Kathyis6incheshigh has baby in ambulance!

[Kathyis12feethighandbites]

Yesterday (Monday 5th Oct) at 11.55am.
Started having contractions around 2am, went into hospital 6ish as last time they speeded up very suddenly and we only just made it in time, didn't want the same to happen again.
Hospital sent us home again (as they do....) and contractions then slowed down again and were every 10-15 minutes until 11.15am. At which point they suddenly increased to every 2-3 mins and much more gruesome.
It was clear we weren't going to make it so we called an ambulance, but unfortunately there weren't any free in our local area so they had to send one from half an hour away. They arrived just in time to get me into the ambulance but didn't manage to get any further and baby was born in ambulance parked outside our house, delivered by 2 fab female paramedics....
Baby weighs 6 lb 7 oz, feeding & sleeping pretty well. Can't believe how fab it is not to feel sick any more after 7 1/2 months of hyperemesis, or how much energy I've got. Have been scoffing pate and mould-ripened soft cheese all day

Congratulations Kathy, brilliant news (I'm not even sure I knew you were pg... is this your 3rd?)!

Kathy, MIL was driving and she crossed a red light. The police then followed us and only realised what was going on as we drew level at the lights.
At the hospital police were going to carry me in but I knew it was too late.
Baby was born with an audience of 3 police officers, MIL and DP holding the baby.
Twas fun!

Previous two were late and had induced labours.

congrats, i ate pate and runny eggs for days after i got back from hospital. well done

Congratulations!

Congratulations! That is one memorable birth announcement!

Many many congratulations. What a great story you'll be able to tell your ds when he's older

whey hey!

Congrats

Congratulations!

NorthernLurker - yes it was YDH.
Not sure I really blame the hospital; I think the main problem was dh going on about how we had come early to avoid the rush hour, which probably distracted them from the main issue. The mw said 'I don't know exactly when your baby will be born but I expect it will be later today and I don't think it will be for a while'; I could have been more insistent about staying.

wrt the ambulance taking a while to come, well I don't see that that's anyone's fault - I have no reason to believe it's because they weren't taking it seriously, just that we have a small ambulance station near us that serves quite a big area and who knows what other calls they were dealing with (probably farmers cutting off their arms with combine harvesters, which is the sort of thing that happens round here). There was nothing high-risk about my pregnancy.

It's the whole system that is mad really (hospitals being horrible places to labour, having a culture where ordinary people tend not to have seen many births, lack of midwives). The moral of the story is that I should probably have had a home birth, but I decided against it in the end precisely because of the distance to hospital issue (30 mins when traffic clear, hour when it's busy).

DG - they did close the ambulance door but for the last half hour of labour when I was on all fours on the living room floor we had the front door open because of waiting for the ambulance. It did occur to me at one point I was probably visible through front door, so I turned round, then remembered next door's roofers would be able to see everything through French windows. Then I got distracted by events.

Thank you everyone for your congratulations . We are all very happy.

Wow! Huge congratulations Kathy.

i am not even sure if i knew you were pregnant, but i remember your birth story from last time !

many congratulations on the safe arrival of your baby boy, even if it was not quite how you imagined it !!

xxxx

Congrats!

Did they put the lights and siren on?

I think there were lights and siren to get to our house but the ambulance wasn't moving when I actually had the baby, then no lights & siren to get us all to hospital once he was here.
Didn't mind missing out on that bit.

Congratulations! What a fab story!
Glad you and baby boy are well.

Congratulations. What a wonderful birth story.

Congrats...just what I needed, a happy smiley birth story!

Congratulations Kathy! How exciting,glad everything is ok. My step-dad is a paramedic and has delivered a few babies now, on sofas and in laybys.

Congratulations! Great story, well done

Congratulations Kathy!!! How very exciting! Glad to hear that everything went OK despite all the drama, hope you are all snuggled up at home now.

Btw I know someone else who had an unplanned homebirth after being sent home from YDH in labour, but they were fab with me when DS2 was born there.

wow Congratulations kathy and family.

Good story! & congrats.

Lovely story which has put a smile on my face! Congrats to you

Great story - but I didn't even know you were pregnant either!

Lovely that you're both home now.

Congratulations