To attend a work conference at 36 weeks three hours from home?

[pleaseguveadvicenotattack]

No flights involved but just driving, it's an all day and evening conference, I will bring my hospital bag just in case.

I have an elective c section so will see where the hospital is local to the conference just in case but am I nuts for doing this?!

I physically feel fine, but don't know if I'm being naive?

I really want to go as it's quite important. AIBU to consider?

If you're feeling good and don't have any conditions that might indicate going early you might be ok. How useful/interesting is the conference?
I might have hesitated with the first as there are many unknowns but would have gone without thinking with the second assuming I would still have another six weeks to go due to my earlier experience.

Is it your first baby? I did a 7 hour drive for a wedding at 38 weeks but it was my third so I knew she was unlikely to come early.

I worked until 38 weeks with my first and went to a 4 day conference at 35 weeks. I was tired and the sitting still was a bit uncomfortable some of the time but totally fine. I wanted to work as late as possible to keep busy and to maximise time off afterwards.

Take your notes, go take it easy and enjoy seeing everyone before you go off.

ps. Congratulations and good luck it’s a wonderful but tiring!

I wouldn’t want to do it. I felt fine at 36 weeks the first time but I had to go on sick leave the next time, I was just sooo big and sooo heavy and incredibly uncomfortable. There is no way I would have sat in a car that long. You’ll need to go to the loo constantly and I got hardly any warning for my loo runs.

I did it and it was fine. Pregnancy was pretty straightforward and I felt good (huge, but good!). I was also up a ladder painting hours before dc1 was born.
As long you're physically able to and want to go.

I also worked right up to 38/39 weeks, couldn't think of anything worse than being sat around waiting. DH was already pleading with me to stop with the house projects 😂

What if you start labour and need an emergency CS?

I did last year when pregnant with my daughter, I was 37 weeks, it was a train rather than car so I could stretch my legs etc and stayed overnight but it was fine! I hated the idea of just sitting at home waiting so wanted to keep working and I actually enjoyed the change of scenery!

For me it depends on where it is. I travelled 4 hours from home to the south coast at 37 weeks with my second without any concerns having delivered my first at 37 weeks. Where I was travelling had 2 major teaching hospitals within a 30 min radius and as I pointed out to my midwife they manage to deliver babies just as well there as they do at my local hospital. I did decline a visit to the Isle of Wight though, not wanting to be disparaging of the health care on the island but I didn't fancy being flown to Southampton if something was very wrong. My second didn't arrive until 40+6......I'd have gone stir crazy sitting around for weeks just waiting! Trust your gut

My second labour was 3 and half hours from first contraction, waters broke in between. Would you be comfortable giving birth away from home? Being driven 3 hours whilst in labour probably wouldn't be a good idea even if it's not a quick labour (which you won't be able to predict, the midwives were shocked at how quick mine was) You could end up stuck in a traffic jam. I personally wouldn't risk it.

I couldn't have sat in a car that long. My back was really sore by that point.

If you feel up to it do it
My first, from 38 weeks I had really strong Braxton hicks and I worked 45 mins away down country roads with no signal 🤣 I went on maternity but was gutted as I wanted to wait till last minute
This time baby came at 40+11 and I worked up till about 4 hours before I went to the hospital 🤣
You know what you can do.

Absolutely not. No way, I could barely move by 36 weeks though. Also someone from my work came to a conference around 36 weeks from Manchester to London, got Covid and was really ill.

I wouldn’t. A work conference isn’t that important. You will be sitting or standing all day, chatting to strangers and you will be exhausted. Also a 3 hour car ride is not fun at that stage.

rest and watch some tv at home, you won’t be bored for a second once the baby is here! Enjoy the peace for a few weeks

As you're 35 weeks now and feel fine you'll probably be ok. Personally I stopped at 37 weeks and should have gone at least two weeks earlier - my brain just wasn't working by then and I was so uncomfortable with constant Braxton Hicks. I felt much better once I was at home pottering and cleaning things.

I think the actual conference is fine if you feel well, but I'd be more concerned about early labour and having my baby far from home. Not a big deal if you have a straightforward birth and can go home in a day or two but would be much more stressful if baby needs special care or if you have any complications. A friend just spent almost a month in hospital after her DS was born (he was fine, she wasn't) after an uneventful pregnancy so maybe I'm paranoid!

It’s fine. I flew from London to Australia at 34 weeks. Then had to find a home to rent, buy furniture and baby gear, and register at the hospital for the birth. Going to a conference a 3 hour drive away is manageable. It doesn’t sound like you are particularly anxious about it and you want to go, so you will be fine.

I went away until way past 36 weeks - the chances of preterm labour on one specific day are very low, and I don’t want to live my life always looking out for threats! Though my husband has declined a wedding invitation when I’ll be 38-39 weeks mainly because I want help with our toddler at that stage. Chances are your baby will come 5 weeks after the conference and keeping yourself busy will be helpful if that’s generally your way of living your life :)

Same

I don't think you should. Imagine how you would feel if you started labour during either the journey or when you were at the conference. Would you want to give birth in a hospital a long way from home?

Personally I wouldn't have done as I wouldn't have wanted to risk going into labour so far from home. I took mat leave 6 weeks before DD was due as I worked 30 miles away from home (on public transport too) and didn't want to go into labour and end up in a hospital that wasn't local to my home.

I had had a very quick labour with my elder DS and feared the same with DD (and I was right- she was born on the way to hospital 😂)

Really? They were shocked at a second labour lasting 3 and a half hours? That's quite standard for a second birth isn't it? It's certainly not unusually fast, mine was just under 2 and the midwife said that was fairly common for a second baby. My friends second lasted 28 minutes from first contraction to birth 😱

For OP it's less likely to be that quick given it's the first (although you never know!).
I think if you can pull out easily if anything changes and you want to go then go for it! My first baby was born at 34 weeks so I would have said definitely not after that, but then DC2 hung on until 42 weeks and I was so bored waiting so a 3 hour drive and a conference would have been amazing!

I wouldn't, I'd be really pissed off if I went to a conference and instead ended up driving a heavily pregnant colleague to hospital and waiting around with them for hours because they went into labour miles from home and their birth partner. But I am not the friendliest person 🤣.

I jest (a bit) but in all honesty I wouldn't because I would worry about inconveniencing or causing concenr for others and I wouldn't want to risk getting stuck in a hospital far from home.

Pretty sure I flew to Sweden for a week at 34 weeks when pregnant with my first. I finished worked at 40 weeks and at 42 weeks I was still swimming (albeit slowly) everyday (seemed appropriate as I was the size of a killer whale but I was so bored). Induced at 42+3. But I didn't have a physical job (office bound, I stopped working in the lab due to chemicals at around 20 weeks).

I had my daughter at 36 weeks and was in labour for just a couple of hours - no reason, no warning - she was just ready to come and showed up almost instantly. Came close to having her in a taxi.

So I'd consider how you'd feel delivering on your own, how you'd feel being at that hospital longer term if anything did happen to either of you, and if the nearest hospital would work for you for any number of reasons.