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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

panicking over journey to hospital

22 replies

ladyflower23 · 03/03/2015 20:24

I am due to have my second dc in 3 weeks and feeling really anxious about getting to the hosp. Last time I got there was 3cm and sent home again. When called again to ask to go back in a few hours later they warned me they would send me home again if hadn't progressed so felt too scared to go back. When finally did go back was in 7cm with back to back labour and could only tolerate being on all fours. Was massively traumatic car journey. Friend who took me has sold her car, DH doesn't drive. Brother and dad have offered to take me but don't want them to see me like that. So my question is has anyone done the Labour journey in a taxi and what was it like? Can they refuse to take you? Seriously wishing I had booked a homebirth but guessing it's too late for that at 37 weeks

OP posts:

babyfedleaning · 03/03/2015 20:25

If you're low risk you can request a home birth anytime so why not chat to your midwife?

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 03/03/2015 20:28

Not too late for home birth. Call them tomorrow if that bit wasn't a joke.

StandoutMop · 03/03/2015 20:32

Ask about HB. I booked mine at well over 30 weeks, about 36 I think.

If that is a no go, I'd line up dad or brother (which ever you feel less uncomfortable with) to give you a lift. Taxi may not take you in established labour. Least bad option might be what you have to go with.

Good luck.

Original poster

ladyflower23 · 03/03/2015 20:40

Thanks for the responses. I thought my midwife had told me at one of my first appointments that if you book a home birth You can change your mind and have a hospital birth but not the other way round. I will call her tomorrow and see what she has so say. I think it might be complicated because the area I live in and where my midwife is registered is under a different trust to the hospital I am meant to be giving birth at. wish I'd just arranged that as what I wanted in first place but DH wasn't on board. as it's got closer I just feel really stressed about it all!!! Thanks for your responses.

OP posts:

DelphiniumBlue · 03/03/2015 20:45

Could you get an ambulance? I did, twice, as couldn't get into the car. First time, labour was much more advanced than I realised, second time I anticipated a really fast labour. Ds2 was born within 10 minutes of getting to hospital. So ds3 was a planned home birth, as suspected I would not actually get to the hospital in time.

Bair · 03/03/2015 20:47

You can always ring local taxi firms and ask if they'd take you. I asked ours and they said yes if the waters had already gone, how they check that though.........

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 03/03/2015 20:50

Lady -what your mw said referred to when actually in labour. You can't ring up in labour and say you have changed your mind and want a mw assisted home birth. You can ring and say you have booked a hb but you are coming in.

Original poster

ladyflower23 · 03/03/2015 22:11

Ha ha that's hilarious about the waters! maybe the taxi driver asks to see your wet undies before he lets you in. I guess calling an ambulance would be my only option if taxi said no. That or I face up to mooing in front of my dad or bro and hope they don't get too freaked. Worried about timing it rIght. So much to think about. Waters, poo, baby. I suppose if I go in when instructed theoretically none of that should come out in the car. I have spoken to DH about home birth tonight and he's really worried about that. Maybe I should just stop thinking about it and play it by ear at the time.worst comes to worst I will call an ambulance...Or DH will have to deliver her himself at home. That'll learn him!

OP posts:

babyfedleaning · 04/03/2015 08:25

No! Ambulances aren't taxis - London Ambulance website reiterates this: "Ambulances are needed for life-threatening emergencies, and normal labour is not an emergency."

Just go with your father or brother, who have offered, remember. An ambulance is not a taxi.

Zahrah5 · 04/03/2015 10:29

Guys Im in worse situation than OP.

I do not have any friends or family who could take me in.

I was relying on taxi, I didnt think it would be a problem.
My husband also works in the other side of London and could take him up to 2 hrs to get home.
He is working some evenings, the later he works the longer the journey home takes due to lower bus frequency.

So i was relying in worse case on myself dragging the hospital bag, baby car seat downstairs 3 flight of stairs and hoping the driver would help me from there should the emergency happen.

Do you think this is not realistic?
We can not rent a car for lets say days around due date as we dont know how to drive here on the left side, that would be suicidal and would not help me either if he is not home.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 04/03/2015 10:40

Don't take the car seat. Your husband can come home for it if he meets you at the hospital. Or the driver can carry it down the stairs for you. A taxi really isn't a big issue.

