AIBU parking thread

[TastingTheRainbow]

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.

Loads of doctors/schools ,& others refer simply to "mum" and not "the mum". I prefer it myself! I am "mum", it's the name DS uses for me. You wouldn't say "The Sandra" or "The Dave".

Or maybe the patient and her family’s visitors regularly block their neighbours’ drive and this was the 5th time this month they’ve come home from working a night shift to have their drive blocked yet again.

I’m not questioning this for any reason other than I don’t understand...

How do midwives get sent out if someone doesn’t know they’re pregnant?

Like something must happen in between unexpected pain - midwives...

I mean, how much of an emergency a delivery is makes no odds as far as parking goes to me, I’d think, fair enough if I came home to your car and that note.

I just don’t understand how there can be a policy that includes people who don’t know they’re pregnant when they wouldn’t know what was going on...

I cannot believe some of the responses here.

YWNBU.

Loads of doctors/schools ,& others refer simply to "mum" and not "the mum". I prefer it myself! I am "mum", it's the name DS uses for me. You wouldn't say "The Sandra" or "The Dave".

But you would say "Sandra" or "Dave" or "Mrs Smith " or "Mr Bloggs".

I'd give health professionals a pass on this, if you're seeing loads of different patients all the time I accept you can't necessarily easily remember individual names. However, I really can't see why schools can't be expected to address their pupils' parents by their names.

I've been in meetings at schools where every single person is addressed by their name - apart from the parent. They don't address each other as "Teacher", "TA", "Educational psychologist" etc, so why address the parent as "mum"? In practice, when I point out in that situation that she isn't the relevant person's mum they tend to be able to remember her name perfectly easily.

How do midwives get sent out if someone doesn’t know they’re pregnant?

Presumably because someone works out that they've gone into labour?

-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.-

And this tells you all you need to know about the state of this world and the people in it.....selfish

2 or 3 minutes can make the difference between life and death in obstetrics.
BBA/ precipitate labour, particularly in a case where the woman didn't know she was pregnant, is very high risk for PPH and or flat baby.
I watched an episode of ambulance where the paramedics dealt very badly with a delayed 3rd stage and didn't pick up the obvious signs of retained placenta and concealed PPH.
I think paramedics are great, but midwives are better in the situation the OP has described.
OP, I am glad you are free! Parking/ other drivers is a very stressful part of being in the community.

Just waiting for this thread to appear in the Daily Fail in the next couple of days.

How do midwives get sent out if someone doesn’t know they’re pregnant?

I'm confused about this too. Also wouldn't the very fact that they hadn't known they were pregnant, therefore not having any antenatal care or monitoring, make the delivery more high risk needing them to be in hospital?

Presumably the lady was delivering. Not ideal to move her at that point.
Back in the day we had a flying squad ambulance that would pick up a midwife and doctor from labour ward. We had a squad bag and a cool bag for blood.
I used to put a pair of gloves and emergency drugs in my pocket. 9 times out of 10 that saved having to open all the boxes.
Maybe that service doesn't exist any more.

“Presumably the lady was delivering. Not ideal to move her at that point.”

I get that... an ambulance at that point delivers at home anyway then moves them.

What I’m not getting is how midwives get involved if no-one knows there’s a pregnancy?

For someone sat on a phone tablet or PC that seems a remarkably odd question to ask! COmmunication these days is so bloody immediate, after all!

Presumably the woman involved was somehow alerted to the small human being trying to exit her body and she, or someone close to her, rang for help and 2 midwives were dispatched. Given that the 999 operator would have passed the call on it is not unlikely that the call was screened and passed on to midwives - as OP has said that is SOP where she works!

“For someone sat on a phone tablet or PC that seems a remarkably odd question to ask!”

Well not really because it’s not that aspect I’m not getting.

If no-one knows I’m pregnant and a load of contractions arrive... my first thought wouldn’t be that it’s labour, because you don’t know you’re pregnant, nobody there is going to immediately think that either.. because if you’re not pregnant it’s not what you’d jump straight to.

I’d have assumed paramedics would call out the midwives after they’d examined - but the OP was pretty clear that they’re instead of an ambulance.

999 operators surely can’t send midwives if someone phones not mentioning labour or pregnancy but just lots of abdominal pain?...that could go badly wrong if it’s something else causing it...

It’s no big deal, I’m just curious as what the step is that I’m missing, because I feel like there must be one if there’s a policy covering it is all.

Like someone should have examined a woman before sending midwives?

Is MN running a competition for the most pointless post and I haven't noticed?!!!

