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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Car journey in labour

38 replies

Notsure1234 · 20/05/2017 18:48

I was induced last time so never had to make the journey from home to hospital in labour. This is the thing I'm most worried about this time round!

In labour I went into a 'zone' and needed to stay in one position to cope. The worst bit of my labour by far was the wheelchair journey from the ward to delivery suite and that was only a few minutes! It was agony. How on earth will I cope with the car journey?!

OP posts:

Crispmonster1 · 20/05/2017 23:20

I ended up squatting in the back seat with my last one. I felt every bump in the road. It was not good. Make sure the back seat of your car is clear....

HeddaGarbled · 20/05/2017 23:29

Oh dear, are all these scare stories helpful, do you think? I went in earlier and it was fine in terms of pain management though obviously we were both terrified! It meant I spent longer in the maternity unit rather than at home and they did threaten to send H home at one point but thankfully things speeded up so that didn't happen.

trinitybleu · 20/05/2017 23:50

20 min drive at 11pm and it was fine. Was 4cm, contractions every 7 mins and waters had gone at home. Tens was on and if I sat back in the seat it was too strong so just sat a bit upright. OH dropped me off at the door and I walked in to the unit which was a fair way. Don't worry!

AWaspOnAWindowInAHeatwave · 21/05/2017 00:36

Could you perhaps drive halfway (or even closer) to maternity unit while you're still in the early stages, potter/go for a walk somewhere nice/visit the shops to occupy your mind till you think it's worth going in? That way if things progress quicker than you anticipated, you won't have a long journey to think about.

Good luck!

TheSleeperandTheSpindle · 21/05/2017 02:29

I was on all fours on the back seat, which thinking back was really unsafe, as it was about 9am so lots of traffic about but I just couldn't be in any other position. I also had a wobble when my DH told me it was time to get into the car and just cried that I couldn't. He had to practically haul me into the car between contractions.

I was 10 cms when we arrived at hospital though so did leave it until the last minute. I also walked from the car into the hospital. I'll always remember having to stop by the entrance and leaning over a bench during one contraction, the man sitting on the bench probably wondered what the fuck was happening.

Aliveinwanderland · 21/05/2017 03:16

We live 50 minutes away from the hospital and it wasn't a pleasant car journey in. It was 5:30am and winter and I found winding the window down at each contraction and blasting myself with cold air helped.

cliffdiver · 21/05/2017 06:03

I kind of kneeled on the seat facing towards the back of the car and was strapped in backwards iyswim.

Journey was approx 20 mins and went a lot quicker than I thought it would.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 21/05/2017 06:18

Contractions all slowed down so much that if I hadn't been due to be induced anyway they might have sent me home. Soon kicked up a gear again though.

Aebj · 21/05/2017 06:23

My friend took me to hospital . I don't remember much apart from it raining. She told me after that I kept telling her to be quite!!! Speed humps in the car park at the maternity hospital was the worst experience I've ever had. I'm sure they were put there by men!!!
With ds 2 hubby had been home for just over 24 hours. He didn't know the way to the hospital so I had to give directions!!! Don't know how I managed!!!

DarkFloodRises · 21/05/2017 06:27

For one of my labours (DC2) I was in the car less than an hour before having the baby (15-20 min car journey and I gave birth 40 mins after arriving at the hospital). I don't remember it as being a problem except that I was worried about making it in time!

BalloonDinosaur · 21/05/2017 06:34

I had a TENS machine and found it really helped as I was dreading the journey too. Lots of speed bumps didn't help and I knew I couldn't face doing it twice so waited at home as long as possible.

It was January and thick fog so was more concerned about DP driving and had to take it pretty slowly, but it was definitely manageable.

lotusbomb · 21/05/2017 06:48

I had to do two car journeys while I was in labour!

The first trip to the hospital they examined me and sent me home. They said I was defiantly in labour but wasn't dilating so the best place for me to be was at home. Spent the next 4 hours at home with contractions until they became completely unbearable and had to go back to the hospital. The worst part wasn't the car journey itself as it was about 1am and the hospital was about 15 minutes away. The worst part was the getting from the car to the birthing suite. I remember being hunched over a wall at one point while my mum was carrying all my stuff and my aunt was frantically looking for a wheelchair. Luckily a hospital porter saw me and was able to grab one for me. Once we actually made it to the birthing suite, everything all of a sudden felt very calm!

TippetyTapWriter · 22/05/2017 21:26

Crikey, these stories are making me worried as I'm going to have to get a taxi as we have no car, and it's a 40 minute drive to the hospital. And dh might have to stay home with ds if mil can't get here in time. Eeek. Is that enough of a reason to ask for another section?! (Sort of being light hearted, but also not! Anyone laboured in a taxi??)

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