How far would you stray from home/hospital after 37 weeks?

[chocolatesparkle]

Having worked full time I'm so excited about my upcoming maternity leave. There are lots of people I want to see, but I wonder if I'm being silly planning to visit people who are over an hour from home/hospital?

It's my first baby so I'm not sure how much warning you get before you go in to labour and don't want to be stuck miles away unable to drive home!

Just wondering if other people went out and about, or if you all stayed close to home in your last few weeks of pregnancy?

Hi, I would listen to your body and if you get some twinges, period pains etc. I would stay close to home that day but if you feel in good form I would go out for the day or over night.

I have to do a trip 2hrs away from home at 38 weeks and (36 + 4 at the moment) and due to feeling like the baby has gone down very low I am a bit worried I won't make it!

I would go as far as I wanted (unless I felt ill)

I'd ensure you had your notes with you and had alternative plans for getting home/to a decent maternity hospital in case anything happened. But do it just to ensure you're not dying of boredom! I'd already given up driving and figured a couple hours of labour on a train wouldn't be too bad.
Current problem is convincing MrNC to go out an hour from home - I know dc2 is often faster but with a 35 hour first labour I seriously doubt no.2 will arrive in under one hour!

Thanks for the advice, as not citrus says, if I have to stay around the house and local town for 4 weeks I will be bored out of my mind. I'm used to being super busy! Hopefully will be able to decide on a day by day basis.

I have a wedding to go to at 37 weeks, 3 hours drive away and overnight stay, and am fully intending to be there unless I feel very unwell. This is second baby and first one came late (induced) so am hoping this one won't make an early appearance.

Anyway I am working on the assumption that if I don't think about it, it won't happen, which is scientifically proven to work with babies isn't it?!

i went to a wedding 2 1/2hrs away when 36 ish weeks pregnant. i think i had a bag in the car just in case but mainly because it was my 2nd and i expected it to go faster. even if i had gone into labour i very much doubted i would give birth in under 3hrs!

I think I went 1.5 hr drive away with DH for an evening get together with a group of friends when I was 38.5 weeks. I had had a textbook pregnancy and felt great, no twinges nothing. Don't know if I would have done it if I hadn't felt as well. I did however take my hospital bag, notes and details of all hospitals en route just in case!

I also went to Glasgow myself when 35 weeks pregnant (an hour each way on public transport) to visit a specific shop and I was knackered after that, had to go to bed when I got home! I stuck to taking my car after that, but still went out and about within about a 45minute radius and felt ok about that.