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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?!

OP posts:
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MrsMaloryTowers · 15/12/2006 14:16

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whatwouldjesusdo · 15/12/2006 15:14

gosh xenia that must have been quite a day.

my dd2 was born about 2 minutes after arriving at the hospital. But her father did hurtle down the hill towards the hosp at breakneck speed, otherwise she would probably have had the delightful distinction of being born in a 2CV.

whatwouldjesusdo · 15/12/2006 15:15

oh, and the route between our village and the hosp is apparently littered with places where babies have been born on the 30km journey.

Judy1234 · 15/12/2006 17:39

I actually preferred it to the other 3 NHS births because I had midwives I knew and I felt completely in control. I think because labour started in the early hours it was longer than I thought at home so when they got there about 6am or 7 things were hotting up, no point in going to hospital and he was born at home in a London borough without a maternity hospital I think so very few babies are actually born there on that soil as it were....

Then we thought his twin would just come right out. We breastfed, we moved me around. I squatted. Just slowed up and I was so tired by then. So I took the decision to get to hospital and had an epidural and a drip and he was born 7 hours after his twin but even the second birth wasn't too bad at all and we got back home that night. My midwives still delivered twin 2 as well in hospital. Would have been easier if he'd just emerged seconds after his twin however. They are not identical.

mamalocco · 15/12/2006 18:14

I didn't make it into the car, went to the toilet and ended up delivering the baby myself! The next one was a 'corridor baby' at the birth centre, (can't believe I told dh we had time to get a parking ticket - time on which said 2.35pm, was holding ds at 2.45pm) the third one was delivered in the birth centre but we did leave the house straight after first contraction!!

steffy1 · 15/12/2006 18:59

i very nearly didnt make it!went into labour with ds2 at 2am-hospital is 45 mins away.i thought i had braxton hicks (it didnt hurt).so,phoned midwife and she said go in,so we slowly got ready. we arrived there at about 3.05am and they put me on a stretcher- and i ended up pushing my son out in the lift! just about got in the delivery suite room and he was born at 3.14am.i shook for hours afterwards-midwife didnt even have time to read my notes or put gloves on!when we have another, its just gonna fly out and i will say

"oh, someone get that will you!"

glad i made it just about though!

YuletidePaps · 15/12/2006 19:05

Mate of mine gave birth in the car.

They were on their way to the birth centre at around 4am, when she yelled "stop the car" - dp rang around, open door and caught baby. They carried on to the centre - in such shock they did not know the sex of the baby when the midwives asked them!

Waswondering · 15/12/2006 19:15

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helenhismadwife · 15/12/2006 19:52

my first ever solo delivery as a student the mum was being induced (on delivery suite), she was due to be monitored and wanted to go to the loo first, she had shown no signs of labour but the next thing she was shouting saying she was pushing,I couldnt get in to her because she had locked the door, she eventually opened it (seemed like forever) the baby was down the toilet, it was absolutely fine.

where I work in the last year we have delivered four or five in the car park, picked one up off the carpark floor in the middle of the night, two in a corridor on the way to the delivery suite, had one woman deliver the baby before she got her trousers off, talked a hubby through a delivery at home that was funny because told the hubby to wrap the baby up and keep it warm when midwife and paramedics got there the placenta and baby were wrapped up to keep them warm had quite a few deliveries on the wards, and in the induction unit, they have ALL been fine mums and babes.

Generally if a baby arrives quickly although it can be frightening for mum things are ok, the important thing to remember is to keep baby warm put it skin to skin with mum on her chest with something like a blanket, coat or whatever is handy covering them both, and wait for help to arrive.

cece · 15/12/2006 20:00

I know someone who had their baby in the car, pulled over on way to hospital in a supermarket car park. On the fornt seat I believe. Her DH delivered with help of 999 controls on phone, midwife turned up just as it was delivered!

