Can I drive home after C section if baby discharged today?

[Agrette0]

Hi, probably a daft question but I’m really not sure what to do and I don’t want to get in trouble.

I had my baby girl on Friday morning by C section, she came a bit early while we were up visiting family in Preston. We actually live in Great Barr (Birmingham area) and were only meant to be staying the weekend but my waters went suddenly on Thursday night.

Baby’s doing well and they’re saying we can be discharged later today. The problem is we’re quite far from home and I don’t really have anyone who can come get us. My partner can’t drive (we usually use my car) and my mum doesn’t drive either. Everyone’s saying wait a few days but we’re stuck in hospital and I just want to get baby home and settled.

I feel ok in myself apart from being a bit sore when I get up or twist, but I can move around fine and it’s an automatic car. It’s about a 2 hour drive mostly motorway (M6).

I know they say not to drive for 6 weeks after a section but is that like an actual rule or just what they recommend? I’d obviously take it slow and stop if needed.

Has anyone here driven sooner and been ok? I’m desperate to get home now and baby’s not sleeping well here at all.

Thanks x

And agree with others. Even being a passenger was painful initially.

You are best to try and rest before travel, even as passenger

Partner just never got round to learning - he keeps saying he will but we only ever really needed one car so I do the driving. Not very helpful right now though 😂

I’ve asked the midwife about hospital transport and she said they can’t take us that far but she’s given me a number for a volunteer driver service so I’ll try ringing them. If not maybe a taxi or National Express like someone said, I’ll look into it.

I’m definitely not going to drive after reading all this, I don’t want to risk my stitches or get in trouble with insurance. Just feel a bit trapped really but hopefully we’ll get sorted soon.

Can you get a train? With taxis to and from the train station? Your husband can travel with you so you are not alone. It would be much more comfortable than a car journey anyway

Why not stay at your mum's for a few weeks? At least you'll have support around you.

Best case - finding someone who can drive you and family home in your own car. With plenty of stops along tye way for everyone to have a wriggle and a stretch.

Whether that’s someone from home, or a local volunteer, or a bit of both.

Would you contact a local blood bank driver charity? They obviously usually drive their own bikes, but are the loveliest human and regularly volunteer to drive long distances. If you could get one insured on your car?

Or ask a friend to take a train to meet you and drive your car home?

Stay with your mum for a bit. Honestly, the 15 min drive home post c sections was bad enough. Seatbelt rubbing on scar, tiring to sit up, bleeding….

Can you stay in a hotel or even just stay in hospital a few more days ask doctors there if they can clear you to drive on pain killers your taking. I think as long as a doctor has cleared you the insurance is valid.

@Ophy83 - the OP has already said she couldn’t cope with the train

Try and get a medical transport. Just be careful please.

Like a pp said, it was difficult enough being a passenger after a c-section, let alone driving! There's no way I could have worked the pedals.

A C-sec is major abdominal surgery and you'll find you won't be able to do a lot of things...the worst one would be to try to drive!

I'm sorry you had a bad journey. It's certainly not universal though. I had zero pain going home from the hospital, and chose to see some friends on day five that were a 2-hour round trip away. I was the passenger not the driver, but it was not only pain-free, the idea of it being painful didn't even cross my mind.

Likewise, when people say that a few days after you would not be able to do an emergency stop without splitting your stitches, I disagree. Less than 24 hours after my first section, an unfortunate incident in the shower meant I got sprayed by ice cold water unexpectedly. I've never jumped so hard in my life, got airtime and everything 😂. No issues with my stitches whatsoever.

That being said, I still think driving 2 hours home 3 days after section is a silly idea.

With my first (EmCS) I didn't drive for the full 6 weeks (30 years ago) but. with my second also EmCS I drove after 4 weeks and with my third (elective CS) I drove after 3 weeks and scared myself so gave it another week. Wouldn't have dreamed of going on a motorway before the 6 weeks anyway. The main reason I didn't drive sooner was because my brain was fried - I couldn't concentrate enough never mind the full thickness cuts through all 7 abdominal layers.

