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?

[alwaysreallytired]

Ok, I am sensing that many feel that IABU.

But does anybody out there agree with me?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, yorkshire, cumbria are all counties I can think of immediately where you can easily be an hour from the nearest maternity unit. I'm sure the staff at the hospital will have taken your sisters previous birth into account.

Second babies are normally quicker.....but not that quick. 99.9% of women in rural areas in the uk make it to hospital in time.

[Callisto]

I live in the Cotswolds and my nearest hospital is 45mins away. Why the disbelief that anyone could be an hour away from a hospital in the UK?

OP, YABunderstandablyU.

[Dannilion]

My maternity unit is closing in 4 weeks and the nearest one is an hour - hour and a halfway drive away depending on traffic. (they're building a bypass to make this quicker next year). There's an example. I'm 5 minutes away from a hospital, I just can't give birth there.

[Flisspaps]

Where I live, in Telford (not even rural) it is a 45 minute drive to the nearest CLU in Shrewsbury by A-road!

YABU. Chill out. Childbirth is very rarely a medical emergency.

[LadyFlumpalot]

I live an hour away from the nearest hospital. I'm in North Dorset. I get a choice of Dorchester - 1.5 hours away, Yeovil, an hour or Salisbury, an hour.

[skratta]

We lived 45mins from a maternity unit when I had DS. Our closest hospital was 10mins away, there were two of equal difference roughly, 15mins from our home to both, another was 20mins away and one was quite close by but the route was very difficult and odd and it was easy to get off on the main road, so should take 10mins but in reality was about 20mins. But. NONE of them had a maternity ward. This is in LONDON. Out of five hospitals, only one had a maternity unit and it was the furthest away.

[HavingALittleFaithBaby]

I'm in Lincolnshire too. If I wanted a water birth I'd need to travel for an hour to the next maternity unit. As it is, it's not an option because of other factors and I'll be going to the one closer to home. However if you're sister is keen that this hospital is the best place for her to deliver, it's her choice. She just needs to make sure she leaves sooner rather than later! I do think YABAbitU - it's their choice and not a really unsafe one.

[DontmindifIdo]

If it helps, I'm 30 minutes away from our nearest hospital, but when I had DS, I was the last woman they let in as they were full that night, if I'd called another 10 minutes later to say I was coming in they'd have sent me to the next closest hospital. that hospital which I would have been sent to would have been another 45 minute drive after that, so it would have been a 1 hr 15 min drive from our house. That's Kent and perfectly normal.

A lot of woman end up with the best part of an hour's drive to a hospital. I would imagine she won't do labouring at home for as long as possible, but set off to the hospital ASAP. How long were your labours? I can imagine if you had very short ones you'd be nervous but most woman don't.

[Trazzletoes]

always I think they're on about closing the maternity unit in Scarborough. The nearest maternity unit is invYork - a good hour away on a quiet day, let alone in the height of summer when it can take hours.

[MrsLouisTheroux]

So many places are up to 1 hour away from any kind of hospital! We are 45 mins away.

[Thingiebob]

Yanbu to worry but it is her choice.

I am 45 mins away from my hospital and am due in about six weeks. It's not my first either.

[Awomansworth]

I live an hour away from the nearest maternity unit and I was pregnant with twins...

[alwaysreallytired]

I guess that I've been lucky for my two births. Isn't it different, living a long way from a hospital and choosing to travel an hour when you could travel for half that?

[DeskPlanner]

YABU.

[stargirl1701]

Kinloch Rannoch is more than an hour away from Ninewells in Dundee.

[giraffesCantDateDucks]

Dunoon - need to get a ferry to get to mat hosp.

[wigglesrock]

Yes, but she is choosing to have the baby there because that's what she wants to do. That's the birth that she wants. She's not deliberately putting herself and her baby at risk. I'm assuming there's no big medical issues she's been aware of throughout the pregnancy. She might go to the nearer hospital and it might be full, be an delay getting to the hospital re traffic etc. I know you're worried and it must be very difficult being so far away from her but you are overthinking it and it is her decision.

[5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs]

Perfectly reasonable to travel if you think.the other hospital.is better suited for whatever reason.

[Posterofapombear]

I live an hour away from a hospital. Powys doesn't have a general hospital at all.

[Finola1step]

YANBU to be concerned for your sister but... Is there something else here? Did your sister have a quick or difficult labour last time? I do think that some posters have been quite harsh, but it is your sister's and her partner's decision.

I honestly believe that no women would make such a decision if she thought there was a chance that her baby would be at risk. Please trust your sister and be very careful not to let on to her how worried you are.

[Ilovesunflowers]

Yabu. It is completely her choice where to give birth. As others have said in rural places this is a normal occurrence anyway. My nearest hospital is 45 mins away. More in traffic. Out of interest what is cord blood collected for? Never heard of that before.

[nailak]

I live in London, i googled some distances to nearest hospitals from areas.

From my families house to nearest hospital is 45 min in current trafic map1

so easily an hour at rush hour.

similiarly from another family members house to their nearest hospital 40 mins at current traffic so easily an hour at peak times

map2

[nailak]

ignore me i am completely wrong

[AnOeufUniversallyEggnowledged]

Is your sister donating her cord blood? If she is I'd be thanking her for doing a good thing (&wondering why it's so rare here in the uk) rather than criticising.