We are still ttc but this is very much an issue in the front of our minds...we live 2 & half hours from the nearest maternity hospital. Did anyone else have this issue? What did you do? Stay somewhere closer when u got close to your DD? Rent somewhere? Stay in a hotel?
We also want to have our birth at a birthing centre which after a midwife visits u for 5 days so again we would have to stay close by....
kiwi / 678 posts
We did this. We stayed home until I was in labor and then went to the hospital. I would suggest leaving pretty early in labor. I was unable to sleep through contractions around 3:30 am, left for the hospital around 5:00 am, got to the waiting room around 8:00 am, was checked into my room around 9:30 am and was 4 centimeter dilated. Had the baby at 3:37 pm. The drive home was much worse than the drive there. Get a pillow/donut to sit on and make your partner drive carefully!
nectarine / 2522 posts
@Rock n Roll: wow so u drove to the hospital once u were in labor- were you ever worried u wouldn't make it on time or worried that it was false labor?
kiwi / 678 posts
The only time it felt like labor was the real deal, and I was nearly two weeks past my due date. I think if it wasn't the real thing, I would have had three hours in the car to find out. I was actually going to be induced later that day if I hadn't gone into labor.
And first labors are usually pretty long so I wasn't worried about getting there and neither was my doctor. My mom's first was 24 hours, and I figured the shortest it would be was 8 hours, so I just left pretty early. If your family has a history of short labors, it might be a concern. My doctor said if I was that worried about it, he could schedule an induction or c-section, but I wasn't and preferred to try for a natural labor.
persimmon / 1180 posts
We are about an hour and a half from our hospital. My doctors have all said that they'll have us leave for the hospital earlier than usual just in case. My mom was only in labor for 3 hours with me. A friend of mine just had her first baby and was in labor for 2 hours total. She was only at the hospital for 30 minutes before her daughter was born.
nectarine / 2522 posts
Thanks ladies! No history of short labor in my family. That makes me feel a bit better.... Although how excruciating was the car ride?
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
I'm only about 30 minutes away, so I don't have this issue, but I think if I lived over 2 hours away I would try for an induction. I am super paranoid about having my baby in the car on the side of the road!
nectarine / 2522 posts
@photojane: I can't be induced if I want to have a baby at the birthing centre though. 
GOLD / nectarine / 2884 posts
Could you get on the road as soon as you start laboring and just plan to get a hotel room to labor in if you aren't ready to go in by the time you get there? I would hate to labor in a car once the contractions get too close together! Also make sure u have a plan for if your water breaks before labor starts. Happened to me! Luckily my contractions didn't start for a few hours later.
persimmon / 1180 posts
@Mrs. Sketchbook: This is what one of my doctors suggested. There's a Marriott or something right next to the hospital and he always tells people who are far away to just get a room instead of going back and forth.
eggplant / 11716 posts
Okay, I love this thread!
I don't live far from a hospital, but it's not a great hospital. I found an *amazing* hospital near where I work (a ritzyish area) that has a holistic birthing center with birthing tubs, dualas, midwives, birthing balls, the works if you want to try going med-free....but you also have the option of regular hospital birth if you want that). The catch is that I commute an hour to work each way, and that's early with no traffic. In traffic, it could be 2 hours.
So, I've been going back and forth over what to do.... I will already be out from work for the summer when I'm due, so I'm not worried about me. My husband works in midtown NYC, so my worst case scenario is that he's at work when I go into labor, so has to take the subway home, then get the car and get me, then drive me in rush hour traffic (2 hours) to the hospital. That could be 2 1/2 hours total.
On the other hand, when I get close, he can always work from home (I think). His boss likes him a lot and lets him work from home now if we have a repairman coming or if he isn't feeling well but doesn't want to take a sick day.
What would you all do in my position?
pomelo / 5789 posts
@Anagram: I worried my head off about the exact same thing. Many doc (and hospital) was by work....an hour drive from home. Plus whatever distance SO would need to drive.
It worked out just fine for me; I went into labor at 3:30am and labor for 20 hours. Plenty of time to get there.
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