Can you drive in very early labour?

[LisaSimpsonsbff]

Sat at work at 36 weeks idly musing about what would happen in the pretty unlikely event that I went into labour before I start maternity leave (at 38+2) and was in the office. I drive to work; it takes an hour, but the same journey by public transport takes nearly three. We only have one car, so DH couldn't come to get me - he'd have to get public transport, so would take three hours (plus - it's 3 hours from when you leave, but he could have to wait up to an hour for the first train to leave). Would attempting to drive home be madly dangerous if labour started? If so, what would I do? I could go to the hospital here but they wouldn't want to see me for hours and hours probably, so would I just have to sit around (at work?!) waiting and then if DH hadn't completed the epic journey get a taxi?

I don't know about recommendations but a friend of mind drove herself to hospital while having contractions..... so I dunno what the legalities are but I guess you do what you need to when it comes time!

Apologies if this is a very, very stupid question!

I think most labours start slowly so you could probably get home before it got to the point you couldn’t drive.

Of course it's not stupid, you'll probably know at the time x

Chances are it won't be that quick. I had a day at work having what I thought were strong braxton hicks (36 weeks and planning on working til 38) drove home and get my daughter from school as they got progressjvely worse, dropped her at a friends and went in. This was my second labour and it was much quicker than number 1 but I still had plenty of warning.

The relevant question is whether or not your insurance would cover you in the event of an accident surely?

I'd would have thought driving while impaired by labour would invalidate your policy.

You really won't know until it happens. For me, my early labour both times was intense contractions every couple of minutes where I couldn't even stand straight! No 'ooooh, could this be labour?' for me!

A good idea as a back up would be to discuss being driven home by a colleague. Or be ready to get an Uber.

I wouldn't, unless I had no other choice but to drive myself to hospital. Even then, you have to deal with finding a parking spot, queuing at a pay and display machine etc., not knowing how long you'd be staying for.

Both my DD's were born at 37 & 37 +3 so definitely possible.

I wouldn't drive I was advised not to drive when I was in early labour. As PP have said I'm pretty sure if anything happens it makes your policy invalid.
Do you have any family who can pick you up ? Although awkward I just don't think it's worth the risk driving but that's probably based on my labour experiences and the fact that when you go into labour you get a wave of excitement and fear so probably not the safest mindset

Thing is, you don't know how fast you will progress. My last labour was "I think something might be starting, maaaaybe.... shit, baby crowning!!"

Now that is hardly everybody's experience but the student MW who attended said that that year, I was one of three women she had cared for who'd given birth in a loo as they didn't realise how far along they were. So cannot be that uncommon.

Taxi an option?

I think it's unwise to tell OP it will be grand- maybe if she was driving five minutes away on deserted roads, but I think it would be downright irresponsible to make that journey and put other road users at risk.

Even if your contractions were ten minutes apart at the start, that's six contractions you'd be driving through over the course of an hours journey, on busy roads potentially during rush hour.

Although probably expensive I'd say definitely a taxi. An hour is a long time labour wise ! Waters breaking etc

Thanks all! I just looked and an uber home would be an eye-watering £100, but I guess that's what I'd have to do. I could get the in-laws to come get me but it would take them at least two hours. None of the colleagues I'm even remotely close enough to to ask drive to work (I work in a very uncar-friendly city) so none of them could drive me.

Again, I think this is pretty unlikely - I only work in the office three days a week, so the odds of it happening both early and here seem remote! It's just I suddenly realised that I have absolutely no plan for it if it did.

Depends how early and how painful! Some people slow labour for a week before contractions get strong and regular.

My waters broke but I didn't have any contractions at all at first.

If your waters break without contractions they monitor you and often induce to start contractions as there is a risk of infection once the waters have broken.

So in my case it was perfectly safe to drive. So in answer to your question - it depends on how your labour starts and how early you go into hospital.

Generally though, I think it is not a good idea as most people wait until they are in quite established labour before going to hospital for the birth.

Generally though, I think it is not a good idea as most people wait until they are in quite established labour before going to hospital for the birth.

Just to be clear, I have no plan to drive myself to hospital. My question is whether I could drive myself home to wait out early labour there, as I think on average I'd have 12 hours then until it was time to go into hospital?

First pregnancy waters broke at 37 weeks, no contractions, wasn’t on maternity leave but luckily it happened on a Saturday. Hospital said to go straight in. I think I would have been too nervous to drive.

2nd pregnancy, again at 37 weeks, slow build up of contractions but within under an hour I wouldn’t have been able to drive as although about 10 mins apart they were very painful for their duration.

I think for quite a lot of people labour starts when your body senses you're in a good place for it to happen - so more likely in bed than in the office. A few friends having their second said labour started once PILs took toddler away for the day/overnight.
You really don't need the risk and hassle of being in a car crash while in labour, I wouldn't risk the harm to you or anyone else.

No you really shouldn't drive in labour. If you are excepting a 12 hr labour surely there would be no problem in someone coming to get you?

Nope because all my contractions are in my pelvis, legs and back and my muscles have a fun tendency to lock up (position of baby doesn't matter, have had one back to back and one not).

In very early labour I suppose it would be uncomfortable but doable, but then you never know how fast you’ll progress! I’d chance it, but stop if it became a problem. I made a bad judgement and drove fairly far into labour, I thought I’d be able to get out and back again but misjudged how far into it I was . But I could still drive safely, just counted the contractions with increasing alarm and then got a lift to hospital, baby born 2 hours later.

When I went into labour with dd2 I packed a bag and drove dd1 to her weekly 'Pop of the tots' music group where I proceeded to spend most of the next two hours doing the hokey kokey and such like.

It won’t invalidate your insurance unless you’re actually using gas and air at the wheel.

I covered someone's maternity leave once and apparently she went into labour when cycling home from her last day at work.