Is it safe to drive whilst in labour?

[Mishapen]

Obviously not if you're at pushing stage , but a the start, if you hae little/no choice?

keyboard missing letters it seems.

*at
*have

Probably not.

Depends on how far away the hospital is, what the traffic is like and how quickly your contractions progress.

30 - 40 min drive.

I wouldn't recommend it. When you say little or no choice, if you are going to the hospital, get a cab.

Which is why I'm musing over this actually. If it kicks off and DH is at work I would need to wait 30mins for him to get home (works near the hospital) then another 30mins at least to get to hospital. Wondering if it would be easier/possible/better to meet him there.

Cabs here (depending on time) usually hae a 40 min wait.

yes probably, but you get a cab there. Which number baby?

Contracting, even mildly, while trying to find a parking space is my idea of hell.

Hadn't considered parking MrsChemist Mind you, DH could take over at that point!

Baby number 3

baby number 3?? Definately not

Unless you have a history of fast labours and their is reason to fear your baby may drop out while you are innocently doing the washing up I doubt that your dh taking 30 mins to get home would be a problem. Obviously call him when you feel contractions starting rather than waiting until they are frequent , it could be hours and hours from first signs.

I certainly wouldn't drive. Closing your eyes, huffing and puffing and trying to pace do not make for good driving. With my first I got out of bed with mild back ache and within 5 mins was o my knees throwing up and with continual contractions. I wouldn't suggest getting behind a steering wheel!

I don't think it's safe. I wouldn't be able to concentrate and you could be a hazard to other drivers in that state. Call a cab at the first twinge!

3rd baby and you are asking? You are not the sort of woman who has contractions that hardly hurt are you? If so Have your rose tinted specs blocked out the effects of contractions?

If it's for going to hospital then no, as you don't really want to go until "well established", i.e. where you can't keep on with stuff during a contraction. If you're baby 3 you should know whether you labour slowly or not? With all of mine I had about 24 hours of regular mild contractions so dh didn't go to work the next morning, iyswim. Obviously different if you're a 2 hours nothing-birth person!

I drove to my dentist appointment while in early labour (had been waiting nearly a year for an NHS appointment, so couldn't put it off, whereas you can have a baby any time ), with an under-the-weather toddler who threw up all over the dentist's floor.... was having mild contractions every 15 mins, was 30 min drive. No problem, was good to have something to take my mind off cx.

Caused some amusement when dh went for his appointment the next morning, by which time my waters had gone but hadn't really speeded up... he was under strict instructions that if there were any delays (traffic, running late, etc) then he would turn round and come back. Gave me a break from reading Mr Men stories to toddler too (not conducive to progression of labour, imho).

I know, 3rd baby I should have all the answers, however my mind is a blur and I find it hard to remember what it's like (probably part of the reason we're on no3 . However, I do remember I cope quite well with the early stages.

I'm worrying slightly that:

• because it's my third it will be a super quick labour (wishful thinking maybe)
• DH can't drop everything at work for 7 false alarms before the actual event so I don't want to call him too early
• we are quite a way from the hospital.

I have done this, though the hospital is only 5-10 minutes away. Went on first twinge as knew it was likely to be fast. Full contractions started about 5 minutes after arrival. Baby born one hour later. If I'd waited for a cab it would have been a homebirth. It is a very risky strategy and I would not recommend unless you have no other option.

You cannot possibly concentrate on the road when contracting.

Even a minor prang will hold you up far more than the wait for a cab.

And would you be able to live with yourself if a contraction caused a loss of control which led to injury - to yourself or to others?

Please don't do it.

No!

Not worth the risk, you could progress very rapidly within 40 minutes. Think of yourself, your baby and other road users.

Okay - so I need another plan. Well...my options are limited really, cab or DH, both would take as long, one would cost £30+, the other can't be called out unless it is definitely it.

Maybe call the taxi company and explain the situation. They might be able to arrange to prioritise a call from you when you're in labour or something.

Doesn't sound like a great idea to be honest...

mirror, signal, manourraaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhh

No. Get a cab. You might need to promise them you'll sit on a bin bag though.

Homebirth?

Talk to your MW, when I was due with my first we didn't have a car and before we decided on HB the MW told us to call an ambulance and not a taxi to go to hospital. Feels like an odd thing to do and sort of wrong but that is what we were told to do.

Do you have any neighbours who might be able to help?

Imagine if driving yourself to hospital to have your baby you have a crash and kill someone else's kid? Imagine having to hang around for the scenes of crime traffic cops to arrive, maybe fire brigade if you or your victim needs cutting free. Or would you rather hit and run? I think having a baby in a cab sounds vastly preferable. Sorry for hyperbole, I lost my mum in an rta as a kid and have a very thin skin for stupid selfish drivers. This is massively, absolutely, just not on.

I doubt that your insurance would cover you in this eventuality, quite apart from the other reasons people have given.

If you are in such an early stage of labour that you could apparently drive with no difficulty, then imo it is far too early to try and get to thet hospital. If all else fails when you are in labour (e.g. dh is held up, you can't get a cab, no neighbour could take you etc) then get a 999 ambulance rather than consider driving.