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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU parking thread

202 replies

TastingTheRainbow · 15/08/2019 12:18

Parking thread with a difference in that I am the one that parked inconsiderately and am now blocked in BUT I have a reason.

I am a midwife and was called out to an (unplanned and unexpected) home birth early this morning. Midwife 1 arrived before me and parked across the drive of the person giving birth. I arrived second and parked behind midwife 1 therefore blocking the neighbours drive.

Neighbours drive was empty so not blocking any car in and as it’s a typical new build estate there was no where else to park except miles away and when carrying heavy oxygen tanks etc. that’s not possible. Not very considerate granted but from what I understand it’s not illegal to block an empty driveway and in an emergency situation acceptable. I put a note in the windscreen explaining midwife on emergency call and left my phone number to call if it needs moving.

Have come out now and a car has parked behind me blocking both me and midwife 1 in (as I’m blocking her).

Not had a phone call from anyone asking me to move and have knocked on the house that the drive belongs to and there is no answer.

AIBU to think that while it’s annoying when you’re drive is blocked if you’re neighbour needs emergency attendance AND there is a note explaining this that you just put up with the inconvenience for a short time and don’t stop 2 midwives from attending to their other patients now.

Ps. If the house is owned by a mumnetter and you’re blocking in a black corsa, please let us out.

OP posts:
Original poster
TastingTheRainbow · 15/08/2019 19:16

Why is mum rude but baby isn’t? If you’re going to be pedantic about including ‘the’ shouldn’t it apply equally to both? I forgot I was supposed to spell check, grammar check and fully reference my perfectly written English essay before making a quick post on a forum.

I give up.

OP posts:
CoughSplutter · 15/08/2019 19:18

Have you never been to the doctor's or in a school meeting about your child and you are only referred to as 'mum'? "Dr Smith says this, Mrs SENCo thinks that, what does mum say?"

I'm on your side with the whole parking palaver!

Original poster
TastingTheRainbow · 15/08/2019 19:22

Can’t say I have no, or if I have than I haven’t noticed. The point I’m making is I’ve wrote all my descriptions the same way. Police not The police, midwife not the midwife etc. Why is just mum the rude one? I’m not talking to her calling her mum, that would be strange seeing as she’s not MY mum I’m typing quickly on a forum and skipping conjunctions in all my writing whilst doing this.

OP posts:
Ayemama · 15/08/2019 19:47

So glad you got out.
Really hope neighbour didn't see your note or he's a massive arse.
There are always haters on MN, just try to laugh and ignore.

flashdancer19 · 15/08/2019 20:34

the mother/mum, not just 'mum.' It's so rude.

ODFOD! It's so pedantic!

CoughSplutter · 15/08/2019 20:38

Do you feel better for telling me to fuck off, @flashdancer19? I think you need to check your blood pressure.

flashdancer19 · 15/08/2019 20:41

@CoughSplutter blood pressure is fine thanks, what's the salary like with the grammar police these days?

Fabulous contribution to the thread though!

Mummyoflittledragon · 15/08/2019 20:47

Glad your cars are free. Can’t believe people are arguing the toss about your use of mum. Talk about professionally offended!

flashdancer19 · 15/08/2019 20:48

Glad your cars are free. Can’t believe people are arguing the toss about your use of mum. Talk about professionally offended!

Grin
pictish · 15/08/2019 20:49

Glad you got it sorted OP.

Masketti · 15/08/2019 20:57

What was the neighbour's reason for blocking you in OP?

Yabbers · 15/08/2019 21:40

Not very considerate granted but from what I understand it’s not illegal to block an empty driveway

The offence is parking across a dropped kerb. It’s irrelevant if the drive is empty or not.

I’d be pissed off if you dumped your car across my drive - partially or not. I doubt there was absolutely nowhere else to park. Beside the patient’s car seems to be an option. You could have dropped off the heavy stuff and gone to find a space. Someone was already there with the patient, a few more minutes wasn’t exactly life or death, was it?

kingsassassin · 15/08/2019 21:50

A few more minutes may not have been life or death in this case, but it certainly can be. Would slightly antisocial parking be okay if the op had been resuscitating the baby until the ambulance arrived or trying to stop a PPH?

llangennith · 15/08/2019 21:53

Glad you're free @TastingTheRainbow and that mother and baby are fine thanks to you and your colleague.
I'm surprised at those people who think it's ok to block a midwife's car in at any time in whatever circumstances.

minisoksmakehardwork · 15/08/2019 22:35

Glad you're free. I had a planned hb but we also planned on the mw being there. Rang given number to advise in labour, and she was on her way straight over with everything we would need. Then dh rang gp surgery to let the community mw know I'd gone into labour so wouldn't be making my appt with her. That MW dropped everything - left all her patients waiting and drove the 10 minutes to our house. She still didn't make it before ds1 arrived! He was definitely in a hurry!

