Would you consider driving yourself in early labour?

[Echomama]

So we have always lived an hour away from any hospital. This time is no different. Except now we have two more kids.
With baby 2 we just bought dc1 with us but I don't think it's feasible this time around.
I know the drill on how I labour, and early labour ive normally got a couple of hours in me before I need to start worrying about pushing (then it goes pretty damn fast)

My question is, how have parents who have given birth alone, travelled to the hospital? Would you ever consider driving yourself in early labour? (If you know you physically could)

🤣🤣🤣 you all act like it's the end of the world and worst case scenarios for everything.
I know I could have driven the second because I was bored out of my box as a passenger and waiting for space in the delivery ward.....
I couldn't have driven with the forst because I left it was too late and barely made it into the hospital.
The roads here are dead... even at peak rush hour time the most traffic we get is a quiet Sunday evening in the uk. If I got stranded then at least I'm closer to the hospital than I was!
Dh won't be able to drive because he needs to do child care. And unless I want to spend an hour getting into the car to then have two very awake and grumpy traumatised children that I would be the one having to deal with the day after... no thanks 😅
Glad there is somebody out there who didn't completely go omg you're insane and you're going to kill you, your baby and everybody around you!
I'll just have to play it by ear , thanks though ladies! 😊

Why did you even ask then, you've made up your mind and don't care about anyone else's opinion so why ask for it?

So selfish that rather than risk marginally inconveniencing your husband, the father of your children by having him drive you to the hospital with grumpy kids you would rather risk every other driver on the roads and yourself and the baby.

The thing is, @Echomama, having a contraction is not a ‘worst case scenario’ - you won’t be going in to hospital unless you are in labour, so you are going to have contractions during the journey to hospital, and I cannot see how someone can drive safely whilst having a contraction, unless it is really mild.

I think this would be a very foolish thing to do, but as @InfoSecInTheCity says, you seem to have made up your mind and don’t want to listen to any contrary opinions.

No! I've seen many a baby being born in a car and 1 born in the hospital lobby. My last labour lasted 1 minute 48 seconds luckily for me I was already in the hospital!

100% your insurance won't cover you if you knew you were in labour and you started driving. It's exactly like how you aren't covered if you drive after being prescribed medication that says don't drive. Or if you start driving after developing heart attack symptoms etc. I believe that the driver of the bin lorry that killed a lot of people in Glasgow a few years ago was subsequently charged as he knew he was unwell and drove anyway.
Why risk it.

How are you going to get home after if the car is parked at the hospital and your DH is not?

100% your insurance won't cover you if you knew you were in labour and you started driving

Yep, but you sound determined to do it anyway so not really sure why you asked in the first place if your mind is already made up.

Seriously, what can’t your husband cope with a 2hour round trip with your kids in the car? If you’re going to birth on your own anyway, just get him to drop you?

I drove to my nieces birthday in early labour. Contractions were about 7 mins apart and mild, journey was about 10 minutes. Way there was fine, on the way back it occurred to me that I probably shouldn't be driving as the contractions were leaving 'uncomfortable' and becoming 'painful'.

I had the same thought- he sounds useless.

Why cant he drop you off and then look after his kids who apparently will be a nightmare after a 2 hour drive the next day- is he incapable?

No chance. I had my first contraction at 5am. Zero signs of labour prior to this. By 6am I was having 3 in 10 min and my limbs were locking out. When we reached the hospital they had to send a wheelchair out as I couldn't move and was stood in pouring rain in car park unable to move or talk during the contraction, which were 2 mins long. I couldn't walk safely never mind drive!

Erm ... your DH would be dealing with them as you'd be giving birth.

Pack your hospital bags. Pack go bags for kids. First sign of labour bundle them straight into car in whatever they're in with the bags of toys/snacks and go. You can be out in less than 10 mins.

It's a long drive. You may start fine but I went from 2cm to 9cm in under 2 hours. You could be half way there, alone, contractions ramping up and deliver on the road.

I'd far rather have two grumpy kids bundled into the car than leave them without a mum because she got herself in a wreck on the way to hospital or died after giving birth alone on side of road and haemorrhaged.

And unless I want to spend an hour getting into the car to then have two very awake and grumpy traumatised children that I would be the one having to deal with the day after... no thanks 😅

Lol what? you'll be looking after your two other kids the day after you give birth...

Where will your husband be- having a lie down I suppose after his super stressful hour's drive the day before? 😂

Hell no.

No! In early labour I could have driven but the hospital would have sent me home. In established labour I couldn't have driven.

The NHS website says this:
Plan your route
This sounds obvious, but have you planned how to get to the hospital or birth centre when you go into labour? Who will take you there? Have local taxi numbers ready if you don’t have access to a car. If you need to take public transport, have the timetable ready..

If you had an accident it would be a case of dangerous driving as opposed to careless. To drive in labour you would be putting yourself, your unborn child and everyone else on the road at risk.

Maybe a home birth would suit you better.

I did drive in early labour while having contractions, I had 3 or 4 whilst driving. Only because it was an early both though and my first- I thought it was just v strong Braxton hicks. Wouldn't do it on purpose though, I was lucky as at one point it was so strong I couldn't help my feet pushing on th pedals and my car lurched massively. don't do it

Exactly. This is just silly. If your contractions are so mild that you can drive then the hospital would send you away again. If you are in active labour then they won’t be mild so driving will be dangerous.

🙄

Driving an hour in labour sounds bonkers. A lot can happen in that hour.
Why have you ruled out taxi? The issue is you being the one in control of the moving object, not simply the length of the journey.
Why couldn't DH bundle you and both kids into the car and drive you all there, drop you off and then go wherever to look after the kids while you labour? If your plan is to drive yourself while he does childcare assuming you are OK giving birth without him.
Or why not a friend, relative or neighbour to drive you?
Your concentration will not be what it should and in the event things happen quickly, you'd be alone in a car, potentially reacting to painful contractions.

That is a completely irresponsible point of view. I'd have thought a mother of two an hour away from a hospital would know better. As many PPs have pointed out, every labour is different and you seem to be unable to comprehend that that might apply to you.
I shouldn't have to state this but obviously you're not understanding or taking on board the opinions you've asked for (which have been pretty much a resounding absolute no), your third labour is unlikely to be the same, you should not take this risk which could cause real harm to yourself or your baby. Or other drivers.
Yes you're clearly willing to labour and give birth alone in hospital but how do you reconcile the actual real risk with that as your hopeful endpoint? Give yourself a shake. It's unusual that a parent at this stage needs to be told to understand that it's not about you.

This is without doubt the dumbest series of posts from an OP I’ve ever seen on this thread.

@Echomama, everyone is telling you it’s dangerous and stupid for one reason: it’s dangerous and stupid. If you drive and you make it there fine, you won’t have been right, you‘ll have been lucky, and the same goes for your baby and everyone else on the road.

Get your bloody husband to drive you with the kids in the back, or get someone to look after them.

Because I wanted to know if people would or their experiences if they had. I didn't want to be bombarded with "worst case scenarios" like I'm a child that hasn't thought anything through.
Funnily enough it's not my first choice but as circumstances have it, it's practically my only choice. Thanks again guys.

Why did you come here to ask the question? You're going to do it anyway.

Why would it take you an hour to get in the car with the kids ?
Why would you be looking after them the next day?

They're not worst case scenarios.

They are the basic risks and consequences of driving during intermittent (worsening) pain that is characterised by stopping you from doing anything else, during a hormone-driven alteration of cognitive functioning.

No it isn't. You have a DH perfectly capable of driving you there. There is zero need to consider driving yourself which is reckless and irresponsible.