How long is your drive to the hospital on the big day?

DiscusCoach · April 2011

I'm just curious what is normal. Any traffic concerns like if you leave at 5pm it will take you two hours?

My drive is 30 to 40 minutes. If traffic happens to be really bad it will be an hour.

The road is two lane and twisty for half the time. I keep telling myself that 30 minutes with contractions 5 minutes apart equals 6 contractions. That calms me down. I can do six contractions. Right...?

My local hospital is 7 minutes but it sucks as does our one local OB and I had an awful experience there last time. Not going back if I can help it.

pettycrocker · April 2011

4mins

+diana82+ · April 2011

5 minutes, maybe 10 if it's rush hour.

ETA: Also, there's about 6 (no joke) different ways to get there from my house.

Ebeth_in_ATL · April 2011

Mine is 20-25 minutes unless it's 7:30 AM or 5:00 PM. But I'll have a planned c-section so it shouldn't be an issue.

CHI-06 · April 2011

Mine is 15-20 minutes and also is not the closest hospital but it is where my dr is whom I LOVE. It could take a bit longer if it is during rush hour.

30-40 minutes is fine though...you aren't going to have a baby that fast

jgiles · April 2011

Should be about 30. If during ruch hour could take 45min to an hour. Hoping for the lesser time

WorkingMomofTwo · April 2011

Mine is right behind my neighborhood, so only about 2-3 minutes without the stop signs and about 5-6 with them.

InsyNCurtis · April 2011

7 minutes... if we get stuck at every light between here and there. If DH is driving, more like 4. lol

ginger777 · April 2011

I'm in a similar situation. My insurance requires I go to a specific Women's Hospital that is about 25 minutes (45, if rush hour) away.

laurenharrison · April 2011

less than 5...I am really happy about this I have less anxiety!

ababymaybe · April 2011

Probably about 15-20 minutes at the most. You could check with your OB, but 30-40 sounds fine. I know people who've driven over an hour to the hospital because the closer ones were unacceptable.

liv97 · April 2011

we're planning on a home birth, but the back up hospital is about 5-10 minutes away.

myeshabride · April 2011

I like your math! Big Smile

My drive from home is about 30-35 minutes to the hospital also. Wow, I didn't even consider traffic. I guess in my mind I was thinking I would magically go into labor in the wee hours of the morning, middle of the afternoon when everyone's at work, or after 8pm...LOL! I have a hospital 10 mins from my house but like you, I don't like it.

marciekol · April 2011

2 mins if I hit both lights. If not, 1..lol

GBTeacherLady · April 2011

2 minutes. If for some reason I feel fabulous when it's go time we could walk.

laurynfaerie · April 2011

15 minutes at most. It's not the best hospital in the city, but it comes close. And the BEST one is more like 45 minutes away on the crappiest road in the city (full of pot holes, and constant construstion).

emily1414 · April 2011

A solid 15 minutes on a one lane highway.

CocoBrynne · April 2011

About 15mins for us. There is a hospital in our town that takes 5 mins to get there, but the one we chose to go with is a much much better hospital so the extra 10 mins doesn't bother us.

fancefpp · April 2011

30 mins to an hour depending on traffic! i'm hoping i don't go when there is a baseball game starting or letting out because traffic is a nightmare! i will freak out

twohniyt · April 2011

If I leave from home it will take us all of 5 minutes. If I happen to be at work that will probably take more like 20. Neither option is too bad in my opinion.

hepcats · April 2011

I have a similar situation to you: without traffic, 30-40 minutes; with traffic, could be up to 1 hour. If you think about the length of time most labors take, that time is a drop in the bucket so I'm not terribly concerned about it.

KayJ88 · April 2011

My hospital is 2 streets over from my house. Driving is about 2 minutes and I've walked to a few appointments which takes about 10minutes... Not that I plan on walking the day of!

jkylie · April 2011

Mine is 15 miles which equates to about 20 mins in NO traffic. Rush hour traffic it will be an hour. We live in LA so every hour is rush hour :-)

Mrs.Wright07 · April 2011

Well if L&D opens at the new hospital by my house before September my drive will be 10 minutes. If not, 35-40 depending on traffic.

mplesset23 · April 2011

Mine is about 5 minutes...if that.

Kml9876 · April 2011

30 minutes without a lot of traffic. 45 with traffic. I am not worried about it. We made it with plenty of time for our first child.

ermaderma · April 2011

From my house, it is about 5-7 minutes. From work? Well that is another story. If there is absolutely no traffic and I drive, about 40 minutes, but most likely an hour. If I take the train, it could be an hour and a half, depending on time of day and train schedule.

If my work won't allow me to work from the home, beginning 2 weeks before my due date, I'll be having my doctor write me out early.

ShawMich · April 2011

About 30 minutes.

aandg · April 2011

About 10-15 minutes.

KBaker421 · April 2011

about 3-4 Minutes

schmoodle · April 2011

I win! (Lose actually, LOL). Ours is 45 minutes with zero traffic, with traffic could be up to an hour and a half. It was very important to me to stay at my current OB/hospital though (which is in the city, I now live in the suburbs) because of my history and her familiarity with it, and the fact that this hospital has a better NICU than any other in the area. Plus, unless/until I'm out of work I'm only 10 minutes from the hospital on weekdays when working. We're likely inducing a bit early anyways so not an issue but if I go into labor on my own beforehand or there is an emergency my OB gave me instructions to call the on call and I can go to a closer hospital and they will call a doctor they know and are comfortable with who is on staff there.

BabyBLove · April 2011

Well, if I'm lucky I'll be home with my DH when I go into labor - if that's the case the drive will be about 25-30 mins. If I'm not lucky and still working when I go into labor, it'll be about a 20 min. drive.

JenniferAnnes · April 2011

Ours is 10 minutes. We have a hospital literally 1 minute from our house, but my OB doesn't deliver there. 10 minutes wasn't far enough to make me change my mind and find a doctor who delivered at the hospital nearest to my house though.

megd06 · April 2011

no traffic: 10-15 min

traffic: could be 30 min or more. It's near downtown Columbus (Riverside--the hospital from One Born Every Minute) so if I go into labor during work traffic, it could be ugly.

Ivana_Stolichnaya · April 2011

7 -10 minutes

Amanda&EricB · April 2011

Average time is probably 15 minutes, more if it's morning rush hour. Less at midnight.

KrisMomma · April 2011

I'm giving birth at a birth center about 25 miles from my house. It takes about 40 minutes without traffic, and up to an hour with heavy traffic. I feel pretty okay about it since this is my first baby and my mom is a MW who will be able to check me and see when we should go to the birth center.

bug81 · April 2011

Mine is hour to hour fifteen with out traffic. One and a half to one fourty five with so lets hope that this is like my last two pregnancies I it is planned or in the middle of the night.

minortutus · April 2011

from home 15-20min from work 45 min

DiscusCoach · April 2011

CHI-06:

Mine is 15-20 minutes and also is not the closest hospital but it is where my dr is whom I LOVE. It could take a bit longer if it is during rush hour.

30-40 minutes is fine though...you aren't going to have a baby that fast

I think that it won't be an issue either. Then again, my grandmother had my uncle at a gas station...

water-fairy · April 2011

30-40 minutes in no traffic. 1 hour if it's commute time. I don't really worry. With DS we had all the time in the world. My contractions were 3 minutes apart but I didn't deliver him until 12 hours later (a total of 17 hours of labor).

Want a personalized experience?

How long is your drive to the hospital on the big day?

Re: How long is your drive to the hospital on the big day?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards