Woman told to walk to hospital gives birth in street

[kathyis6incheshigh]

Here

Stealth I was due sept 12th last year I'm feeling a bit of baby envy now I'm back at work and he's not such a baby anymore...did you conceive on Xmas day by any chance? I have a friend whose DD was born on sept 13th as was mine and we both conceived on xmas day

She lived right next to the hospital, why did her friend not come with her? And why could the hospital not offer to bring a wheelchair round?
An Ambulance would have been ridiculous as its only down the street.
Hope the street has a nice name

kat, in theory it was on new years eve but I can confirm it definitely wasn't - unless an immaculate conception
Christmas day sounds more likely as that was when we were putting the effort in (sorry!), but I didn't have any sort of cycle so not easy to tell really.
Apparently mid September is a busy one for labour wards

I would call my mum at 2pm, but then she is that sort of person IYSWIM?

My labour and run up will be intersting! DD1 will be at school on 3rd, DD2 starts on 9th (half-day) then has 5 half days on 11th, 15th, 16th 18th and 21st!!! I don't drive, school is 30 mins there and 30 mins back, and I have to do this 3 times a day!! Oh, and there's DS (1) too!!

I'm just going la-la-la with fingers in ears and hoping for a weekend birth!!

I don't even understand that! Good luck, and I hope you do get your weekend birth
Yes, think I could call my mum and she'd tell me off for even not considering it. FWIW shes retired and considers herself on call from the 1st of September. Would just feel really bad though It would be fine for me but then I'm used to the lack of sleep!

What I meant wasa that's too complicated for me to understand - not the rather rude that came out! Sorry - pregnancy brain

Sorry, meant that they start school when I'm due in sept and I will be backwards and forwards there for the 2 weeks around it!! Chances are I'll be giving birth in the school playground!

Your mum will be able to go back home and sleep afterwards though. We have asked MIL to be at the birth (must be mad!!) and I will feel a bit guilty for waking her, but she will be thrilled to be at the birth.

I'm not having more than two - sounds far too complicated

I had an ambulance when I went into labour with dd2, I was in so much pain, very quickly from onset of labour. The ambulance men were brilliant even if we do only live 1.5 miles from the hospital.

We had no money to get a taxi and I wouldn't have been able to get into anyway. I was in agony.

poor woman

oh and the general thought that subsequent babies arrive quicker is bollocks imo

ds 4 hours
dd1 6 hours
dd2 17 1/2 hours

My labour with my first baby was rather quicker than I had expected, and I got to fully dilated before leaving home. When I phoned the hospital to say I didn't want to leave home as the baby was coming I don't think they believed me and didn't offer an amblulance just told me to get my husband to do the 20min drive (good job it was the middle of the night). Got there and still had to push for someone to examine me as I still don't think they believed that the baby was coming the look on the midwifes face when she realised I was fully dilated and the baby was stuck and in distress will stay with the hubby forever (I didn't care by that point). I will definitely be making a point of the quick labour next time as I really don't fancy having one in the car any more than out on the street.

1.5 miles very different from 100m - would take 20-25 minutes even if you weren't stopping to have contractions every few minutes

It sounds like she got a fright, and is looking for someone to take the blame.

got a fright oh is that all how would you like to give birth in the street DING DONG

its scandalous nothing less poor lady she should be looking for blame at the very least

agree with all the sensible posters who hav epointed out that the woman was merely told to make her own way there.
SHE chose to walk. there was no way they knew how imminent the baby was, and it isn't up tpo the delivery suite midwives to scramble ambulances out to everyone who rings saying they're in labour.

I had ds3 at home, planned homebirth but rather quick. dp rang 999 and I had the baby before the ambulance got there.

which is exactly what wouled have happened to this woman.
she could NOT have got to the hospital unless someone had driven her there immediately.

if she had called an ambulance and then delivered at home she'd be saying how wonderful it all was
as it is SHE chose to walk there and is now looking to blame someone.

perhaps she should just get on with being a mum to her lovely little girl. actually maybe she needs a bit of counselling or something, if it was a really quick labour perhaps she just needs to talk it through and debrief

Poor woman, must have been a hell of a shock. And I think it's a bit much to expect a woman in labour to think rationally or plan perfectly.

I was daft enough to try to walk home after having surgery on my foot - I lived 100 yards from the hospital and got it into my stupid head that a taxi would refuse to come out for such a short journey. Boy, did I regret that one... ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch. And more ouch. And I didn't even have the excuse of being distracted by labour!

she must have known (having had kids already) that it was imminent though surely?

i dunno, with ds3 i KNEW he was coming and was shouting at dp to call the midwives. no way i would have attempted to go anywhere even if i wasn't having a homebirth,

i do think that she needs to take a little bit of responsibility for herself instead of blaming other people.

at the end of the day she has a healthy little baby, and both baby and her are fine.

Actually, Leicester Royal (assume it's part of University Hospitals of Leicester trust?) has particularly high death rates for perinatal mortality, according to the latest Care Quality Commission figures. So their maternity department ain't necessarily good enough - although there may be acceptable reasons for variation in mortality data that don't mean the standard of care is low.

Yep edam, 3 hospitals, The General, LRI, and Glenfield.

The General is marginally better. We also have St Mary's Birthing Centre, but that's a bit further away.

So, what's perinatal mortality? During labour and birth, after??

During late pregnancy, birth and in newborns (can't remember when the cut-off age to be considered peri-natal, though.)

Thing is, rates will vary to some extent depending on the local population and proportion of things like multiple births. But Leicester's are above and beyond what you'd expect for their population and case mix.

Trust said: 'A clinical review had established there was ?no issue over the standard of care?.'

Really? Well, wonder what they think the cause is then?

poor woman she trusted health professionals (yes those that tried to break my already broken waters with a knitting needle an left scars on ds ' head)

cant blame her but yes i would have phoned 999 but some people are hesitant about 999 they think they're not worthy or dont want to be a time waster

poor lady 'the horror'

This thread is making me think. I live in the middle of nowhere, 30 to 40 minutes drive from the hospital. 3 miles from the nearest village, 40 miles from parents. Just me and my toddler at present, as DH is working abroad for weeks on end.

I am assuming that if I get caught short with an unexpectedly early and speedy labour and decide I need a quick transfer into hospital, that an ambulance would oblige.

I bloody well hope so, anyway. Because if they told me to make my own way in I'd be buggered.

I think I'm planning a homebirth!

I agree with everyone who thinks she should have taken responsibility herself for travelling the 100m to hospital, in what was clearly an uncomplicated situation except for the woman misjudging the timing.

I went in an ambulance for my first. And I felt guilty calling it. Though we travelled at 90mph with me on my hands and knees in the back with a suspected cord prolapse, straight into the operating theatre for a crash GA section. If that ambulance had been busy doing taxi service unnecessarily, my daughter might not be here today.

Even with car parking area at the hospital close to us it's more than 100m to walk to the maternity unit. I've had to dash to make it to the maternity unit on time & much more than 100m. The last time dh dropped me off at a&e & a porter with a wheelchair pushed me very fast to the maternity unit. They should have sent a m/w to get her or someone to help.

poor woman! how awful