Bridesmaid at 39 weeks - advice needed if I go into labour a week early!

[Egog]

Just wanted to ask on here before asking the MW as I'm trying to be prepared in case things don't go as planned...

I live in Birmingham, and am a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding when I am exactly 39 weeks pregnant - in London. Statistically, as this is my first, I'm probably going to go a bit over but just in case I don't, I'm after a bit of advice as to what to do if I go into labour the weekend of her wedding.

We are taking the hospital bag/notes/car seat with us just in case, but I'm more thinking about what to do if the baby looks like it's coming without time to get back to Brum - should I just call the nearest hospital with a maternity unit and rock up in labour, or is there something else I should do?

Thanks in advance, and any stories of anyone experiencing similar would help put my mind at rest!

[BeginnerSAHM]

You'd be very unlucky to be turned away from a London hospital if you are in advanced labour.... However, I thought my first baby would come late and the labour would take days. He was 2 weeks early and arrived within 2.5 hours of me waking up with 'really bad constipation' . Just sayin.... (I highly recommend UCH if you are near by!)

[Egog]

Have added hospitals en route to the (getting quite large now) emergency labour folder.
Sister goes on honeymoon directly after her wedding and her flat will be empty so we have full access there to stay should we need to for a while.

Thanks for replies everyone!

[SauvignonBlanche]

It's a NATIONAL Health service (the clue is in the title), pregnant women are not tied to staying near their hospital, I moved 300 miles away at 37 weeks so I know it can be inconvenient but not impossible.

[HamAndPlaques]

Oh, and YY to working out hospitals off the m40. High Wycombe only has an MLU now so you'd be looking at stoke mandeville in bucks, or the John Radcliffe in Oxford. Don't know much about Warwickshire options!

[HamAndPlaques]

Oops, posted too soon. You would need someone's home, and it'll be very different to any other house-stay that you've done! I don't want to alarm you but I am thinking about my own first labour and how I would have managed in a similar situation...

[HamAndPlaques]

Obviously, the best outcome would be to give birth at 40 weeks + back home in Birmingham. Going into labour the night before or the morning of the wedding and delivering nearby, say at UCLH, would be dramatic but ultimately relatively straightforward, especially if your DH can stay with family.

My concern would be if you were to go into a long latent stage. As it's your first you could have a day or two of irregular contractions etc without very much happening, but as things can ramp up very quickly you wouldn't want to attempt the drive home. So as a further consideration, consider what you would do if you were in early labour and unable to travel, but not far enough along that labour ward will admit you. C

[FruitBadger]

Might also be worth mapping out hospitals en route between Birmingham and London too? Good luck!

[LadyGoneGaga]

I went to my best friends wedding, an hours journey away 10 days before i ended up having the baby. Chances are with a first labour it won't ramp up immediately. Most likely you would have a slow build up with plenty of time to get back home. Just be sensible - if you are feeling crampy, like something is changing then you may have to not go. But personally I would go - find out where closest hospitals are, take your notes and hospital bag and car seat just in case but it is likely you will be fine.

Oh and take a TENS - that will help if you do end up having to labour in the car.

[Egog]

I'm 29 weeks now. Just seen MW, who said it's absolutely not a problem, and reiterated advice given here regarding taking addresses/phone numbers/maps etc.

Thank you for advice everyone, guess now time will tell it's going to be practical or not!

[ROARmeow]

How many weeks pregnant are you now? Prepare yourself for the chance that how you feel may change and your energy levels could end up being very low by 39 weeks. It's easy to think in the early stages of pregnancy that you'll feel the same the whole way through.

How soon before the wedding do you plan to drive from Birmingham - London? I'm not from England so I don't know how far that this, but be prepared to be knackered and sore sitting in the car.

With my 1st baby my DH and I had planned to sit at home at 39 weeks to learn how to use the pram, car seat etc... Baby had other ideas and I went into labour that morning at 3am

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

One final thing. Don't assume you will be able to fit in your normal shoes by then.... Esp if the weather is hot.
If you can borrow a pregnancy back support girdle too it probably a good bet as there'll be loads of pics and standing around

[weebairn]

You're such a good sister. I would NEVER go . good on you.

[McBaby]

Go to the wedding and have fun if your up to it. I would take the car with you with cat seat and bag in etc. just in case you need it just check out parking first but it means you can then get to the wedding and back in comfort and back to the hospital. I.e back up to family house to go through early labour and then to Whittington/royal free.

I went to a wedding at 38 weeks this time and did the same but due to v fast labour the first time I was prepared to go to nearest hospital just in case.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

Ok, so if you're at the barbican you're not far from UCLH. East a bit is the Royal London.

Highgate is near the Royal Free and the Whittington.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

Don't forget the car seat! Else you may be stranded in London if you do give birth!

[Egog]

Thanks Vivienne - don't worry about it.