PrincessPeaHead · 15/12/2006 20:12

a friend of mine gave birth to her dd2 in the lift of chelsea & westminster hospital.
midwives had been warned a screeching pregnant lady was on her way up - the doors opened, she gave an almighty push and the midwife who was waiting there for her had to catch the baby!

luckily she was just wearing a nightshirt, not tights (eughhhh)

Notquitesotiredmum · 15/12/2006 20:32

My MIL works on a maternity ward and she had someone arrive today, who got out of the car, with the head already out - and so declined the chair brought to reception and insisted on WALKING to the delivery suite to deliver the rest of the baby there!!!! Huge respect for anyone who can go for a walk with the head out!

krimbokrackerskayzed · 15/12/2006 21:13

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doyouwantfrankincensewiththat · 15/12/2006 21:28

these are lovely stories, brought a tear to my eye in more ways than one do you get to put the car reg. on the baby's birth certificate?

mears · 16/12/2006 00:40

Kathy - to answer the cord question - there really is no need to do anything with it. The worst thing to do is cut it! While the baby is still attached it is still getting oxygen. Babies are capable of being born on their own - nature can be a wonderful thing. Quick labours are usually uncomplicated. It wouldn't have mattered really if i had been there or not. I only caught the baby really and passed him up to his mum.

CouldEquallyHaveBeenAnAardvark · 16/12/2006 00:42

PMSL at little robber baby in tights!

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 18/12/2006 12:37

Loved the tights story.

I am finding this thread very reassuring - the reason I posted in the first place was that I keep running through 'what if...' in my mind and it's nice to know that if we had been 5 minutes later getting there it would probably have been ok

I think the only story on this whole thread where something went wrong was the one where the husband would not let his wife be examined by male paramedics.

OP posts:
misstimms · 18/12/2006 13:26

My DD was delivered in the bathroom by her daddy (with alittle help via the telephone by a lovely lady in ambulance control. I knew I was in labour, spoke to the mat.ward and got told I was going to be hours so don't rush in. My waters broke within 15mins of that conversation and my beautiful darling DD couldn't wait to come out!! After the inital shock of being told he would have to deliver his baby, my DP suggested getting in the car to which (to my memory anyway) I very calmly told him that that would not be such a good idea! It was actually very perfect and I know we were very lucky, and the idea of the A40 being the place of birth was not that appealing!!!

Glitterygookwithchocsonthetree · 18/12/2006 13:30

I always wonder this too Kathy as ds2 was born about 20 mins after getting to hospital - up until about 10 mins before he was born I wasn't even sure if I was in labour or not so I just thank God I did actually go to hospital 'just in case'! I was at home that morning, on my own with an 18 month old so it could have been sooooo different if not been my usual super cautious self!

ThePrisoner · 18/12/2006 14:39

I delivered my neighbour's baby in her hallway. Things went from "think I've just had a contraction" to "oops, I'm having a baby NOW!" within minutes. (And no, I'm not a midwife).

Original poster
KathyMCMLXXII · 18/12/2006 14:42

Gosh, ThePrisoner! Well done!
In this context, does 'delivered' just mean 'caught'?

OP posts:
rhubarbcat · 18/12/2006 15:47

Well the only baby I've ever caught that came out not breathing was one in the carpark. Happy ending though so that was good.

robinpud · 18/12/2006 16:16

There's a layby we pass on the ring road where I contemplated delivering ds, but the thought of it horrified me so puffed and tried hard not to push so that he was born as soon as I got into the delivery suite. Midwife was well cheezed off; 5 minutes to deliver him and 2 hours to do the paperwork! I went into deep shock though which nobody really realised for a while so be warned!

expatinscotland · 18/12/2006 16:19

Very nearly.

Kept thinking how we hadn't brought any towels or blankets.

DH just honked the horn and waved wildly outside hospital and finally midwife came running out.

I couldn't stand by that point.

She asked, Do you feel the need to push?

I said I felt like I had to take a giant crap. NOW.

It was my second and for my first I'd had an epidural, so I had no idea what all that pressure felt like.

They rolled me into a suite asap!

expatinscotland · 18/12/2006 16:20

Winston Churchill was born at a ball.

His mum was quickly whisked into a side room and out he came .

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