When they did arrive it was all hands on deck trying to sort me out and make sure baby was ok. So no, driving round to find a free space down our road was not an option. Thankfully our neighbours then were not dicks and even helped the MW bring their kit in, telling them not to worry they weren't going anywhere when the mw's apologised for blocking their car - admittedly this was mid afternoon not early morning so no need to leave a note.

And not a word was spoken by anyone when the ambulance turned up to take me in (baby fine, I needed more attention than could be given at home) and blocked the road completely due to where everyone had parked. everyone waited patiently or had a good gawp as I was loaded in.

I think in part issues like this happen because we just don't alway get on well with our neighbours. We keep ourselves to ourselves and are quite selfish in general.

I love my village because everyone says good opening or good afternoon. Everyone looks out for their neighbours. If you don't see a regular for a few days, someone either knows what's up or you go and knock on their door, make sure they're ok.

Or maybe that's just the area I live in.

northernlites · 15/08/2019 22:46

"that is a massive breech ..."

I the OP said it was a normal birth not a massive breech... Grin
...No breach of confidentiality either

glad you got your car out OP, did the neighbour apologise/speak to you or twitch the curtains when you went back?

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 15/08/2019 22:50

Tbh if someone parked across my drive so I couldn't get my car on it forcing me to try and find a space in what you've said yourself is a difficult place to park, I'd be pretty annoyed. And I wouldn't much care that you were a midwife attending a birth, sorry.

The right thing to do would have been to park there just long enough to drop off the heavy equipment and then move the car to a more considerate parking space.

ArkwrightsTill · 15/08/2019 22:52

@flashdancer19 I think you mean THE professionally offended, just saying professionally offended is so rude 😉

Sandybval · 15/08/2019 23:06

The selfishness of people saying they would be annoyed in this scenario. Pending mobility issues or something similar, honestly who would begrudge a medical professional partially blocking (not even fully so it looks like they could have got onto their drive) their drive. Nice sense of community we still have going on, no wonder the country is in a downward spiral with people just thinking of themselves.

CoughSplutter · 15/08/2019 23:28

@flashdancer19 It's nothing to do with grammar; it's about treating clients and patients with respect.

Nanny0gg · 16/08/2019 01:32

Tbh if someone parked across my drive so I couldn't get my car on it forcing me to try and find a space in what you've said yourself is a difficult place to park, I'd be pretty annoyed. And I wouldn't much care that you were a midwife attending a birth, sorry.

So it would kill you to be a bit inconvenienced for such an important reason would it?

Tonnerre · 16/08/2019 01:45

Tbh if someone parked across my drive so I couldn't get my car on it forcing me to try and find a space in what you've said yourself is a difficult place to park, I'd be pretty annoyed. And I wouldn't much care that you were a midwife attending a birth, sorry.

RTFT, or at least look at the F diagram. None of this happened here, because the neighbour could still get onto their driveway.

No matter how annoyed you might be, I hope you wouldn't decide to block a midwife on duty in deliberately?

TheSerenDipitY · 16/08/2019 03:43

wow some of the answers on here smack of entitlement... you would really be pissed if a medical professional blocked your driveway while on a medical emergency???? you expect them to dump their equipment, leave the patient and find a park and then go back?? might not be time for that, she might have had a job to do and if she left to find a park streets away maybe someone would have died??? its ok as long as you didnt get inconvenienced at all!!!!! bet you would bitch about a hearse coming for the body too.
im sorry you have to deal with so many cunts while doing your best to help patients and at times save lives , what a world we live in

Sunflowers211 · 16/08/2019 04:57

If it was a home birth it would not of been an Emergency Situation, because if it was you would of phoned for us (Ambulance!)

Although I get your point you know YABU parking over someone's drive, let's be honest !Wink

Bibijayne · 16/08/2019 05:04

YANBU. They've deliberately blocked you in out of spite. Despite knowing the situation.

You acted legally and appropriately given the emergency nature.

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