Also remember that contractions have gaps. You'll probably be getting about 3 in 10 minutes when you go in. There is time in between to do stuff. Even if you have to stop. The uncomfortable bit is being in the car during them.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 04/03/2015 10:41

I also don't quite get why it's so hard for your husband to drive on the left. People from countries who drive on the left manage quite easily on the right on holiday etc.

But I see the point about not knowing when to hire a car.

ems1910 · 04/03/2015 10:54

Go with your brother or dad. You shouldn't be at the point where they see anything too graphic at that point (I appreciate some people labour very quickly). Don't ring an ambulance unless it is a real emergency. Routine labour goes in as a fairly low priority and you could be waiting a while which will just add to the stress. Go with your brother or dad.

Original poster

ladyflower23 · 04/03/2015 12:10

hi zahrah. I see your problem and understand that your dh would be nervous of driving on other side of the road in London where the traffic is scary anyway especially with labouring wife in the car. At my hosp you cannot bring car seat in till you are ready to leave so will not be taking that in with me when in labour anyway. I would do what other poster suggested and call taxi firms to check their policy. I will prob do the same as my dad can't drive at night and if it happens between thurs and sat my brother prob be over the limit so still think I might find myself driverless!

OP posts:

hodgepodgepanda · 04/03/2015 12:17

Where I live the only option if you don't have your own transport is a taxi , all of my local taxi firms are willing to take labouring mothers to hospital

TremoloGreen · 05/03/2015 00:00

We went to hospital in a taxi as we left it far too late and I needed dh with me, not driving. Like you, the car journey was the most traumatic bit of labour. However it would have been even worse with dh driving. The taxi driver was a young guy and amazing and lovely, kept telling me I was doing really well Dh told me later he was clearly terrified I was going to have the baby in the cab! I was pushing in the car park when I got there I really wouldn't worry about it, many taxi drivers will have taken a labouring woman before. You can ring round companies and make sure they will take you beforehand. We will get a cab this time too, I'll just try and get myself there a bit earlier next time, even if the mw on the phone thinks I'm not in labour!

Original poster

ladyflower23 · 05/03/2015 17:36

Thanks for that reassuring story about the taxi tremolo. I've called a local company and they have agreed to take me if I need them! Feel much better having something else lined up. How soon after getting to the hospital did you give birth?! And I thought I had left it late!!!

OP posts:

Threesoundslikealot · 05/03/2015 17:42

OP, the other thing to remember is that you are not a first timer this time round. Midwives tend to be more cautious about sending 'multips' away, especially if you can explain what happened to you last time. Labours with second babies are usually shorter, so the chances are if you go in at an earlier stage they won't send you home anyway, so you should be able to get a taxi or a lift before you're on all fours!

TremoloGreen · 05/03/2015 19:09

I actually took another 1h 45 or so to be holding DD in my arms, because I had a long pushing stage (first baby). However, I did manage to get 15 mins or so of gas & air before they took it away because I was-completely-off-my-face wasn't focusing enough on pushing. My main motivation to get there early this time is actually to get my money's worth of the stuff, I found it amazing!

Agree with threeis about being a 2nd timer, they're much less likely to send you home anyway.

Original poster

ladyflower23 · 05/03/2015 22:25

Thanks girls that's reassuring and if they do try and send me away I will tell them about my ordeal last time and hopefully they will take pity on me. If not I'm going to go and labour in the cafe till they agree to take me back! I was 2 hours 10 after I arrived last time. I couldn't stand up anymore by the time we arrived and just squatted in the car park till someone came with a stretcher so i feel your Agree I want more time on the G & A this time. Isn't it just the best after all those months without booze!!

OP posts:

TheBooMonster · 06/03/2015 22:57

I fully intend to camp out in the hospital if they try and send me home because I'm not far enough along! I've already made that clear to the Consultant and my Midwife, I was induced last time so they had me on the labour floor from the very beginning, I had 12 hours of awful contractions that they'd only give me gas & air for because I wasn't progressing, then I went from 1cm to 10 cm in the time it took someone to run a bath, baby was out in a few pushes! We are therefore heading to the hospital as soon as the pain starts, even if we don't phone delivery or go anywhere near the labour floor until I'm getting regular pains.

Buglife · 07/03/2015 07:41

I just rang a taxi and went. Was digging my nails into DH hands and breathing heavy to stop shrieking. I took a towel to sit on but the chances of waters going in the taxi were slim really. I was 5cm dilated when I got in.

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