to take your baby all because you wanted to walk home!

Raxacoricofallapatorius · 06/05/2014 11:21

I carried dd out of the hospital in my arms. Midwives waved us off cheerily.

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Me23 · 06/05/2014 11:55

I don't know where this "you can't leave without a carseat" comes from, I'm a midwife and I have never been informed of this policy nor would I dare to insist someone could only leave if they had a car seat. (However if they were planning on taking baby in a car of course I would check they had a car seat) I didn't have a car with my first didn't need one so we left with dd in her pram. As quite a few parents who live locally do.

squizita · 06/05/2014 12:18

Me23 If (big if) I end up with minimal stitching etc' and can walk just fine, there is a train from next door to my hospital to 5 minutes walk from my house. Given this, of DH brought a 'from birth' sling/pram (it's overland train- flat access) would we be fine to go home that way?
Obvs would be a taxi if I was hobbling along!

FruitbatAuntie · 06/05/2014 12:59

We got a taxi in when I had DS1, because our car wouldn't start!

A midwife came out with us when we went home, and checked the car seat was in correctly. They were quite strict about it all in 2005. One lady who was leaving almost had a row with a midwife, as she and her DP said they were walking home (she lived literally around the corner, about 30 secs walk).

When I had DS2 (2012) - same hospital, no one even asked how I was getting home or so much as mentioned car seats. They barely looked up to wave us out.

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