What happens if you're alone & bring baby to labour ward?

[dina10]

What happens if you're a single parent without friends or family and bring a baby to the labour ward? Or call an ambulance in labour and have a baby in the house with nobody else there?

Do you have any neighbours with young children who you trust? I would ask them in the first instance as they're close by and on the scene for when things start happening.

It’s not completely predictable, though. Even excluding premature birth there are several weeks where the baby could arrive. It’s a challenging thing to arrange even with the money to pay someone to be constantly on call.

@viques

This is why pregnancy lasts nine months so you can sort issues like this. (I read on an ambulance drivers blog that his local hospital had a midwife who told patients this if they said they would have to call an ambulance because they didn’t have a car.)

Oh my goodness- I thought gestation being Nine Months was all about developing the baby so he or she is mature enough to survive independently of the mother- Silly me!

@dina10 , I hope this is a “ Hypothetical” question, but best of luck if this is about you or someone you know.

@dina10 Do you attend any groups with your older baby where there might be other parents who are able to help you out?
I’m not particularly close to any of the mums in my toddlers groups but I’d happily help out with childcare if I was able in your situation. Obviously the likelihood is that it would be at short notice so might be best to if you had a couple of willing people just incase one isn’t free?

@thebigpurpleone

Where are the dads?

Same place as your brain: absent

I took the nine months thing to heart. Rural area no family. All the people I'd met were also having second babies. I spoke to the lovely neighbour up the hill, with a 6 & 7 year old. DD1 toddled off.
I laboured away. I can assure you that nothing concentrates your labouring mind like knowing your childcare favour is about to run out of time. DD1 came back home, asked if she could have a biscuit and go and play there again. When you are holding a new born, your first child even at two, transforms into a giant, almost ready to leave home creature. Amazing the birthing brain.

Is homebirth an option?

But bear in mind you’d need back up if you did need hospital care

@thebigpurpleone

Where are the dads?

You particularly has to make a point of conspicuously assuming “dads” plural, did you? Nice.

@thebigpurpleone

Where are the dads?

RTFT? 2 posts above yours?

Errrr no my where are the dads is in relation to the vague OP which seems to be asking in general.

@thebigpurpleone

Errrr no my where are the dads is in relation to the vague OP which seems to be asking in general.

I think that’s been more than covered,

If my neighbour knocked on my door and said they were due to give birth soon and didn't have any friends or family to help, I would gladly look after their baby. People might surprise you OP - even vague acquaintances.

Alternatively, do you have a local church with an active family section? I'm not religious or a church attender at all but our local one do all sorts, parenting classes, toddler groups, food bank, homeless drop-in, refugee support. There are lots of very community-minded people out there who would want to try to help.