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!

[Egog]

Thanks Vivienne - don't worry about it.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

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

[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.

[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.

[weebairn]

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

[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

[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

[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!

[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.

[FruitBadger]

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

[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

[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]

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!

[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.

[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!

[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!)