Did a test run to hospital and...

[Annie456]

...it took 27 mins. DH said that was probably average time and if we left in middle of the night it would be 20 mins and in rush hour maybe 45.

So just wondered what experiences people have of travelling to hospital. What time of day did you go into labour? Was your labour long enough / slow enough that you would have been able to leave the house at a decent traffic time?

I'm 38 weeks and the thing I'm most freaking out about is driving into central London whilst in labour...it's my first PG so imagine there will be plenty of time and I'll be able to labour at home but I just wondered how long people stayed at home before going in etc. Do things generally progress quite steadily so that a worst case scenario 45 min drive would be ok?!

Sorry for long post, it's 3am and i'm having a little panic! X

[mnistooaddictive]

Everyone is different. There is one extreme like my friend where her total labour was 45 minutes but thus is very rare. Chances are you will have plenty of tine to get there. Around here they yell you to stay at home as long as you can. If you phone, they will advise you when to come in. If they say contractions 5 minutes apart you nY want to leave home at 7 mins if it is in middle of day! Remember if it us all fast and you think you may not get there- phone delivery and they can send an ambulance.

[ChippingIn]

Annie - it's 3am if the hospital was next door you'd still be worrying - it's part of the 38 week hell :/

You will be fine - do what MNIS said and it will be fine, you will have plenty of time and if by some chance you don't (very highly unlikey) do the other thing she said and call delivery for an ambulance.

Now, if you aren't already asleep - Go To Sleep! This baby needs to finish cooking

[Annie456]

Ha ha! Thanks
I do love a 3am worry - although for some reason the hospital drive seems to be a round the clock stress! I just want to know that I'll have time to sit in traffic for 45 mins and not freak out - or at least know before setting off that 45 mins wouldn't be enough time!!

[Sandra2011]

I had a nightmare last night.

We have two options going to the hospital one is through town and the other is M4 which is usually faster.

In my dream we got stuck on M4 and my baby started to come out. I told husband to take the the hard shoulder and overtake all the traffic.
We got stopped by police but once they found out our reason they actually escorted us to the hospital.

Weird

[candr]

I think my DH would secretly love the chance to drive fast with a police escort.

[Annie456]

Guys this is not helping!!!!

[Sidge]

Most first labours last at least 12 hours so as long as you don't leave it until contractions are a minute apart to head for hospital you'll be fine

Most women head in when they need more pain relief, so maybe set off when you think you can't cope at home much longer rather than waiting until you're at the point at which you can't move!

[SaulGood]

We did a trial run the other day. It took 50 minutes. With no traffic. Dreading what it might be like on a bad day. It can take an hour and a half. I don't want to be in advanced labour in the car and equally I don't want to be at the hospital too soon. The other issue being this is my 2nd and a vbac so probably not as much time as with a 1st and I will need a wee bit of monitoring. I've gone into denial about the whole thing.

[nannyl]

My journey is 45ish mins in normal traffic, an hour+++ in bad traffic and maybe 35 mins in the middle of the night when no traffic at all....

So im planning a homebirth instead

and then should i need to be transferred it will be much faster in a blue light ambulence where they can ignore the hundreds of speed and traffic light cameras that are dotted continously through the route and the journey will be alot faster than in the car. + i will have a midwife with me on the journey....

[SaulGood]

I planned a homebirth first time round for lots of reasons, the distance being one of them. Obviously, having a vbac this time you can probably guess that I had a bluelight transfer. It was about 20 minutes in the ambulance.

[apple99]

My journey to hospital is the same timings as you Annie . When I had my dd 4 years ago I my waters broke at home and they asked me to come in only to send me home as only 1cm, I was at home a couple of hours before having to go back in again, this all happened between 9pm - 12am so traffic not a problem.

I am really worried that I may need to go in at rush hour time or on market day during which the traffic is horrendous. I would like to see them try and send me home at that time of day!!!