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)

Someone I know did! Pregnant with her twins, husband didn’t drive, drove herself there, delivered the twins vaginally, cut the cord herself and drove them all home again! A total crazy lady but people do drive themselves!!

Definitely definitely not: how can you not see how dangerous that could be, for you and others on the roads. You cannot assume this labour will be the same. Surely DH can drive you and then go home with the kids.

Incredibly irresponsible.

You’ve had months to work this out. Hire someone in to look after your children so your husband can take you

I didn't want to be bombarded with "worst case scenarios" like I'm a child that hasn't thought anything through

Well, you're certainly acting like a child "I'm doing it anyway, tee tee" - as if those of us who take road safety as quite important are being killjoys or something. Did you ever think that maybe the reason some of us are warning you is because we have been in road traffic accidents and have seen the consequences?

Have you considered what would happen if you needed to push halfway. You say the roads are quiet where you are. You could end up birthing at the side of the road alone.

NO.

Remind me why:
Your husband and can't drive you?
A friend can drive you?
You can't take a taxi?

So you are not only willing to ignore the sensible advice on here, @Echomama, but think you also know better than the NHS guidance, helpfully quoted by @JeanLundegaard above?

I'll quote it again here.

"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."

You could kill someone else, adult or child by driving when medically unfit simply because it is more convenient for you

I'm pretty sure that you'd be invalidating hour insurance if you were stupid enough to do this

But why ask, if you don't plan on taking any of the advice given to you?

Oh God, early labour with my third I drove my self to a coffee morning. It was only when I realised I was breathing through contractions that I left and even then I went to a friends house as she was childcare for ds2 and I had him with me.

I also live 1 hour away from the hospital and we have no childcare for DS beyond the planned day - Due to have a c section next Tuesday, baby 2.

I would absolutely not drive to the hospital! If baby decides to come early, I will be calling the midwives and having a home birth. My last labour happened in less than 2 hours start to finish, there will be no point in even trying to get to hospital anyway so I've decided to stay put.

You don't exactly make rational decisions in labour. If I were you I'd stay put too.

Absolutely not!

You cannot know how you will labour just because you have done it before either. Each labour and delivery is often totally different, even for the same woman.

I think driving while in labour, or even if just suspecting you might be in labour, is not to be recommended. Too dangerous.