[Egog]

Wedding is near the Barbican, family live by Highgate -so all Northern line, if I'm not mistaken?

Tread - I'm going to take all your advice, print everything off and put it in a folder with maps, numbers etc. We're going in the car, so I can pretty much fill the boot with anything I might need to get me through a few days if necessary. Good tip for the nail varnish, I hadn't thought of that!

Pobble - yeah, I think I'm just being hopeful with the following my own Mum's experience thing...

[Viviennemary]

I'm sorry I was unhelpful. I just thought it was easier not to go under the circumstances but should have said it in a more kind and tactful way. Just take the advice of your midwife. I apologise.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

I was two weeks late. DS was born at 38 weeks, it just doesn't follow I'm afraid.

Where in London is the wedding? I can help with that bit.

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

Very helpful first response. Not.

Firstly - where in London (general area) is the wedding and where are the relatives based that DH would be crashing with?

My waters broke the first time at 39+1. Gentle labour started about 5 hrs after they broke. I went into the delivery unit when my waters broke, it was confirmed that I wasn't suddenly incontinent and I was told to come back when things were a bit more exciting. I went in to be checked as they log the time and if nothing is happening after 48 hrs they like to move things along with induction in case of infection.

I would decide on a hospital, print out maps and get the local numbers etc. If you want to be super organised - find the location of the nearest baby store/large Boots for bits and pieces.
I would stock up on some nice thin maternity towels with wings. If you were really bullish, you could be at the wedding pending full labour so you'll need something to contain the leaking. One pad per 30 mins or so - I went through all my post natal stock while waiting to go into labour. DH brought me horrid 1/2 inch thick ones from Mothercare - like something from the 1930's.
Tens machine and basically all the gubbins that you would have brought to hospital anyway.
Definitely bring your Day 2 bag to London - the "just in case you have to stay in for a few days" (baby with jaundice, you with EMCS)
Phone charger
Spectacles - I couldn't read a text message my eyes were so tired after two nights in hospital.
Camera - St Thomas's overlooks Westminster - if you get lucky and get a room with a view it will be a lovely souvenir for DC1.
iPad with SIM for a Facetime/Skype message from the labour ward to your sister and her guests [just joking]

Birmingham is about 3 hrs drive from north London?? Dark towel for the back seat (where you'll be sitting on the way home) or Pampers disposable changing mats are great. Plan in lots of rest stops on the way home. DH will need to understand that post labour when "you've gotta go, you've GOT TO GO!" It gets better quite quickly but I found that I wasn't incontinent, I just couldn't hold it like I used to and was terrified of what might arrive with a small fart !

Fingers crossed the wedding all goes well and DC1 makes a convenient for all arrival. Best of luck.

PS - if you need an EMCS they will want to remove your nail varnish. It's helpful if it's not the permanent type.

[Egog]

Shedding and Maxbear - thank you for such positive comments!

Should the baby want to arrive that weekend I plan to give the hospital we'll head to as much notice as possible - I figure there's less stress for everyone involved that way. I've already bought a wrap, practising with a teddy has gotten me strange looks from DH, but never mind!

Now just to hope baby hangs on in there long enough to get back home. I already feel a little more confident that if the worst happens, with a bit of planning I won't end up giving birth in the middle of the evening reception!

[maxbear]

Hi! One of the first births I had as a student midwife was a lady who had come from a different area for her sisters wedding (on her due date!) She missed the wedding but was delighted to have given birth in the same town that she had been born in.

It is not too uncommon to have women who are 'booked' elsewhere to come and deliver with us, although it can be a little fiddly with paperwork at times it is not a massive problem. All you need to do is have the phone number of the local maternity bleep holder or the labour ward handy. The most difficult thing to happen is when women turn up in labour without phoning, it throws us if it is busy, just ten - fifteen minutes warning makes all the difference and means we can be sure to get a room ready. Of course you should make every effort to go to your sisters wedding, it really won't be a massive issue if it does happen that day, if you have already had the baby, get a wrap sling so that you can keep little one close, it gives you an excuse to not pass your very young baby around all the family which might cause him/her to be unsettled and expose it to lots of germs!

Hope you all have a great day

[slithytove]

Me too, it's backstage tickets!

Friends are worried it'll send me into labour lol. Luckily it's only 45 mins from my house and an hour from my hospital.

[Egog]

Penguins - that's a good point. Luckily I've got family in London (hence the wedding being held there) so there are places for DH to stay should I need to be kept in.

My sister's been great, I pretty much don't have to do anything except show up in the morning, have my hair blowdried and waddle down the aisle. Lots of other people to help her get ready, and she's booked me into the hotel the wedding is at so I can go lie down if needs be. She just wants me there, and obviously circumstances permitting, I hope to be there too!

Slithy - that's a good question. I think it would depend on the birth, health of me and baby and lots of other factors (sleep deprivation/stitches etc) that I'm probably happily unaware of as yet. I hope you make your concert!