1. Confidentiality is not breached if you cannot identify the patient(s)
2. It is possible not to know you are pregnant but at some point, during the birthing process, sooner or later, you come to realize it.
3. The OP has very kindly explained why MWs and not paramedics are called in such situations.

It’s no big deal, I’m just curious as what the step is that I’m missing, because I feel like there must be one if there’s a policy covering it isall

I was curious about this too and I'm a HCP and have given birth twice.

When I had my first child, if I hadn't known I was pregnant the thought of giving birth wouldn't have crossed my mind as a reason for the colicky pain. Even the huge urge to push felt like needing a huge, very painful poo to me (ahh! The magic of new life). I'd certainly have called an ambulance.

As I said before, perhaps this wasn't a first time mother, so maybe she recognised the symptoms. Or maybe whoever was with the mother could see a head emerging.

Certainly, midwives would be a far better choice than paramedics if it was realised this was labour, especially if the labour was as far along as crowning.

But I would assume whoever dealt with the emergency call would have to be very certain it was labour and, like the poster I quoted, I'm also curious how this was known if there'd previously been no hint of pregnancy.

I'm absolutely not being disbelieving; just curious nosey...

All Ambulance responses are controlled by AMPDS computer software which has a script to follow and produces a set reaction which may be telephone referral, advice, Gp call, specialist team dispatch, ambulance dispatch, etc. On this occasion it must have been clear that this was an obstetric emergency with birth ongoing or imminent and the midwife team were sent by the Ambulance Control Centre. Any ambiguity and an Ambulance would’ve been sent to assess first. I am not about to speculate how or why the woman did or didn’t know about pregnancy or at what point exactly it became obvious she was in labour but the midwife response would only have been triggered once the AMPDS script “confirmed” a birth ongoing/imminent.

There used to be “Flying Squad” here many years back but sadly cut backs saw them removed and the burden placed on the Ambulance Service. Paramedics get a week long Ob training and don’t carry any specialist drugs or equipment for these emergencies. It’s sad that this is so commonplace that the general public now view the Ambulance as an appropriate response for Ob emergencies instead of Midwives.

Poshjock

There! Now wasn't that quicker and easier to type than:
For someone sat on a phone tablet or PC that seems a remarkably odd question to ask!
as a PP did?

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions and those of other posters too.

I am not about to speculate how or why the woman did or didn’t know about pregnancy or at what point exactly it became obvious she was in labour

Obviously not. I was only giving my own thoughts and wouldn't expect anybody else to do so. Or, indeed, for anybody to give potentially identifying features of any medical case.

“ I am not about to speculate how or why the woman did or didn’t know about pregnancy or at what point exactly it became obvious she was in labour”

Oh god no... I was just curious about how it happens in general - as in if it’s policy that midwives go, there must be procedures leading up to that point.

“When I had my first child, if I hadn't known I was pregnant the thought of giving birth wouldn't have crossed my mind as a reason for the colicky pain.”

Well it wouldn’t cross mine, I’m pretty sure and I’ve given birth twice...

I’m just being nosy, lol

Maybe next time, instead of parking across the double drive, park on the drive? Whilst they may be shitty about it, they could still used the free side. You're blocking the drive anyway, so perhaps just park on it.

I did answer the question... and referred to the OPs previous explanation about why midwives were sent out!

A woman and/or family member (OP mentions the woman's father) realised what was happening and called 999 who triaged it and midwives were sent for, as is SOP where OP works.

That's it!

It happens often enough for there to be an SOP, as OP and others have said! It isn't that extraordinary or difficult to understand. Especially as OP has explained it, over a few posts.

The drive was NOT blocked.
See diagram.

I got a parking ticket when visiting a patient. Tge warden watched the pstient struggle to the door, on crutches, to give me a visitor parking pass. Stuck the ticket on the car just as I got back with it.
The local council gave us passes then because the CCG threatened to withdraw services.
IMO the neighbour in this case was being vindictive.

Lots of very selfish people on here. Me, me, me.

I can’t explain fully how she knew it was labour rather than something else without divulging confidential information but 999 was never phoned, labour ward was. If we receive a call from an unknown pregnancy where they declare they are in labour than midwives attend. If they phone 999 with unexplained severe pain paramedics attend and call us once they realise it’s labour. That step was skipped as she was aware of what was happening. It’s more common than you think and not an unusual situation for us.

As others have said already in advanced labour it’s too late to move people. If there was something else going on, heavy bleeding etc. we would try and move via ambulance and they would be called alongside us but for what appears to be straightforward advanced labour we deliver and move later if needed. Most labours don’t need an emergency rush to hospital so we save the viral and overstretched paramedics and ambulances for when they are needed.