1 hour trip to hospital, how did you cope? when did you leave?

[DaintreeDream]

Well we visited our chosen hospital yesterday for the first time. It is not the closest hospital but it is my preferred/chosen hospital.

Anyway, it is about 50-60 minutes away. I am wanting to know how people coped with an hour long car trip whilst in labour and also how soon you left home for the hospital?

This is my first labour/vaginal birth (DD was a non-labouring CS) therefore I really do not know what to expect.

I think I will be leaving in the early stages of labour as 1. I am having a VBAC and 2. DD was born with severe respitory distress requiring C-PAP (this is not likely to happen again, but I worry anyway) 3. My Mums labour with me was about 2.5 hours (I know this does not mean my labour will be the same, but once again it is in my mind).

Any words that may help ease my nervousness would be appreciated!

[Trillian]

We had a 1hr trip for all 4 of ours and it's really not a big deal - I know that on first throught you do get really worried and wonder about all the ifs, buts and maybes of making it in time, but you do. Although being so far away I wouldn't advise staying home still you are in transition LOL, but once you get regular contractions and you feel that this is the real deal, then start making your way in. The only time it was an issue was with my second one as I was well and truly in established labour by then and it made the car trip a bit uncomfortable for a while as my legs started cramping and I need to move to stop it, but other than that it was fine.

[~clover~]

Hi
I travelled with all mine.
50 or so minutes with DD1 - Left in the very early stages, so was fine. Only had 2 contractions about 30 minutes apart on the way.

Same distance for DD2 - Waited til contractions were too painful to stay at home...as soon as we got ready to go they went from 30 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart! Travelled all the way up, contractions hitting every time we went over a bump...it was hard. Having to sit up in the seat & not being able to move around was hardest.

Lived 2 hours away from the closest hospital with DS, but refused to travel that far in labour, so stayed with MIL a bit over 30 minutes away. Again not very comfortable, & bumps set things off, but I survived! Glad I didn't try doing the 2 hours travel...labour was only 5.

I never worried about not making it. I think I'd go in the back seat next time maybe though (not that there'll be a next time).

[~*Niadalla*~]

Hi there!
I am 100kms from our hospital (which happens to be an hour) and dreaded the drive in!!
I was preparing for a roadside birth.... just in case.
My plan originally was to head into my parents (who are 15 minutes from town) when my contractions got to around 7 minutes apart. Well.... I kept trying to tell myself I wasn't in labour. LOL
I ended up calling the hospital at 10am (my contractions had started at 4am), when my contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting about 45 seconds. I wasn't overly concerned that I was going to have my baby anytime in the next hour, but I just thought I should see what they said. I was asked to go in.

I got to hospital at about 11.30, and had DD at 6.08pm. The ride was ok... nowhere near as bad as I expected but I wasn't having the most ridiculously painful contractions until about 4pm. I was cracking jokes with Hubby and texting a few friends to let them know that I was going in to get hecked out, and telling them to send me labour vibes.

Nowhere near as freaked out as I thought I would be and the ride really wasn't too bad at all. did however have a highway trip all the way in and it was a Wednesday so the traffic near the hospital wasn't too bad.

Good luck! I know how worried I was about making it and I made it with ease.

[Rommy'sMummy]

We will need to travel around 1hr - 1.5hrs depending on traffic. We are going for a VBAC too after a non-laboring c-section with a very sick bub first time (snap with you I think).

As we are VBAC I will be heading in straight away. There are plenty of parks and cafe's nearby if I dont need to stay in hospt from the start.

We had to drive in while I was in threatened pre-term labor with DS. Classic middle of the night mad drive but with sick baby and only 24 weeks so not much fun. Pain was bad but only because A) posterior B) way too early in pg and C) knew bubs needed heart surgery and wouldnt live at such a little gestation. SO very stressed therefore the pain was bad.

This time I am starting to look forward to that drive in as I will be welcoming the contractions this time (as long as it is after 36 wks!). I really think that is going to make the diff for me.

Are you doing any visualizations or meditations on having a positive birth experience? I have just started that and hope to be relaxed this time.

[Early Kids]

First pregnancy I lived approx 5 hours from my chosen hospital and just over 2 from the closest maternity hospital, I was down for antenatal appointments and staying with my mum when my waters broke at 28 weeks, we drove the 1.5 hours to the NICU hospital. I wasn't in labour though so it was quite smooth going.

Second pregnancy, we live 1.5 hours from my chosen hospital and 5 mins from the closest maternity hospital. Went into pre-term labour at 26 weeks, went to the closest hospital who put me in the ambo to the NICU hospital. It was quite scary, but I was very Naive and kept thinking it was a dream.... I then spent 8+2 weeks in and out of labour, in and out of my local hospital and then went into full labour at 34+2, again went to my local put in an ambulance and rushed to the NICU hospital. This time I knew it was real and there was no stopping it, I was very nervous and it was quite difficult to get comfy on the ambo bed... they arent wide enough or long enough!

I think you just do what you have to do at the time.... adrenaline takes over and you just cope.

