Don't have a car and paranoid about not getting to hospital in time for the birth! Any pregnant ladies in same situation? How are you planning on getting to hospital?

[Alisonjayjay]

I'm 36 weeks + 4 days with baby #2 and neither myself or DH drive! Both sets of parents don't drive either! We can't rely on friends and family to take me to the hospital when I'm in labour as they work and have small children of their own etc. Obviously I can't expect someone to leave work to take me to hospital for eg. I can't go in a taxi incase my waters break on the way and I've heard that sometimes taxis won't take women in labour. My friend recently gave birth to her third baby and she is in the same situation as me. She had to head to hospital in a taxi in early stages of labour when contractions were about 10 mins apart (obv with 3rd baby she expected labour to progress quickly) and her waters had already gone, but taxi driver wasn't aware she was having contractions and hospital was only 15 mins away. The midwives sent her home as they had no beds! They told her she had to wait till contractions were 2 mins apart and phone them!! Ambulances in the area no longer take women in labour as it's not a priority unless it's a medical emergency or birth is imminent! Anyone else in a similar situation? What do they expect women to do? At the moment I'm planning on heading in early ish labour and hanging around till they let me in!!!

Don't panic!
Taxi firms do take women in labour but you could ring around local ones to check their policy. Reassure them (if you like) that you'll be sitting on a maternity mat or something similar. Your hospital might know of local firms that others use. Plenty of women take taxis to hospital - that's what we're doing!
Good luck!

I decided to have a home birth to bypass all that, is that an option for you?

Talk to your MW for advice, she must have had other people in the same position and may be able to suggest a reliable taxi firm. Otherwise talk to your friends, people love to help if they can.

I drive but my oh doesn't neither my parents! This is my third my first 2 were pretty quick births luckily I'm within walking distance to the hosp if I can make it ha ha! As will have to wait for mum to get here to stay with kiddies!

I second calling round taxi firms.

I was picked up from the maternity hospital recently by a driver who said he often took women in labour to the hospital and on more than one occasion had to help them from his taxi into the hospital. Apparantly he's been mistaken for the father more than once when I expressed surprise he pointed out taxi drivers have children too and in fact he had 6 so there were no real surprises in driving women in labour about

Talk to your MW - sometimes hospital maternity units have arrangements with/will recommend a particulate taxi firm. I know that the hospital I was under for DS1 did - they even had it listed on the maternity unit website - so have a look there as well.

Thanks for the advice. I'm seeing my midwife on the 10th of the month so will ask her advice then. I'll phone the local taxi firms and ask about taking me in labour. Hopefully it'll all work out so I'll try not to panic :)

I got a taxi when I was in labour, we just used our usual taxi company and never thought to ask if it'd be ok, they didn't mind.

I got a taxi. We didn't even tell them I was in labour. The taxi driver didn't have much choice once I was in his car mooing through contractions but to take me straight there. It's a great option because it meant that DH didn't spend ages trying to park the car in a busy city centre hospital while I was stranded waiting for him.