Ambulance and Labour

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Would you/did you call an ambulance if you are/were in labour? Of course I do not mean for medical emergencies where it was life or death, but for normal labour?

I ask because I had not even considered it, unless of course I went into labour very early/quickly and no time to go in car with no medical backup.

DH and I were talking the other day when we talked about what hosp to give birth in, and he said, it does not really matter if it is 45 mins away as the ambulance can take you there. I said I did not think you could/should call an ambulance for labour, and he was gobsmacked. He considered labour an emergency and I argued it was not. A straighfoward labour requires some planning and part of that planning is getting to the hospital. He said, what if he was not here, I said I would ask a friend to take me. He said I should call an ambulance.

I sort of think it is treating them like a taxi service! WDYT?

In the 'trade' women calling 999 and expecting a ambulance to take them to hospital when they are in normal labour is known as a maternataxi.

see here

My MW friend has observed that where she used to work in the UK they would regularly get women arriving in an ambulance in labour but where we live and where she works now where we have to pay for ambulances it is a rarity.

Leo Hickman (from the Guardian) was talked through delivering his baby by the 999 operator, and the recording was later broadcast. It was lovely, and the operator was great. How awful if he hadn't been able to get through because some maternataxi (love that!) was on the line.

off topic, sorry.

It is frustrating when a woman calls an ambulance and she is no where near giving birth (even more annoying is the partner driving behind in the car ). If the baby will arrive within minutes, you know that you will not get to the hospital in a car/taxi before you deliver THEN call an ambulance. You have had nine months to prepare for this.
I do get up on my high horse about this but I used to work for the ambulance so have experience with time wasters.
The best call I ever did was one where the Dad had delivered the DC. His exact words were 'she coughed and it just slipped out'. Turns out it was number 8!!!!

I can't speak for MW's but most ambulance journeys are not more then 20mins in urban areas hence the small amount. In rural areas they carry more.