@noidea69 @idri @luna6 Why do you feel so strongly about people who don’t drive? DH has a licence but never drives. I can’t drive and we have never had a car. We both have professional jobs and have brought up 3 children (now adults) with no issues or hindrances whatsoever. We go to work, got the children to school, go on holidays, shop and socialise. All without a car. It’s a choice that many people make.

OP, I hope you come up with a solution. Taxi or a lift from a friend seems the most obvious. A friend drove DH and I when I was in labour and we got a taxi home.

Fuck no!! Id say 3 weeks until I felt able to even think about it

I drove short distances 4 days after c section. I had a good recovery and I had no choice as I lived 4 hours from family

Is your car at the hospital or your mum’s ?
if it’s at the hospital that’s the first priority (I had to do this, got my MIL insurance for my car temporarily, she drove to mine (2hrs), left her car , got a taxi to the hospital and she took my car back to mine for me), get it from the hospital to your mums even if you can’t get it back to yours - I was taken in unexpectedly early so had driven to my appointment and my car was ‘stuck’ at the hospital.

getting back to yours - public transport or a lift are the options I’m afraid. This close to a c-section no dr is going to clear you for driving as the risk of splitting your stitches or causing yourself injury are too high. Plus it’s a long drive it will be exhausting and likely to need lots of stops with a newborn so will take longer than normal.

best bet is finding someone you know and getting them temporary insurance on your car and paying for public transport back or if they are someone from near your home obviously the reverse

you will be able to get flatbed transport for the car if you can’t get someone to drive it - try smaller firms rather than the AA because they will be expensive, check they are insured but otherwise lots of companies do this

Good luck, it’s stressful and you could do without this now but it will get sorted & at least in years to come you’ll have a slightly different birth story to tell everyone.

Do you have car recovery? Does that cover getting you home if the only driver is not physically able to drive?

I’ve managed to get hold of one of the volunteer driver people the midwife mentioned - he’s going to drive my car for me tomorrow and his wife will follow in theirs so he’s got a lift back. Bit of a lifesaver honestly! It’ll cost a bit but at least we can get home safely.

They’ve decided to keep us in overnight anyway just to double check baby’s temperature and weight before we go, so it’s worked out for the best. I feel a lot better knowing I don’t have to try and drive.

Baby’s finally asleep on me now after screaming all afternoon so I’m just enjoying the quiet 😅

Thanks everyone for being so lovely and helpful, I’ll update when we’re home x

@Agrette0glad you got it sorted

I understand ur desperate to get home and while there isn't an actual law, what all the information says is don't drive till u can feel safe making that emergency stop. At 3 day pp it's defo not safe I waited till I was 13 days and that was a planned un complicated c section. Also there is lots of safety implications for driving with a new born any distance so I'd rwlly advise against it. Worse case u sit it out where u are and just relax best case u take a train home and come back up in a few weeks fro the car z

No no no no no. Maybe after 2 weeks if you recover very quickly and a doctor agrees.

I’d get your mum to ask around for someone that drives. Get temporary insurance for them (just for the day) and get them to drive you home and then pay for their train back

or get a taxi to somewhere you could get a direct train to

or Just stay with your mum

you def need to get dh to learn to drive. We are permanent taxis here for our two dcs and I’m grateful that we share the taxi duties 50/50. They’re literally every night so I’d not have a social life at all if it was up to me!

Fucks sake. Of course not

Like others have said your insurance wouldn’t cover you.

Is there know one that could drive your car back? Then you paid for a train back for them? I wouldn’t fancy getting public transport with a week old baby. Or even staying anywhere other than my own home.

Hope you get sorted x

Your insurers can’t make that decision, you have to be declared fit and well to drive by a doctor/midwife. I can’t imagine they’re going to do that a few days after major abdominal surgery I’m sorry to say. No point ringing your insurers, they will tell you that as long as you are medically fit to drive and the DVLA are aware of anything declarable then your insurance is valid.