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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

anyone not made it to the hospital in time?!

19 replies

3rdbump · 29/04/2015 21:26

Has anyone not made it to the hospital in time or not had time to get to a hospital and ended up having their baby without a MW?
1st baby drawn out labour
baby 2 almost had her in a taxi! she was literally half way out when i got there!
3rd baby labour was long winded.
Not sure about this 4th baby!

OP posts:

Roseybee10 · 29/04/2015 22:02

I had a home birth in February but I would not have made it to the hospital had I been planning a hospital birth. By the time I realised I was in active labour, I couldn't move and baby was born an hour later.

CherryLips1980 · 30/04/2015 09:49

If I hadn't felt weird, panicked and ignored the MW who told me to stay at home, I wouldn't have done. My contractions weren't particularly painful and only lasting 20ish seconds until about 5 mins before my waters went with DS. They burst at 12.23, he was born at 12.40. As it was, I got admitted half an hour before waters went.

gallicgirl · 30/04/2015 09:53

I've had 2 home births. The first, very long and the second very short. I do not know how women get to hospital whilst in active labour and I think you're so brave for moving!

I just want to go into a quiet space and can't even contemplate putting my bum on a seat.

JaniceJoplin · 30/04/2015 09:55

I had one 5 mins after walking through the hospital doors. We are 10 mins drive from the hospital so just made it!

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 30/04/2015 10:02

DS3 was an unplanned home birth, though the midwife made it to my house just on time. They also sent gas and air via ambulance!

DS2 was nearly born in DBs car, I made it to hospital (although not the planned one as it was too far) 10 mins before he was born.

lordsandladies · 30/04/2015 10:06

I gave birth to DD2s head while walking from the carpark to the maternity unit.

The last steps in were very very memorable as was DH yelling "walk WALK look how dirty the pavement is"

DragonWithAGirlTattoo · 30/04/2015 10:11

i'm a nearly too - got to the mat ward, and 3 pushes and he was out! still had my trousers around my ankles, less than 1.5hrs from a small bit of back ache to a baby!!

FernGullysWoollyPully · 30/04/2015 10:18

Not me personally but my friend was having her fifth baby and told to go home by a mw who said she was 'nowhere near' and "ought to know what she was doing by now". My friend was most annoyed but dutifully went home again.

They got home, out the car, up the path and then her dh had to deliver the baby on the hall carpet!

foolonthehill · 30/04/2015 10:18

Me...with DC 4 all went super fast!!
Born in the sitting room as H was trying to get me to go to the car! Ambulance failed to make it, MW arrived 45 mins after. Blue lights came in to cut the cord.

Absolutely fine though.

For context DC1 48 hour labour, DC2 40 minute labour, DC3 went on and on and on...labouring on a bag of amniotic fluid for 2 hours...MW told me nowhere near go home from hospital, I said no..born 5 minutes later!

foolonthehill · 30/04/2015 10:20

trust your instincts!...as you can see from the thread. 3rd/4th and 5th babies are unusual enough now that midwives may not have the experience to say

Levismum · 09/05/2015 14:59

With dd I woke up having contractions every 3 minutes. Delivered her shortly after arriving at hospital. Dd was my 6th dc. The MW ran when i told her it was my 6th!

ginmakesitallok · 09/05/2015 15:00

A friend had her baby in her husband's work van at a roundabout on the west link in Belfast...

OrionsAccessory · 09/05/2015 15:06

At the toddler group I took my kids to, there were 4 women who had had unplanned home/car/driveway births!

BaronessEllaSaturday · 09/05/2015 15:11

dd2 sort of made it to the hospital, she was born in the ambulance in the car park. My neighbour had a home delivery but the midwife didn't make it in time, all was fine.

Hobbes8 · 09/05/2015 15:22

My first baby was induced and took all weekend with lots of hanging around. So when I felt the first twinges with my second I wasn't in a hurry. An hour or so later we set off for the hospital and stopped on the way to drop my son off, where I refused to move and gave birth on their bathroom floor. Oops.

Roseotto · 09/05/2015 16:03

3rd babies are unusual?? not here! I know loads of people with 3 and 4.

cakesonatrain · 17/05/2015 21:02

Yep, me with dc2. I posted about it at the time (well not at the time but you know what I mean!).
Had infrequent and totally bearable contractions for a couple of hours. Phoned ward when they got a bit more definite, got told the usual "have a bath, call back when they're more frequent/you aren't coping".
DH dutifully starts to run bath.
2 mins later, "I'm not coping!!"
Call ward again, tell them we're coming in.
30 secs later, GUSH my waters go on the bed, instant urge to push/awareness that pushing is occurring without any conscious effort on my part!
DH calls ward back, they say "call 999, the community midwife is miles away"
DH calls 999, DD born 17 minutes later, before the ambulance arrives.

Lifeisabeach · 17/05/2015 21:16

Yep, it happened to me with DD (second child of three). Contractions were completely manageable so sent OH to take DS1 to his mum's. Plan was to go to the hospital when he got back. There didn't seem to be any rush as DS1's labour had been very long and painful and this time the contractions were nowhere near as bad.

Not long after they left my waters broke and everything changed - loads of pressure and the urge to push. Phoned maternity unit who said they would send the community midwife. A few contractions later, DD was born, in the hall, luckily crying, pink and healthy. I phoned 999 and the control person kept me on the phone for the 5 mins it took for the paramedic car to arrive. OH arrived back to find an ambulance outside the house. The paramedics helped him to cut the cord and the MW arrived about 10 mins later.

I had DS2 8 weeks ago - a lovely planned home birth with OH and a MW present. It was another fast labour so the second MW didn't make it in time.

cakesonatrain · 17/05/2015 21:35

Blimey, Lifeisabeach completely on your own!!!

I was told that giving birth without a professional present happens about 1 in 100 births in the Uk (no idea if this is true) but there can't be that many women who do it alone.

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