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Childbirth

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

Original poster

Has anyone on here actually given birth in the car on the way to hospital?

61 replies

KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 11:39

After my near miss on 3rd Dec (see my birth announcements thread - we arrived at 8.15, baby popped out at 8.20) I have been driving myself mad wondering what would have happened if we hadn't made it to hospital on time

Does the baby just pop out into the footwell or do you get out of the car and have it by the side of the road? How do you get your knickers off?

Anyone here experienced this or know someone who has?!

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Rosydingdongmerrily · 15/12/2006 11:52

I delivered the head of dd wearing knickers and trousers on the trolley in the corridor on the way to delivery. (bloody uncomfortable) Next labour was nearly exactly the same. Am expecting again in March and a bit worried about giving birth in the car! I want to be home for early labour but I go to the final stage really quickly and suddenly.
Must go read your birth announcement

pedilia · 15/12/2006 11:54

I would be interested in this as I was very close to having DS2 in the car (DH getting lost on the way to hospital didn't help)

My midwife has advised I consider a homebirth as she does not seem very convinced we are going to get there in time.

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 11:55

Trousers Rosydingdongmerrily??? Good heavens! Hope they were reasonably baggy

OP posts:
frogs · 15/12/2006 11:56

A friend of mine gave birth to an undiagnosed breech baby in the back of a minicab while stuck in traffic on the way to hospital. Luckily they were all fine, but it could have been horribly different. Her dh was in the front seat, so unable to be much help. She was still wearing her tracksuit bottoms at the time. Apparently when they finally got to the hospital her dh just bunged a fistful of £20 notes at the cab driver, and legged it.

My grandmother gave birth to her 4th child in the local milk shop back in the 1940s. She didn't go into detail, but this was central Europe in January, so there would have been a considerable quantity of woolly underwear involved. She never told anyone until I had a very rapid birth with ds 50 years later -- she is very much the grande dame, and clearly was deeply embarrassed by having done something as vulgar and proletarian as give birth in public. Apparently the hospital colluded with her worldview, and certified that the place of birth had in fact been the hospital

I went from 7 cm to giving birth in 10 mins with ds. I was on a trolley in the admissions area, and they were trying to move me into a room. They managed to jam the trolley across the corridor, and various midwives were shouting at me, "You can't give birth in the corridor" as if I had a choice in the matter. I cearly remember thinking, "Don't be stupid, of course I can." By that stage I was beyond caring, even if I'd been giving birth in the street. I didn't in the end, but it was a close thing.

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 11:57

Maybe one could prepare the car - replace all the old crisp packets on the floor (well, ours anyway) with nice soft cushions for baby to land on, towel ready to wrap him in. And knickers off before leaving the house, of course.

OP posts:
Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 12:00

Frogs, what a fascinating story about your grandma.

The midwives at the hospital where I had ds told me they'd had one born in the corridor the week before.

OP posts:
Tommy · 15/12/2006 12:04

I haven't but a friend of mine had a baby a couple of years ago and the staff were saying how quiet it was that day - she was the only one who gave birth that day in the hospital - and one woman gave birth in the car park.....

MerryPiffmas · 15/12/2006 12:07

as someone who has gotten to hosp (5 mins away each time) twice once with 25 minutes and once with 37 mins before giving birth..
this time I'm having a homebirth as nearest hosp is now 30 mins drive.
I don't fancy my odds...

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 12:18

I would do the same if I have another, Merrypiffmas - only thing is, when I wanted a home birth with dd I was told that they don't like you having home births if the hosp is 30 mins or more away in case something goes wrong and they have to transfer you. Surely better to rush to hospital in an ambulance with a midwife than a car with a stressed dh, though....

OP posts:
TuttiFrutti · 15/12/2006 12:20

My cousin gave birth on the back seat of the car. The baby fell onto the floor.

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 12:22

Was s/he ok?

OP posts:
DingdongMegaLegsonhigh · 15/12/2006 12:26

my friend had her dd3 by the frontdoor at her mum's house. They were dropping the older two off on route to the hospiatl but that's as far as they got. Her dh and mum were trying to bundle her into the car but she wouldn'y budge.
The midwife ran up the garden path putting her gloves on and literally just caught the baby.

skye24 · 15/12/2006 12:30

Hi although it was a long time ago (ds1 is now 29!) I had a show and as was only 32 weeks went into hospital (had been there off and on whole pg.)25 minutes after arriving ds1 born !
11 months later had ds2,in the corridor going into hospital, (hospital 15 mins away.)
10 years later had dd , in car park at the hospital, all were prem.
So never quite made it in the car but close!

