Is it U to call an ambulance for labour if there is no immediate danger?

[Where4l]

Not first baby.

5-10 minute ride by taxi to the hospital or 15 mins (ish) by bus. No complications and not a high risk pregnancy. Plenty of time to get there by either of the above, as in baby not imminent, early labour but calls an ambulance to get to the hospital.

Unreasonable or not?

From the way you described this, @Where4l, I assume you aren’t talking about yourself. Either way, the person who called the ambulance in that situation was being very unreasonable.

Bunny the friendly giant

Do you not know anyone who could drive you? Do you have a partner?
No I didn’t know anyone reliable at the time who owned a car. Family who could drive were too far away. Yes I have a husband, he couldn’t drive at the time.

If partner doesn't drive then they've fit nine months to learn.
Wow! A tad ableist and lacking in the knowledge that driving lessons and cars cost lots of money!!

Some people panic and if there's a time to be anxious and panic, then when you're about to pop something the size of a melon out of your whatsit is probably it. So I'd say anxious rather than unreasonable. Anxious people just need a little kindness and reassurance.

Professionals are often more blase about these things. They forget the ordinary people they are actually happening to don't see it or experience it every day. It's actually a huge thing in the life of the person it's happening to. It best to try not to judge.

If partner doesn't drive then they've fit nine months to learn.
Wow! A tad ableist and lacking in the knowledge that driving lessons and cars cost lots of money!!
Ableist?
You know children cost quite a bit of money too, right? You might struggle if driving lessons are financially beyond you.

Not sure anyone listened to what I said in their desire to say how terrible it was.

We were told, by the midwives at the hospital to call 999 and ask for an ambulance for dc1. No complications.

We had been invited (as only just come to the area at 37 weeks) to come up to the labour ward for a quick meet the midwives. While there I asked for the best taxi number to call as we knew no one in the area and we didn't have a car.
They said no local taxi firms were happy to take someone in labour and they told me to call 999 for an ambulance when ready to go in.

It felt overkill to me, and as I had a very slow labour, I ended up going in by bus.
However I had been told to do that, it wasn't something that had occurred to me as an option before I asked.

I did leave it a bit late to go in with dc3 (by then we had a car) and when I phoned the labour ward to say we were going in, they offered to send an ambulance. Again, I didn't as we're 10 minutes away by car and dh would have then had to walk home afterwards! (no buses at that time of night)

Don't assume that they just did it off their own bat.

It's actually a huge thing in the life of the person it's happening to. It best to try not to judge.
You say that as if it's not something that's happened to the vast majority of posters on here 🤔

Many years ago when I had eldest DC, the advice from our local hospital was to call an ambulance if you had no one to take you.

Despite being in London I lived 3 buses (well over an hour in total) from the nearest hospital, which was a 30 min car journey. Taxis wouldn't take women in labour, and I didn't have a car and had no family to take me. So I called an ambulance.

Ambulance came at 11.30am, arrived at hospital just before midday. Baby born 12.45pm.

21 years ago, 4 days overdue, I woke up and went to the loo. Blood poured out, I screamed, dh called an ambulance. Think that was justified!
All OK in the end although I was told that had I not got up and passed the blood clot it could have travelled upwards and killed both me and ds

If partner doesn't drive then they've fit nine months to learn.
Wow! A tad ableist and lacking in the knowledge that driving lessons and cars cost lots of money!!

Raising a child for 18+ years will cost a fuck of a lot more

I think @Flittingaboutagain had a very quick labour with previous baby and has been told it is likely to happen again and advised to call an ambulance as she won't make it to the hospital in time otherwise.

I can see how people can get caught out. With my second I didn’t realise how far gone I was until I hit transition and my waters broke. It was only at that point I called the labour ward and the staff were like leave now please and my childcare was still on their way so I started panicking a bit that i wouldn’t get there. I did get to hospital (just) but there were two midwives ready and waiting for me with the room set up as I hobbled in. I can see how someone could get into the situation where the labour just went quicker and got themselves past the point of getting in safely.

I went to the hospital, in labour, in a taxi. My partner didn't drive and my parents, who would usually have taken me, were away for the weekend. No issues and the taxi driver even knocked 50p off the fare 😂. Calling an ambulance is absolutely unreasonable.

@GreyhoundG1rl

It's actually a huge thing in the life of the person it's happening to. It best to try not to judge. You say that as if it's not something that's happened to the vast majority of posters on here 🤔

I say that because I suspect OP is a midwife, or a paramedic.

I was told by MW to call an ambulance if there was nobody to take me to the hospital.

GreyhoundG1rl
Ableist?
Are you not aware some people can’t drive for medical/disability reasons?

You might struggle if driving lessons are financially beyond you.
We’ve always been fine ta. My husband learnt to drive when my daughter was older but we couldn’t afford driving lessons when I was pregnant - we managed fine though. It’s just eating and paying rent/bills came before the luxury of driving a car.

I say that because I suspect OP is a midwife, or a paramedic.
Oh, I see.

I think they would be unreasonable to call an ambulance for something like this. If I were in this position I would be phoning around local taxi firms to try and find a sympathetic one who could take me in.
That said, my ds was my second and he did come fast. I realised I was in labour around 8/9pm, called maternity at 11pm where they said I had AGES At 12pm I phoned again and said I was coming in and he was born just over an hour later.

@Poppitt58

GreyhoundG1rl Ableist? Are you not aware some people can’t drive for medical/disability reasons?

You might struggle if driving lessons are financially beyond you.
We’ve always been fine ta. My husband learnt to drive when my daughter was older but we couldn’t afford driving lessons when I was pregnant - we managed fine though. It’s just eating and paying rent/bills came before the luxury of driving a car.

So it wasn't actually "ableist" of that poster to assume your dh was perfectly capable of learning to drive, because he was... Honestly 🤦‍♀️

In that situation I’d expect you to call 111 and let them make the call.

And mean while somebody who needs an ambulance can't get 1!!!
People who take up a ambulance or paramedics time that they don't need should be made to pay a fee.

So, I'm guessing that this post isn't about you, but someone else? In which case, it's better not to be too judgemental as it's not really your business.

Obviously unreasonable.

@Tempusfudgeit they did attend.
My father was a paramedic for 37 years and has delivered many babies, and transported hundreds of pregnant women.
Many of them openly admitted they didn’t have the money for a taxi.

@longtompot

I think they would be unreasonable to call an ambulance for something like this. If I were in this position I would be phoning around local taxi firms to try and find a sympathetic one who could take me in. That said, my ds was my second and he did come fast. I realised I was in labour around 8/9pm, called maternity at 11pm where they said I had AGES At 12pm I phoned again and said I was coming in and he was born just over an hour later.

Don't need to phone around taxi firms for a sympathetic one. I took taxis with both of mine half hour ride an with 2nd I give birth 5 mins after getting out taxi.

So it wasn't actually "ableist" of that poster to assume your dh was perfectly capable of learning to drive, because he was... Honestly

I had no idea they knew me and my husband personally. I thought their suggestion was all people can learn in 9 months.