Protecting car seats and the hospital run

[JoeBongo]

Hi,

1st post so please go easy. I am planning for the run to the hospital with my wife when the time comes in a few weeks and casually asked the NCT class about protecting my car seats should waters break etc.

I got a few looks, but at least I was honest.

My car is an old one where they don't make the seats anymore and if they were knackered in the run then I may as well scrap the car as I couldn't afford to get custom replacements made.

Assuming I wasn't the first person to ever ask this, I put a post up on the Piston Heads forum (a car driving forum) to ask what others have done. WARNING: Now before you click on there, if you are particularly senstive then don't! It's not filth or anything , but it tends to be blokeish pub humour which may appear crass to some people.www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=796669&i=999999&nmt=Pregnant%20wife,%20hospital%20r un%20and%20leather%20car%20seats

There have been quite a few replies (and please do remember this is mostly tongue in cheek except for the sensible advice) but wondered how this would be done if I asked on a parenting forum. I'd appreciate any advice or can you corroborate the sensible advice on the Piston Heads thread about using maternity pads/towels etc.

Cheers,

Joe

What's wrong with a black plastic sack?

I just put a couple of towels on the seat with a plastic bag underneath. I drove like that for the last couple of weeks - didn't need them in the end!

I'd have thought a towel or 2 should suffice! My waters have never broken by themselves, always been crochet hooked! so no risk to car....

Most women's waters do not break until they are pushing, so you might well have nothing to worry about.

Most of my friends who have gone in after the membranes ruptured used towels, sanitary towels and those pads that you can use after the birth to protect your bed (they sell them in mothercare and they have a waterproof backing).

Well, I didn't read the link but in answer to your question....

....if your wifes waters have already broken a maternity pad should soak up sufficiently for 20 mins- 1/2 an hour.

If you are really worried about your seats, she can sit on a folded up towl, or a disposible pampers changing mat. (They sell tehm near the disposible nappies in supermarkets, and are usefull for sitting on after the baby is born; hostpital beds have them on anyway in the maternity ward, to catch blood leakage. (Sorry if too much info, but I'm talking to a man here)

In all likely hood, her waters may not break before you get to the hostpital, or on the way.

And anyway...I think you should consider changing your car....you are so not going to want a toddler trashing your nice seats!

You can get maternity pads - sometimes called Inco pads (as in incontinent). They are maybe 70cm square and come in packs of 5. Boots sell them. I sat on one in the car for the last few weeks because I had a sudden rupture of waters in my first preg (not in the car, but could have been). Amniotic fluid is very damaging to upholstery, so worth taking precautions. However a big plastic bag and a towel would have the same effect

lol...

I think you need to try harder to get banned from mumsnet.

Seriously your wife will be wearing maternity pads when she is in the car. Maternity pads are like a sanitary towel, but the size of a brick.

Alternatively have you considered a homebirth?

I sat on a black plastic bag and some bathroom towels in the car on the way to the hospital.
Sanitary towels or maternity pads were absolutely no use with the volume of water that I had. I was a soggy mess for hours as water just kept on coming.

My husband bought plastic tablecloths from E-Bay - £4.99.

(for 2 X 1.3m sq)

It depends on the amount - when mine went with my first, there was a huge amount. I used three maternity pads, 2 towels and a plastic bag. Hospital is 5 minutes away and I still had to throw my trousers away. And that was 3 hours after they first broke! I think it is a reasonable question to ask at NCT class - you want to be prepared as much as possible as there is so much you can't prepare for. Good luck!

Thanks for the responses and for not ripping me a new one!

The home birth scares me as I am a healthcare professional and have been indoctrinated over the years by treating ill people and the infinitesimally low probability "what if's" seem like they happen all the time, as I never see "normal life" so my advice to my wife is to be near to the NICU and the specialist docs, midwives and nurses.