JoshandJamie · 15/12/2006 12:35

A friend of mine gave birth to her second in September in the car - ironically just outside a Mothercare. Her husband was driving but they were stuck in rush hour traffic, she said: I'm pushing (she was kneeling on the front seat holding onto the head rest). He lifted up her PJs and saw the head, pulled over, ran around to her side and helped deliver it.

Instead of calling 999 like a normal person, he calls directory enquiries for the number of the hospital, goes through all the automated messages and finally speaks to a midwife who talked him through it.

And then instead of waiting for an ambulance to get to them, once the baby was out (and still attached with umbilical cord) he drove her to the hospital where the staff were waiting for them.

Apparently he was cool hand luke the whole way through.

ChristmasisComing · 15/12/2006 12:37

I was close with my ds but thankfully he had a big head so i needed an episiotomy otherwise i am sure he would have been born in the bath at home as i had felt the urge to push!

I felt the same urge in the car on hte way to the hospital ....

after the episiotomy with dd she literally shot out and nearly landed on the floor but thankfully the midwife caught her

Midwife told me the same thing about a homebirth as apparantly it gets quicker each time, but we are sticking at 2!

LetitShnowLetitShnowLetitShnow · 15/12/2006 12:44

My mother used to be a nurse on a neonatal ward back in the 70s- the saddest story she tells about that time is one of a lady who gave birth in a car and refused to remove her trousers when the male paramedics arrived (religious reasons). Her husband was barring them from helping. Very, very sadly, the little baby didn't make it.

If you do give birth in your car, please take your trousers off.

Sorry to include such a sad story on a thread about births, that story just sticks in my head.

Rosydingdongmerrily · 15/12/2006 13:00

Ooh I'm getting more and more nervous now! I think next time I'll go really early into hospital and refuse to budge if they say 'aah loads of time, go home and take a paracetamol'. Apart from anything else dh is a terrible driver especially under stress. Don't want to give birth in a car in a hedge....if at all possible

pedilia · 15/12/2006 13:05

I do know someone who was having twins, she was at home, didn't feel right so rang a friend who lived close by, upon friends arrival one baby had been born on front room floor, while dealing with this and calling an ambulance number two was born.
Both healthy,happy babies who have just had their first b-day

Rosydingdongmerrily · 15/12/2006 13:06

That story is so sad letitshnow. I will definately remove my trousers at the first contraction this time.

Tommy · 15/12/2006 13:09

I'd only just got my knickers off when DS2 came zooming out

(fortunately had a skirt on - that was still there!)

mears · 15/12/2006 13:09

I delivered a midwife friend in the back of her car! I was following in the car behind to the hospital. The car pulled over into a laybye. Her waters had just gone and she felt like pushing. We got an old picnic blanket out the boot and covered the back seat. We had to take the car seat out for space. I advised her to go on her hands and knees on the back seat (joggers and knickers off, had longish cotton top on) to deliver - more room for the baby that way. Meantime her DH dialled 999 for an ambulance. It arrived just after the head delivered. She had a lovely big boy who was absolutely fine. We slid him up her top keeping him skin-to-skin. She then crawled backwords out of the car onto a seat the ambulance men brought round. The cord was still attached and the placenta delivered after we reached the hospital. She needed a couple of stitches and was delighted iwth herslef because her last birth had been a caesrean section for major placenta praevia!!

mears · 15/12/2006 13:12

thread posted afterwards

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 15/12/2006 13:23

Wow.... some incredible stories, thanks everyone!
Mears, am a bit at cord detail in your story - would this have been a disaster if you hadn't been there, or was it something an inexperienced dh could have coped with, do you think?

OP posts:
peggotty · 15/12/2006 13:25

This is all interesting reading! I've been warned that my next labout is likely to be very fast, so I'm seriously considering a homebirth because of this. The hospital is only 10 minutes away, but I'd only been in there for an hour before my dd was born, and she's my first!!

Judy1234 · 15/12/2006 14:11

Twin 1 came so fast he was born on the floor at home (but the midwives had arrived). Twin 2 then decided he didn't want to be born so we hung around for ages and then had to get an ambulance to hospital so I could have a second 7 hour labour for twin 2. Warning don't read what you see in twin books about twins being born at the same time. Prepare for two labours in a day.

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