To think sister shouldn't have DC2 in a hospital an hour away?

[alwaysreallytired]

My sister lives in Brisbane, Australia. Her 2nd baby is due in three weeks and I've just found out that they're planning on having their baby in a hospital an hour from their home, in Brisbane CBD. They have chosen this hospital over a nearer one, as they can have the baby's cord blood collected there, but not at the nearer hospital. She says that they have the kit to collect the cord blood and that her husband could do it anyway, so I don't understand why they can't just go to their nearest hospital and then just get her husband or a midwife to do it there.

I'm really worried that my sister might end up having the baby en-route and the baby or mother needing immediate medical attention. What if the baby needs help breathing? What if my sister has a haemorrhage?

I think my sister may be putting both her baby and herself at unnecessary risk by not going to their closest hospital. Am I being unreasonable to think this?

Yabu. in fact it's nothing whatsoever to do with you. They want the blood collected by a professional and that's perfectly reasonable.

An hour is nothing in Australia.

Get a grip

It's fairly normal to be an hour away from your nearest maternity hospital. We have a choice of three here, the closest is 45 mins drive away.

Plenty of people in this country live an hour from their nearest maternity ward anyway. I would imagine in Australia that's even more common. It's not ideal but it's OK.

Yabu

Fuck all to do with you.

Lots of people live an hour from a hospital.

What makes you think this labour might be less than an hour long? Was the first one very short?

Yabu.
If she has very quick labours however she would be best if planning for a home birth.

Much better for someone qualified to do the cord blood collection.

Lots of people live an hr or more from a hospital and most people take longer than an hour to give birth.

My nearest hospital is an hour and a half away, it's where ds was born, and all the babies in the area, some even further as it's the Highlands.

Where do you live to be an hour away from a hospital??

Always some people live in rural areas!

YABU I had my 3rd child in a hospital 30 mins perhaps 45 mins away from where we live. I have a hospital 5 mins drive away but I don't like it for various reasons and wanted to have my youngest child in the same hospital as my others. I knew the set-up, felt very comfortable etc.

My youngest was the quickest delivery of all my children and even with my "oh no, this isn't labour, my children are always late by at least a week" mutterings. I still made it in plenty of time.

Enormasnob - I'm just worried about my sister. There's no need to be rude.

I used to live in lincolnshire and the two hospitals were either 45mins in one direction or an hour and a half in the other direction. Some people had to teavwl much further than an hour.

She'll be fine, there's no need to be worried. She wants that baby out safely too!

Give me an example of a rural location an hour away from a hospital. I'm really interested to find out.

I already said in lincolnshire lots if places are an hour or more away.

There are loads of rural villages and towns in many counties where the hospital is an hour away!

Fuck sake... you do know that maternity units are closing all over the place don't you?

The North West Highlandsalways, in my case.
Why are you so surprised?
Raigmore in Inverness is the nearest for many people up here.

I live in West Yorkshire, approx 35 mins from the nearest CLU. However the route means that if I needed to get there at half 8 on a weekday morning it could easily take well over an hour. And I'm not massively rural.

Some people may live less than an hour to a hospital but not all hospitals have maternity units

I live in norfolk, depending on where you live in norfolk you could easily be an hour from a hospital. I am only 10mins away from a big teaching hospital but i have friends who are much further away.

We have one hospital where I live, and that's it. I live over an hour away from it. What do you suggest we do?

She's making her choice, let her get on with it

And yes not all hospitals have maternity units.

I heard a story the other day about a lady in Africa who took a motorbike-taxi to the hospital while in labour, had the baby & brought said baby home on the back of a motorbike-taxi straight after! At least in Australia they have helicopters & things to get her to a hospital & she could always go to the nearer one if they were at all worried about the distance. Most births happen without incident. Try not to worry!

I find it odd that you're concerned enough to post this?

Our nearest was 45 mins

I dont think an hour is a big ask, and presumably your sister will do the right thing by her and the baby?