Going on holiday at 39 weeks!?

[Pinkladyloz]

So long story short, boyfriends family booked a holiday for all of the family to go on last year, obviously back then didn’t know I’d be pregnant!
I said all along, even whilst pregnant that I’d go and that I didn’t see a problem with it.
I’ll be 39 weeks pregnant when we go. We get home 3 days before due date! We live in Essex and will be going to Cornwall. Long drive. Asked the midwives and they all seem to think it’s fine as long a we stop regularly both there and back, lots of leg stretches and breathers etc... and obviously if baby comes we stop regularly for feeds and just to have little breaks for baby etc.. will take car seat, notes, have researched local Cornish hospital!
Only thing is as I get closer, my mum is panicking and telling me I shouldn’t be going.
What do you think!? First baby! Honestly feeling fine at the moment but don’t want to put my baby at risk...
Would you go or not???
Thanks so much

I remember going on a 5 hour drive at 35 weeks (MIL wanted us to visit before Xmas). Think we visited every service station/garage on the journey so I could have a wee!

Chinks123 - That is awful, your in-laws sound crackers

Honestly can't understand people who pressurise a heavily pregnant woman to do anything they don't want to.

Ds1 was nearly 2 weeks old at that stage and he had to spend a week in hospital.
Ds 2 was 2 days late and only spent 7 days out of hospital for the first 6 months of his life.
Both pregnancies I presented well and fit!
I would not go

Hi OP I wouldn't chance it to be honest imagine if your waters break in the car in the middle of nowhere, being in pain and soggy with my in laws sounds like my idea of hell, my anxiety peaked around 39 weeks too every twinge I was running to the loo and Was really uncomfortable, couldn't sit for long and couldn't stand for long either, I would personally just plan another trip when your LO is a bit older, my son is 6 months old now and it's just such a joy to take him anywhere.
Be at home where your most comfortable that's what I'd do, I've been through it before and I'm due number 2 in December and I won't be leaving my house from 37 weeks lol

Depends do you have family living in Cornwall or lots of support there? Even if everything goes well you’d likely be stuck in Cornwall for a while until you were both ready for the journey home, which under 4 weeks they shouldn’t be in a car seat for more than 30 minutes, while establishing breastfeeding, could take a significant amount of time.

I’ve read your updates so I know you’re reconsidering, but still adding my experience for reference!

I went into labour with DC1 at 39+3. No reason to think I’d have a baby before my due date, and obviously that’s not premature anyway, but it just happened. We were given a lift to hospital (25mins away) and that was enough for me, having to try and breathe through contractions as we wound through traffic and went over the occasional bump!

From leaving for hospital to baby being born was 12 hours. I had an overnight stay due to a minor haemorrhage and felt really out of it - combination of the haemorrhage, stitches, and generally just having birthed a little baby! However my birth wasn’t in any way considered particularly eventful, it was a spontaneous birth without needing intervention and nothing risky or scary. So basically even births considered straightforward aren’t always straightforward in the way we think they would be.

We had a 25 minute cab ride home in which the driver was lovely, went slowly and down back roads to avoid the bumps as it was all still delicate for me! I promptly spent about two weeks recovering, only popping out for some local appointments, mainly resting, taking painkillers, and adjusting to life with a child - feeding, night waking and so on.

So this overall fairly as expected experience of birth and postpartum recovery began at 39+3, and there is no way I would want to be doing any of that roughly an 8 hour drive away from home and my local hospital, in a hotel/B&B/holiday let, on a long drive in labour, or a long drive postpartum, and whatever other combination of possibilities... and I couldn’t even enjoy a holiday at 39 weeks for fear of it possibly happening.

Best wishes as you’re nearly there! But I wouldn’t take the risk

For me, I wouldn't go. Not because of any other reason than I wouldn't like to be somewhere unfamiliar if I did go into labour. I was still out shopping the day I went into labour, so being in the house is not an issue, just being rushed to an unfamiliar hospital, especially with your first and not knowing what to expect.

Utter madness!! Believe me, when you are in throws of labour you will want the hospital you have had a tour of, know where to park, where the maternity unit is etc.
I have 4, my first was a textbook pregnancy until birth. Emergency c-section under general anaesthetic, totally terrifying. Wouldn’t have been able to have been driven 6-8 hours home with a baby that basically fed non stop, c-section scar that was painful, worry of how long in a car seat etc. Chances are you will go 40 weeks and 3 days or whatever but I wouldn’t risk it.

Nope. Nope and hell no.

I could barely walk by 39 weeks with my first. My poor lady garden looked like an inside out lasagne afterwards and hurt to even sit down. That's if the baby does arrive early.

If baby doesn't, you'll be big (I mean this with love!) and would much rather get some rest over being stuck in a car for hours, even with breaks. My feet swelled, my hips hurt, I peed every 2.4 minutes and I hated people by 39 weeks.

You're bonkers if you seriously consider going!

And just as an aside, I had to register the births in the city my DC were born in.... I couldn't register them in my home city. This meant driving back to the city they were born in. Not a problem for me as it's a 30 minute drive.... potentially more of a problem if you have to drive back to Cornwall to register the birth!

