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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect to be able to park at the hospital when in labour?

295 replies

Therareotherbooks · 07/03/2019 15:09

Last few antenatal appointments there hasn’t been a single car parking space on hospital site. The nearest on street spot I managed to find was 1/4 mile away and I had to call a taxi from the road side to drive me to the hospital doors.

I am now terrified about what will happen when I’m in labour. Obviously my DH will be with me so can drop me off but if he then has to go and park miles away I could be on my own for ages.

AIBU to expect there to be some designated car parking for women in labour?!

OP posts:
Alsohuman · 08/03/2019 20:55

It seems ivykaty isn't the only one who needs to improve their maths.

4mph = 1 mile per 15 minutes, divide by 4 = less than 4 minutes to walk 0.25 miles.

HTH

MerryInthechelseahotel · 08/03/2019 21:01

Isn't that exactly what ivy said though?

Swishyswash · 08/03/2019 21:02

I gave birth in a central London hospital, no parking for anyone.
Caught a bus to the hospital to be induced. To get home the next day, DH went home and collected the car and I sat at the front of the hospital with the baby. As he pulled up we jumped in.

Alsohuman · 08/03/2019 21:10

You're right, she did, I was completely distracted by all the silly faces. I apologise.

ivykaty44 · 08/03/2019 21:13

@Alsohuman

What is wrong with my maths? I said it would take 3:45 minutes to walk a quarter of a mile

You’ve said it would take less than 4 minutes

Could you give me a more exact figure and do point out how 3:45 minutes to walk a quarter of a mile at 4mph is incorrect

yolofish · 08/03/2019 21:24

TBF I couldnt have walked for 4 minutes whilst in labour...

ivykaty44 · 08/03/2019 21:31

I couldn’t have walked 4 minutes in labour, but I got dropped at the hospital and my birthing partner parked the car and walked over 4 minutes to get back - which was the suggestion for OPs birthing partner

celticprincess · 08/03/2019 21:32

Well my first daughter came during the night. After ringing the hospital as my waters were leaking I was told to take some paracetamol and go back to bed as it would be ages. I insisted on going in and was warned that if I did that I’d likely be sent home again. I went in. My mum dropped me and dh off as he didn’t drive at the time. By the time she parked the car and got back to the ward they were asking her for my hospital bag so they could dress my baby!! My mum actually didn’t believe I was in labour and was asking the person on the desk if I was being sent home and did she need the bags!! 😂

So, for those who say first time labours go on longer then not necessarily!! If it wasn’t for my tilted cervix and the need for an epiesiotomy to help pull her out with a suction cup I am convinced she would have been born in the car!!

So, if you can get someone else to drop you both off this would be the best option. Second time round my mum had to come and watch my older child and my dh drove us. I’d gone in earlier as the labour was going the same way so he did have some time to park. The midwives just had to find me a bed in delivery quickly as they left me in the corridor ‘not in labour’ and were trying to convince me to go home then came back and found me pushing.

DoveOfPiss · 08/03/2019 21:33

My parents live 1.5 hours away. When I was due with my second, my DM said that my then-DP would have to bring me and DC1 to the hospital then bring DC1 back home to wait with him for them to arrive, then come back to be with me. If I'd given birth in the meantime, tough shit was her attitude. In her day, men weren't allowed in 'where the business happened' and just paced around outside the delivery rooms like in old films Shock
As it was, baby came 5 days early but we'd had a scare the day before so my parents had arrived the previous evening. Good job too, I told the hospital I wasn't going to "take a paracetamol and a warm bath" but I was coming in, we left home at 6am, got there at 6.20 and DC2 was born at 6.58am!!!

Good luck OP it'll all be fine.

whodidapoopoointhebath · 08/03/2019 21:48

Walking is excellent for helping labour progress. With both of my babies I walked up a large hill and went into labour shortly after although I had home births for both.