I know it's highly unlikely but all I see is resuscitation, blue lights and extreme interventions in which I know time is the most crucial factor. I guess I've become extremely risk averse, hence considering things down to the "what if's" with my old car!

I used maternity pads which soaked through in the 10 mins it took to the hospital! I also used a wet the bed sheet matress protector from boots. You can get a pack of ten for v little and as they are designed for older children and night time wee I thought they'd cope. Our car was spotless although my trousers weren't!

I used maternity towels (two on top of each otherf) + a disposable changing mat on the seat. They are basically the same as the mats for protecting beds for sick people, only with pictures...
Got me to the hospital ok and the driver was fine with it as well (went by taxi).

incontinence sheet/pad, plus maternity pad (noticed in a bigish boots they were selling maternity sheets......looked like an incontinence pad to me). BTW I was on a towel and it was fine....

Pampers disposable changing mats are just maternity mats with a pattern on them - and were significantly cheaer when I bought them.

I didn't need them as my waters broke at the hospital, but I hadn't realised that they keep on coming. It's not just one big gush and you're done. Unless I was just weeing a lot onto the delivery mats

I was joking about the homebirth. Homebirths are lovely and for low risk mothers they are a safe option. However the most important thing is that your wife is happy and feels in control of her birthing experience.

Anyway now that you have joined Mumsnet do you have any other questions? The NCT often paints quite a rosey picture of childbirth and breastfeeding. Mumsnet is a good place to learn about reality.

Childbirth is not quite as easy as the NCT might have you to believe, but it is a natural event rather than a medical proceedure. Sometimes worrying about problems causes problems.

If you have time, its worth watching the film "The Business of Being Born". You can get a copy off ebay. It shows how excessive medical intervention in America causes more problems.

As a woman who spent much of the journey to hospital kneeling in the footwell with my face buried in the seat in a silent Munch-like scream, I should probably alert you to the possibility that your seats may be safe but whatever is on the floor of your car may not be...

I would second MrsHappy, I would be prepared for her not to possibly be on the seat. Or possibly not even sitting. DH has to physically bend me to get me in the car as the back seat had car seats on.
And make sure you havea nice smooth route planned with no sharp turns

Otherwise Pampers mats are a brilliant invention. Stick a towel and bin bag under as well if you are worried.

(Oh, and tell PilchardtheCat that my DD's favourite version on Hansel and Gretyl is the one that came free with the Guardian. Where the witch gets burned to death. So there)

I'm laughing here - my waters went just before. I just sat on a towel folded four times over. My husband drives a nice sporty number with leather seats so he wouldn't have been amused at a mess (I nearly gave birth in the car actually). He loved the mad dash to hospital and the car was totally unscathed! Worry not!

I have just had a thought - if you really care about he state of the seats then never mind the one-off labour trip - it's strapping a babyseat in every day that will knacker the leather.

You'll need one of these or these or similar

what carseat have you got? did you have trouble finding one that fit safely in a classic car?

Good point about "sitting" on the journey to the hospital. My doula had me on all fours in the back seat, facing the boot and holding onto the headrest. I can't imagine trying to sit normally during full-on contractions. Thankfully, twas only 10 minutes in the car.

slight tangent, but my waters went in bed with my first. So for the next 2 I bought the Pampers changing mat things and put a layer under the sheets, but typically they had to be ruptured for the other 2. It's worth protecting the matress though aswell as car seats.

Surely leather is fine? My DH's car has fabric seats, so I bet he was relieved when I nestled into the footwell.

And LOL at a "smooth route". Above all avoid speed bumps, unless you want to make that baby come faster (if I didn't have an impassible pelvis I am certain my baby would have fallen out in the car), that's all I can say.

Sorry, but have to disagree there!

My wifes water broke when she was getting into bed one night!

I can assure you there was no pushing whats-so-ever!

just picked up this thread from here:

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=796669&i=40&mid=&nmt=

... and felt I had to register to inform you.