Question about labouring and travel

[Snowlet]

So, I'm only 21 weeks but we're already trying to make a plan!

We live in Leeds but are booked into the Huddersfield birthing centre, it's at the very most hour and a half drive (with crazy traffic), but probably less. DP's parents live 10 minutes from the birth centre though, so we plan to use them as a sort of 'halfway house'.

My question is, when do we go? DP is concerned about not making it, and we don't want to birth in Leeds at all. We can stay the night with his parents, but it seems sometimes pre-labour goes on for days. Bit confused by it all. Anyone else travelled to give birth?

Honestly? It depends how your labour all kicks off! For me when I had DS I went straight into full-blown labour, he was born 8 hours after it started, and 2 hours of that was pushing. Other friends have been in latent labour for days. It's very rare for labour to be less than a couple of hours though, particularly for a first baby. I'd pack an overnight bag for the in-laws, but chances are you're more than likely to have plenty of time to get to the birth centre and simply use their house if you aren't far enough along and get sent home again.

Bear in mind it's not going to be the most comfortable journey of your life to get there!!

I'd move into your in laws at 38 weeks.

Seriously though, why not LGI or Jimmy's? I have friends who had great experiences at Harrogate too.

Rockchick, that's kind of what I think, that full on labour doesn't come from nowhere and google only says it takes 28 minutes to drive there door to door so I think DP might be a little bit over-cautious!

Anything, I would prefer a home birth but DP isn't keen, so I insisted on a birth centre, I don't want any intervention at all and would happily have the baby in the bathtub if DP would let me :) I wish Leeds had a well-reviewed birth centre, but they don't, sadly.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Fair enough. The new home from home suites at LGI are meant to be fabulous though.

I had DD at the LGI just 14 weeks ago with very little intervention. I wasn't low risk either, but this was my second birth.

If you needed intervention, where would they transfer you to from Huddersfield? I'd want to know how risk averse they are. I have a friend who is a midwife who knows one MLU where if you so much as sneeze they move you to the consultant led unit!

The more it think about it (and I appreciate you've only given brief details), but I think a home birth might be better than Huddersfield. Could your midwife talk to your husband? Are you doing NCT? That's a handy place for men to learn about and discuss this sort of thing.

Be open minded with your birth plan. I hope you don't think I'm patronising you but there's an awful lot to consider.

Where I live doesn't have a birth centre anywhere nearby so I'm having a home birth this time (if all goes to plan!) but it's my second baby so DH is far more relaxed than if I'd pushed for it first time around

, that's kind of what I think, that full on labour doesn't come from nowhere and google only says it takes 28 minutes to drive there door to door so I think DP might be a little bit over-cautious!

I went straight from nothing to contractions 5 minutes apart and speeding up rapidly. Seriously, if this does happen to you, the journey will be absolute hell.

I didn't realise i was in early labour until my waters went as my contractions were so irregular. I assumed i was being a wimp which is why they hurt.
Once my waters went the contractions ramped up and were very very very painful and i knew that was it. We drove 20 mins to the MLU and it was the worst journey of my life. Being restrained in a car while in labour is not nice.
I had my baby 1hr 50mins from my waters going.

If you are in labour any car journey will be uncomfortable at best! I spent the 25 min drive to hospital with ds1 bent over the back seat facing out the rear window. Goodness knows what the car behind us thought. I just could not have been in the front seat in a seat belt.

Thank you for the comments!

Though, even though people are saying car journeys are hell, there really isn't any other way to get to the hospital/centre is there? Aside from either home birth or ambulance? I can deal with a car journey, just don't want to actually give birth there!

I was v glad I was five mins away from hospital by car the journey was v v uncomfortable and I was only 3cm when I got there but DD was born within 2 hours. If it had been a 1.5 hour journey she would have been born in the car at the side of the road as 3-10cm in under an hour when waters broke and head was nearly out!

I have been advised to book a home birth this time a setting to a hospital is unlikely.

I guess I'm just saying you need to think about a long journey as you don't know what kind of labour you will have and I would rather give birth in a hospital than a car.

Might be worth reconsidering a home birth. Maybe find out why your DP isn't keen and see if any of his worries could be eased?

I had a home birth with my first in Leeds area, it was really good. :) Lots of lovely midwives all to myself and all my own home comforts. Planning another one for later this year.

If I'd had a 1.5 hour car journey, I'd definitely have given birth on route!

I couldn't have done that journey. I was only at hospital for 2 hours before DD was born. I'd have been pushing in the car had the journey been that long.

Everyone is telling you it's too far so your other option is to stay at in laws around your due date but would you be comfortable labouring with them in the house? The birth centre won't take you before you are in established labour and I know I wanted privacy when my labour started and couldn't have handled my in laws even though they are nice people.

Where would they transfer you to from Huddersfield if things weren't going as planned?

Yes, I could labour at the inlaws and think that is likely what will happen. I do think the 1.5 hour estimate is crazy, but DP insists it could happen.

I'd transfer to Halifax if anything went terribly wrong.

I know DP won't ever agree to homebirth, so guess we're taking our chances!

I complained bitterly to the ambulance drivers as they rushed me to the hospital 5 minutes away that "It wasn't supposed to be like on the telly" I was ready to push when I got to the ward.

I was 36+6 with my first.. half an hour earlier I'd been eating my lunch and replying to emails without a care in the world.

Most people do have long labours and plenty of time. Sometimes though, they don't. And there is no way to know which you'll be!

I guess in a dire emergency you could be admitted to any local hospital, but if this particular place matters a lot to you, move in with the in-laws as suggested

Another who would have given birth in the car had I not been there already! I went to Harrogate and would recommend to anyone. :)

Good luck OP, v exciting!

Worth bearing in mind that if something did go off track and you needed transfer to hospital the paramedic ambulance would take you to the nearest maternity unit, where would the nearest one be from there?

It would be Leeds, which I've resigned myself to. But I mean, I'll be in Paris at 32-33 weeks, and I have a mate that gave birth at 32 weeks. We have to live our lives right? If I squeeze out a healthy babe, that's good enough for me. I still want to plan for the birth I actually want!

Thanks for all the advice