Anothertempusername · 08/03/2019 22:02

I'm surprised no one has said yet that you should birth your baby yourself at home OP, whilst getting the tea ready with a mop up your arsehole cleaning the floor.

Selfish, wanting not to walk for a quarter of a mile whilst in labour.

Anothertempusername · 08/03/2019 22:03

Also am loving the "I got the bus to give birth" "I went for a hike in the foothills of the Himalayas whilst in active labour" posts.

Clarabell100 · 08/03/2019 22:14

I could not have walked any distance when I was in labour. Was hard enough getting from the car to the hospital door!
Our hospital has a multistory car park but it’s a good 10min walk from the maternity unit so we parked in the drop off bays and out a sign on the dashboard. By the time DH went back (roughly 2 hours) we had a ticket 🙄

Heathcliff27 · 08/03/2019 22:24

What did you do when you had your first child?

Honeyroar · 08/03/2019 23:23

Clarabell when my mum was in ressus at A&E the nurses reminded us to get parking tickets as the parking firm wouldn’t even let off people bringing relatives to A&E that died there!

Birdie6 · 09/03/2019 04:48

Why are so many people assuming that OP would be walking ? She said that her DH would drop her off and then HE would have to find a park and walk for 1/4 mile .

squifflybobs · 09/03/2019 05:07

With my first child I was pushing by the time we got to hospital. We went to the drop off zone and a security guard came out and helped me while DP sorted the car. The security guard got a midwife to come down and help me up the stairs.

I was screaming quite loudly at one point so surprised most of the hospital didn't come out 😳. It wasn't a fun experience ( huge understatement) but DS arrived 45 minutes later. DP got there by the time I'd made it into the birth centre . He is quite a fast runner though .

floribunda18 · 09/03/2019 05:11

A lot of babies are born in the evening or overnight. There was really no problem parking at ten o clock at night, or midnight when I came in with DD2.

PregnantSea · 09/03/2019 05:12

Not a chance, OP.

They don't even provide parking for the doctors and nurses, they have to pay extortionate rates. Why would they bother letting women in labour park easily.

TheFairyCaravan · 09/03/2019 06:17

The parking attendant parked our car when I went in to hae DS2, but tbf we arrived 20 minutes before he was born.

DS2 is a nurse, he pays £24 a month for parking yet most days can't get a space. I think that's daylight robbery tbh.

snitzelvoncrumb · 09/03/2019 06:21

There was very little parking at the hospital where I had my first child, we were told to have a note ready to leave on the dashboard saying sorry wife having baby, so they didn't get a fine for parking in the area around the hospital as it was permit only. My husband dropped me at the door and found a park, we didn't have any issues. A friend was having her third, and knew there wasn't time for her husband to park just left the car in the car park, not in a park, they had to park blocking the other cars, it was that or park in the ambulance bay which was much worse. She only just made it to the maternity ward as it was, so he only left the car for fifteen minutes all up. Don't stress, you usually have plenty of time, but if birth is imminent just leave the car anywhere.

Shell4429 · 09/03/2019 08:22

SnuggyBuggy Hospitals have often been built before there were so many cars on the road. Twenty years ago I did quite a bit of hospital visiting and didn’t have a problem parking. Now it’s all but impossible at my local hospital, even when I take my elderly disabled father for an appointment. He has a blue badge but there aren’t any disabled spaces, I have to drop him off and drive round and round until one becomes available.

SnuggyBuggy · 09/03/2019 08:27

The closure and consolidation into big sites hasn't helped either.

Sirzy · 09/03/2019 09:48

It isn’t just old sites! Ds has regular appointments at a children’s hospital which has moved to a fantastic new site in the last few years. They have a 6 floor multi story car park but it’s nowhere near big enough for the demand they have. The nature of the hospital is such that a large majority of patients travel in so public transport isn’t an option for most

Ds has a blue badge but that’s no help when 3/4 of the disabled spaces are filled with people without Badges

Pollymagoo · 09/03/2019 12:46

Why can’t you walk 1/4 mile? You’re not ill

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