To be stressed about when to go in to Hospital when in labour!

[baby7th]

So I'm pregnant and overdue 41 weeks. (By my dates, by scan dates I'm about 39 +4) I'm single ( ex left me)

I have more than 4 children all ready ( won't say how many I have as dont want to be outed on here) all are my exes.

I don't drive and I don't have any friends and family to drive me. ( my sister was planning to drive me and be my birth partner but she's in intensive care at the moment 😢)

Obviously calling an ambulance would be frowned upon

BUT

IF it's a subsequent pregnancy and labours that tend to happen faster ( with my 3rd I had contractions that were not even painful even after a few hours of them and then my Waters broke and I went to hospital and was lucky as I was only there 18 minutes and She was born) but then my last baby was prem ( 35 weeks) after waters breaking and I didnt have her until a day after, so how will I know when to go and how will I get there safely?

Hospitals turn you away unless your screaming with pain and if i was to set off in a taxi at that point I could have the baby in the taxi and they won't even take me in a taxi in advanced labour!!

I'm so anxious as I've had a few tightenings tonight, not where I'm in agony but I can feel they are strong and pressure is there. I've got my mum up from hers in a a taxi to look after the other DCs just in case tonight is the night but now I'm worrying whether this can be a false alarm and when to even go in!!

I know when I call the maternity unit they will tell me to wait till I can't talk through the pain before going in but that could be too late!

I'm due to be induced Thursday ( due to a discrepancy on my dates and Scan dates.. just don't know what to do
Whether I go in now to get the tightenings checked but it will cost me £7 in a taxi to get there and for them to send me home again another £7

An ambulance would not be frowned upon if you're in labour.

I'd go to hospital pretty quickly - a 7th baby (your username is a bit of a hint as to how many children you have) could arrive very, very rapidly; if you called them and reminded them of how many you've already had, I expect they'd tell you to come in as well.

Do your labour follow any sort of pattern? If your waters normally break as part of early labour I'd wait. I've never had regular contractions in terms of duration or strength and my waters tended to break immediately before birth.
I didn't make it to hospital with the last baby and the one before was born on the ward. I would get everything together ready for a home birth just incase you don't make it. It's a scary time. But if it would give you peace of mind go and get checked out.

@NeverDropYourMoonCup I’m not sure why that made me laughed quite so much 🤣

@Iamfudgingfreezing Because it's hilarious

@CuriousSeal @Iamfudgingfreezing
I really don't find any of you helpful laughing to be honest

Difficult. Under normal circs I'd say wait until you know you're well on your way and call an ambulance, and just say it's gone from nothing to full labour really quickly. But you may be in an area where the ambulances are all queueing outside hoapitals as was happening in Worcester last week.

If you feel strong tightenings in a few hours still I'd call a taxi to get your dilation checked.

Phone for an ambulance and don't hesitate, it's one of the few times in your life when you'll really need one.The ambulance personnel will be able to forecast a waiting time and you can take it from there.

Hospitals turn you away unless your screaming with pain

If you think you're in labour, just don't leave? They're not going to get security to drag you out by your ankles. They say "go home Mrs X and come back when yada yada yada" and you say "I'm not comfortable with that, please admit me" and then just don't budge til they do.

Advocate for yourself.

Hope your sister recovers soon.

I would dress very warmly, take the taxi and pace around outside until can’t-talk-through-pain-point

Good luck

Hope your sister gets better soon I would go as soon as you feel pain-do you want drugs, when you get there tell them you can’t handle the pain and need something to take the edge off. As you have had so many previous births tell them that you know by bow what you can and can’t handle. Best of luck

Could you call for medical help to come to you?

No chance of giving birth in a taxi.

I hope your sister is better soon and your baby arrives safe and well.

When pregnant with dd1 we didn't have a car, and we'd only moved to the area 3 weeks before, so knew no one we could ask. The hospital told us to call an ambulance.

Actually in the even I went in by bus, much to the alarmed bus driver's concern (never knew him go over the speed bumps so carefully) as the bus was right outside our house and it was easier.

However with #3 I left it a bit late, and when I called the hospital to say we were coming in, they listened to me and said they wanted to call an ambulance. I persuaded them it would be as quick by car and ds was born about 90 minutes of arriving at hospital (and was home again about 4 hours after that).

So if you need an ambulance, then call one.

@AuntyMabelandPippin

An ambulance would not be frowned upon if you're in labour.

It would in most trusts, when DS was born last year I was asked in the antenatal classes and my midwife appointments if I had arranged transport for labour as it was not appropriate to call an ambulance. They stated this on at least three different occasions and said that they expected you to have had ample time to make your own arrangements, and to call a taxi if you couldn't get in any other way. I don't know if they would actually refuse to send an ambulance if OP called, but in my area at least you would be classed as low priority, so for a 7th baby the ambulance may well not arrive in time.

Just seen that this has not been the case for other people, so might just be where I live that is really strict in this (Cambridgeshire).

NEVER feel bad for calling an ambulance if you need one. If you can’t afford the taxi in case they send you home, call an ambulance.

You know your body and you know how you Labour, so trust your instincts and do whatever you need to do. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad.

I hope the birth goes really well and you’ll soon be with your beautiful baby

I'd try get some sleep. If you can't manage that it's probably time to go get checked out.

I got to hospital 15 mins before my first was born....gives me major anxiety re making it time with #2.

I will listen to my body and gut instinct better next time and not the midwife on the phone telling me to have another bath or take more paracetamol!!!

All the best x

Taxis in my local area will not take women in labour. We were told this in our antenatal classes - NHS and NCT.

An ambulance will come, in fact they send two, one crew for you and one for the baby. I’d only been having 30 minutes of contractions but they were so strong I couldn’t get in the car so DH phoned an ambulance and the baby was born before they arrived.

Thanks everyone,

I'm just very anxious about it all, I had contractions from 18:12 yesterday till 2:06 this morning, I wasn't in agony but I felt them strong and pressure down there so thought this was the day but then they stopped randomly and I've not had any since that last one! Which has made me anxious even more!

Maybe the fact I'm so anxious is stopping labour I don't know but it's drove me mad! Just want baby here now so I can start moving on with life and getting on with it!

Thanks for the lovely wishes for my sister, she's on road to recovery they said which is good news but she's been in there 4 weeks so it's been a very worrying time x

I'm not surprised you are anxious! I'm glad your sister is on the road to recovery and I hope your baby comes soon with not too much stress if labour starts properly before your induction. Good luck

It bloody would be frowned upon to call an ambulance for labour and rightly so

I was told I would need an ambulance to go to hospital if the midwives weren't able to come to me... There is no blanket rule against ambulances. This is a discussion you need to have with your midwife.