All the best

[*TripleJ*]

we had an hour and 20 mins and we stopped halfway which was ok the second half was the hardest the car ride was only slightly more uncomfortable than the way home i had stiches the bumps were fun not

[PinkPalace]

i had 150km drive on a stretcher inthe back of an ambulance.
i left at 4cm and was full dilated 30 mins from the hospital.
i was told to not push until we got there.

it was terrible! couldnt move, no DH to support me no pain relief

When i went into labour with #2 - i refused to get in the car when the labour progressed very quickly (2 hr labour like #1)... as i wasnt doing the car trip again.

Instead gave birth with DH on the bedroom floor with ambos .

xx00
Only advice i can give is when the first contraction hits - dont listen to them if they send you home (like me) and get there asap.
established labour and crowning in a vehicle is not fun.

[Junglemum]

We had an hour trip in. It was really no problem. Actually DH loved using the emergency lane on the freeway during peak hour. lmao.

I was having cx 10 min apart from 2am. At 7 am they were 6 min and i rang the hospital and said "Hi there, this is my second baby, but i was induced for the first and i have kind of forgotten when i'm supposed to come in, do i wait until the cx are 5 min apart and 60 seconds long? It's just that we have an hour drive and peak hour traffic will be starting" After a few Qn's she said "You should definatley come in now, if your water breaks in peak hour traffic the baby may arrive in hurry" So we jumped in the car and headed off. Cx were 4 min apart all the way there but i coped fine.

As it turned out DD2 was posterior and my labour slowed down, i was at hospital for a good 12 hours before i had her! The midwives were so amazing. On the phone i told them i was planning an intervention free birth and didn't want to come in too early, then i again told them when i arrived. They were so supportive and amazing and not once i i feel pressured to sway from my goals. They were nothing but supportive.

So the hour trip in was no biggie, but they did advise coming striaght in once labour was established.

I think often the 'don't go to hospital early or you will end up with intervention' is not always true. If you are clear about your goals and are able to speak your mind then things can work out just fine. Well they did for me anyway. So don't let that worry you!

[DaintreeDream]

Thankyou so much everyone, you have made me feel so much better about the trip. I wasn't completely worried as I plan on leaving for the hospital once I know that I am definatly in labour, would hate to drive all that way for a false alarm!

The trip is also mainly on a quieter freeway, we are going to a country hospital, so there is 10 minutes to the freeway and then under 5 minutes to the hospital at the end of the freeway so it should be on pretty smooth roads, well they feel smooth now anyway!

Rommy'sMummy - We do sound like we are in a similar sitution. I believe this time around we do not have any medical problems to worry about in baby but this will be checked again and confirmed at our ultrasound next week so then I think I will relax and plan a little more, I think this is still hovering in my mind alot. I am definatly going to start meditation/hypnobithing etc once this ultrasound is done and I know everything is fine.

Falguni - I am a bit concerned about arriving to early when I will be on a time frame for a VBAC but I haven't discussed this with the hospital yet, I am back there in 3 weeks and I plan to go through it all then, I think you usually have about 8 hours from arrival, I have no idea if that is enough time or not. It will be summer though and we could always do what RM said and go to a park or for a walk before we actually book into the hospital if I feel we still have a long time to go, at least we will be close by if we need to go in. Oh I really do not have any idea yet. I am sure it will fall into place though.

Thanks again everyone.

[sas85]

I was told to go to Gosford Hospital which is 40min from where I live - my first contraction didn't start till I got in the car (waters had broken with StrepB so had to go in even though contractions hadn't started). BUT they were less then 5 min apart 1min+ from the get go - the trip was . . uncomfortable to say the least. I was advised to get in the backseat, but I honestly was not going to be comfortable sitting/lying sideways in the backseat as would have felt precarious to me (that and I didn't want to hurtle down the freeway without a seatbelt JIC) so I got in the front seat put the seat as far back as could go and lifted myself semi-standing off the seat with each contraction to relieve that sword twisting up my butt feeling and that was definately the most comfortable. So, I personally would advise the front seat over the back but that could just be me

My SIL was supposed to go to the same hospital with her 3rd, but she felt pressure/pushing as soon as she got in the car so went to the nearest hospital 10min away instead and delivered there so that is an option if you feel you can't cope or it's happenning fast. Plus you can always pull over and call an ambulance in the very unlikely situation that you need to push prior to hospital. Boy, I ramble a lot HTH though. All the best!!!

[PinkPalace]

can i say - as with PP - I had the best experience with the ambos with #2.
As i said i refused to drive to the hospital when the second labour kicked in - knowing what happened the first time on the road.

The ambos arrived 20 mins before bub was born and although it was 3 men, only 1 having done a birth before.

It was the most relaxed, calm and peaceful birth for my son, the ambo's let me do what i wanted to, no telling me to do ANYTHING.. i think as men they were scared haha!, and then we stayed at my house for 2 hrs so i can feed and deliver the placenta naturally before heading to the hospital.

so if in doubt - call the ambos they have been fantastic to me twice lol!