I live in Cornwall - there is only 1 hospital (with maternity facilities) and a couple of birth centres (I think you have to be prebooked into those but not sure because I'm consultant led and HAVE to go to Treliske despite wanting a home birth!) I have had 3 DC in Norfolk and I am terrified to have this 4th baby in Treliske! The facilities are nothing compared with those of the NNUH!
(They have had bad reviews in recent years for many services, maternity being 1 of them!)
Also where are you staying in Cornwall??? Because I live an hour away from the hospital WITHOUT TRAFFIC! And due in summer holidays where the traffic is immense (went grocery shopping this morning and the drive there and back was mental and slow because there are tourists everywhere - and it seems if you don’t live in Cornwall you lose the ability to drive! 😡)

You seriously need to think about the route to the hospital and investigate how long it will take to get there etc etc!

HOWEVER having said that, when I had my others I was driving between mine in Norfolk and my parents/family near Portsmouth frequently and probably did so very late on! I did end up getting checked in the local hospital with my first but all was ok and I didn’t go into labour! Generally I wouldn’t worry too much about it but living in cornwall myself it would totally put me off lol! Could well be different for you also because it is your first & possibly longer , but being on my fourth and having previous 2 precipitate labours I don’t think I will even make it to the hospital in time for delivery lol x

Ooh Omzlas makes a really good point about registering the birth. You do have to register in the council/district where the birth takes place. My first two were born in a hospital in a different council to where we live (I live in London), DH had to travel both times to the registry office for that council instead of our local borough registry office. Fortunately however it wasn’t too far, about half an hour away, but if you did give birth in Cornwall you’d need to register there pronto presumably, or travel back within 6 weeks to register! It’s not clear from your OP but if you’re not married then you would have to do it, fathers can only register the birth when they’re married to the mother.

If you want to go then go but check out nearest hospitals on route and especially the nearest to where you’ll be staying - goes without staying take your notes

Without saying not staying

(Oh just reread, thought you said DP but says boyfriend so presumably not married - so you as mother have to register the birth)

I wouldn't go. Even if you did have the baby safely in one of the Cornish hospitals that you've researched, you've got to consider what would happen next.

As a mum myself who gave birth only 10 months ago (so things are still fresh in my mind), I can tell you that you're not going to want to sit through a Cornwall to Essex car journey home post partum! Even with breaks! I had a straightforward delivery and can tell you I did not enjoy the short half hour drive home, sitting down was not comfortable!

When I was 39 weeks we were meant to go to a wedding (close family) that was a 5-hour drive away and when we chose to not go everyone was saying they'd have done the same if they were in our shoes etc.

Good luck op.

@bedunkalilt you don't in Scotland. You could give birth in Glasgow and register the birth anywhere else in Scotland. Not sure about England's rules but in Scotland you register wherever you want.

@2strands, but the OP is going on holiday in England, and lives elsewhere in England, where she must register the birth in the district where the baby is born. OP it’s eirth bearing in mind that it can take a few days or weeks to get a registrar’s appointment, so if you do have your baby in Cornwall, you may not be able to register it before you are ready to leave, and will have to return.

Depending where you are in Cornwall, there are also maternity services at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (Devon).

I still would not go though.

@bedunkalilt we aren’t married no, so guess we’d have to travel all the way back to register her birth too! Eek. Thanks for your reply!

Don't let registering the baby alter your decision. You can register be declaration, where your Essex registrar takes all the details, sends it down to Cornwall and Cornwall do the actual registering and send you the birth certificates in the post. It might be slower to get the certificate, but it is pretty normal.

But I still think you are a bit bonkers for even thinking about it. Remember, babies don't really a have a due date, just a month long window for arriving between 38 and 42 weeks.

@Lexyness we are staying in Perranporth! Treslike looks to be the nearest hospital and looks to have maternity facilities including new birthing suites (from what research I’ve been able to do from home!)
It’s about 20 minutes away I believe...
When (if we go) we come home we’ll drive at night making the journey shorter.
Still not convinced though because of all the comments about breastfeeding and attaching newborn babies and not having them too long in car seats! Plus my lady area in whatever condition it may be in. Or obviously I can’t rule out a c section as you never know what’s going to happen!
Of course we could go and not have the baby there and I could be fine to travel home heavily pregnant and we could have the birth we’ve planned (as much as you can 😝) in our local hospital!
Thanks for your comments though it’s making me think! X

Thankyou @Sakura7 first baby only took 3 hours from start to finish so I really don’t want to be caught out anywhere far from home.

You’d think his mum having had kids herself would understand but obviously not. It all kicked off because he wouldn’t consider going without me. Nice that they’re pushing him to leave his heavily pregnant partner alone isn’t it

Wow... not a chance in hell.

It would take DAYS to get back from that far away with a newborn what with stopping every half an hour or so and the feeding lasting sometimes hours a go.

I was told you can't leave a newborn in a car seat for longer than 30 minutes. So stopping every 30 mins plus more stops for nappy changes and feeding... It would be quicker to walk home!! Lol

I couldn't sit down for that long when pregnant. I would give it a miss in your situation even though I went 2 weeks over.

People do these kinds of things though. Up to you. I would have said "make sure you have travel insurance" in case you stay in the hospital for a week and your husband needs a hotel, but travel insurance wouldn't cover a birth at full term.

@Cookit great minds think alike! I stuck to the 30 minute rule for months. Literally for 8 months! I couldn't be arsed with long journeys to be fair though!

I'd go. As long as hospital was close and had maternity unit.

If baby is born travel back would be long cause of all the breaks, but breastfeeding isn't hard for all mums. My dd latched quickly and only fed for 10mins at a time every 2hrs or so so would have been easy for the journey

My labour took 30hrs, but i could still sit afterwards easily, no issues with just sitting.