Woman told to walk to hospital gives birth in street

[kathyis6incheshigh]

Here

There is a nightmare one-way system around the LRI!

i think you're all missing the main issue here

surely the issue is she asked for an ambulance because she knew she couldn't make her own way there. Then was told by health care professional that she couldn't have an ambulance(probably in an 'don't be so silly woman it is only labour' voice) so had no choice but to walk or risk delivering baby at home with out assistance.

outragous position for a woman in labour to be put in regardless of how far away from the hospital she lives.

"(probably in an 'don't be so silly woman it is only labour' voice)"

Why would you assume that?

"so had no choice but to walk or risk delivering baby at home with out assistance."

and why would you assume that? If she had thought she was about to deliver surely she would have mentioned that and requested someone came out to assist.
There were midwives who came out to see her on the street. I'd have thought they would have sent one out the 100m to attend her at home if delivery seemed imminent.

Her story still sounds odd to me.

How long does it take to walk 100 metres? How long does it take to scramble an ambulance and paramedics?

I do think that a midwife should have been sent to her, but if her baby was born so fast that she couldn't get to the hospital in time then the MW would have missed the birth and she would have had her baby at home alone. Granted, this would probably have been better than on the street.

This is annoying though;

"As the 27-year-old reached Havelock Street, she knew she was not going to make it to the maternity unit in time. A friend with her dialled 999 and yelled out for help.

Helen, 31, who was on her way into work, came to her aid ? and immediately found herself delivering the baby.

She said: "Carmen was leaning against a low wall and was very upset. I sort of dragged her to the ground and within about 10 seconds the baby's head was showing."

Why drag her to the ground? upright is best for delivering babies.

and;

"I shouted 'Where are the paramedics?'

"The man on the phone said he would talk me through the birth, but I had to put the phone on the pavement, to help Carmen."

Helen, whose healthcare training did not include midwifery, added: "When the baby's head came out I realised the cord was around its neck. It's all a bit of a blur, but I think instinct kicked in and I just pulled it over the baby's head."

There is no reason to worry about the cord round the neck.

And;

"Then I managed to get the shoulders out. There was a heart-stopping moment when the baby was born, but she cried almost straight away."

She managed to get the shoulders out? Huh? All she had to do was catch the baby! Why is everyone so convinced that babies need to be "delivered"? If this baby was coming this fast, surely it needed no help at all.

Gawd, I went to the supermarket while having regular contractions with number 3. He didn't arrive until midmorning the next day. It doesn't always follow about subsequent babies being quick.

If her baby was coming that rapidly, she should have made it pretty damn clear to the hospital. If not, it was just bad luck, really.

Greenmonkies, I read the drag her to the ground more as an insistence she at least crouch or sit rather than standing against the wall with the chance that the baby would drop to the floor(concrete paving?). Not that she dragged her down to lay flat out.

As for the cord, lots of people are under the misapprehension that the cord around the babies neck is an emergency. This physio has already admitted she has no midwifery training so could have been under the same misapprehension.

The shoulder thing, I dunno. Maybe she thought she'd got them out.

100 metres. It was deffo quicker to walk than wait for an ambulance.

juuule I know, but the perpetuation of these myths always frustrates me!!

I agree it is frustrating.

Blimey, when my mum went into labour with me she finished knocking out a fireplace before walking up a steep hill to the hospital. Women were tougher in those days.

The latest news on yahoo seems to be saying that when she first rang the hospital, she was told to have a bath and come in when she felt ready. Following the bath, she felt that the birth was imminent, and rang again to request an ambulance, but this was refused - apparently the hospital told her that she had had 9 months to sort out a lift.

It was then that she decided to walk to the hospital. In hindsight, the best decision probably would have been to stay at home and call 999, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

If the hospital did refuse to send an ambulance when she said the birth was imminent, and used the phrase she reports, then that was very reprehensible behaviour on the part of the hospital. But we do only have her side of the story, and are unlikely, for legal reasons, to hear the firsthand story from the maternity unit.

Prehaps one of the hospital midwives should have gone round her house. However hindsight is a glorious thing. If she ever has more children then she is a perfect candidiate for a homebirth.

However hospitals are big places. People often have to walk more than 100m from a car park to where they need to be in a hospital complex.

agree birthing myths are annoying and worse, make people do stupid things to women in labour.

i'll put my soap box away too...under my cold dead body..

Why would you have an ambulance if you are in labour unless there was something wrong? Never occurred to me to call an ambulance. If there hadn't been someone to take me I'd have called a taxi.

If you thought the birth was imminent, calling an ambulance would seem sensible to me, because the paramedics would be trained to assess the situation, and to assist, if they thought that the woman couldn't get to hospital in time. Even if they misjudged how imminent the birth was, better to give birth in the back of an ambulance with trained help than on the street.

Horrible thing to happen, but surly she could have got a cab 100 meters or a lift?

Although saying that when I say "I'm having a baby" I mean there and then.

DS1 15 minuets and DS2 19 minuets.

With DS2 got to hospital at 8.30 and said "I'm having a baby and at 8.49 there he was.

I know a woman who gave birth in the ambulance outside her house. If labour progresses very quickly then it is better to call an ambulance than drive as the paramedics can assess how you are progressing and if necessary, deliver the baby where you are.

Agree with reikizen - the woman has to take some responsibility herself. Hospitals don't arrange emergency ambulances - you need to call 999. Hospital were'nt to know how cloes baby wsa, if hte woman knew birth was imminent then she should have phoned for an ambulance.

This is my local hospital. Needless to say, after having my first there, I had 2 and 3 (and will have 4) at home!

Why needless to say?

Well, I had to walk more then 100m from the car park to the labour ward when I went into hospital with DD1, so it hardly seems fair to expect the hospital to send an ambulance 100m. If she thought her baby was really close she should have stayed at home and asked for a mw to be sent over!

That's interesting Stretch. I work in Leicester and the two people I know who have given birth in the hospitals here had a terrible time also. I had the first half of my maternity care here with dd before moving to live with dh and it was also pretty crap.
I'll be in the office until 3 weeks before the birth so hopefully should be safe from giving birth in Leicester unless it comes very very early....