Is an hour and 15 minutes too far away to deliver my baby??

ericamanuela · February 2012

Here's my dilema. I live about an hour and 15 minutes away from where I'm planning on delivering my baby. I originally thought that I would be staying with my mom the last month of my pregnancy because she lives only 10 minutes away from where I will be delivering.

I have two homes. I have a house that I share with my fiance which is an hour and 15 minutes away and then I own the other house which is 10 minutes away from the hospital. I have my mother in the first floor of the house that is closer to the hospital and tenants on the second floor. The tenants are very loud, I've talked with them many times but they will not keep it quiet enough for me to have a good night's sleep there. My mother and I have not been getting along at all and I really do not want to spend the last month of my pregnancy with her.

Will I have enough time once I go into labor to get to the hospital which is and hour and 15 minutes away or should I be miserable and stay with my mother for that last month? This is my first baby.

JKPLMS · February 2012

Would you really have to stay there for a whole month? Why don't you just plan on staying there for the last 2 weeks or so...I think that is a far distance to travel. You could always see what your doctor thinks about you being so far away too.

ericamanuela · February 2012

At the beginning of my pregnancy my doctor suggested that if my plan was to stay close to the hospital that it should be a month before my due date. A month does seem like a long time. I will ask his opinon about traveling the hour and 15 min. Gosh, even two weeks would be terrible with her. Ugh!

MrsMandaK · February 2012

I'd say yes. If you're in early labor and head to the hospital, there's a chance you'll be sent home and that's a long trip. And if you're in active labor, it will be no fun at all to be in a car for that long. I'd work on your relationship with your mom and stay there for the last month--maybe even just the last 2 weeks?

khill86 · February 2012

I'm a FTM, but I don't think it's too far. We live about 40 minutes from the hospital we plan on delivering at (there is one about 15 minutes from our house, but we prefer the other). We talked to our OB about what she would suggest, and she said very simply, leave the house when my contractions are 10 minutes apart instead of 3-5 minutes.

I know many of my friends, where if their water did break at home (before contractions started), they were still home, showering, packing things up for at least an hour before they left for the hospital (10 minutes away) anyway. I don't think it's a big deal - you'll just have to leave sooner.

Medic99 · February 2012

If you are a FTM you should have time to get there. It took us over an hour to get to the hospital with my DD. We had to go pick up MIL on the other side of town and then drive the usual 45 min but in rush hour which took longer. 7 hours later DD was born. This time we are not getting my MIL. My labor was quick with DD and I am not risking it.

ericamanuela · February 2012

khill86:

I'm a FTM, but I don't think it's too far. We live about 40 minutes from the hospital we plan on delivering at (there is one about 15 minutes from our house, but we prefer the other). We talked to our OB about what she would suggest, and she said very simply, leave the house when my contractions are 10 minutes apart instead of 3-5 minutes.

I know many of my friends, where if their water did break at home (before contractions started), they were still home, showering, packing things up for at least an hour before they left for the hospital (10 minutes away) anyway. I don't think it's a big deal - you'll just have to leave sooner.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I was reading that during the very first part of labor the contractions can be as far as 20 minutes apart. Yes, it could take hours to get to the point where they are 5 minutes apart but at 20 minutes apart I would leave the house and if I get sent back home to where my mom is then that will be fine. I too have heard of people taking their time once their water breaks.

mel101 · February 2012

MrsMandaK:
I'd say yes. If you're in early labor and head to the hospital, there's a chance you'll be sent home and that's a long trip. And if you're in active labor, it will be no fun at all to be in a car for that long. I'd work on your relationship with your mom and stay there for the last month--maybe even just the last 2 weeks?

This!

ericamanuela · February 2012

mel101:

MrsMandaK:
I'd say yes. If you're in early labor and head to the hospital, there's a chance you'll be sent home and that's a long trip. And if you're in active labor, it will be no fun at all to be in a car for that long. I'd work on your relationship with your mom and stay there for the last month--maybe even just the last 2 weeks?

This!

Well if I were to go to the hospital and sent home I would not go back to the house that is an hour in 15 minutes away, I would just go where my mom is, the one that is 10 minutes away and stay there until I'm really ready.

surprise3rd · February 2012

I think it will be fine. If you get there and you are in active labor they won't send you home if you tell them you live over an hour away, they will just keep you there. I would just head over when you are having contractions every 8-10 minutes, instead of the 3-4 like the PP said. Good luck, I have a good relationship with my mom, but still could not imagine living with her for 2-4 weeks when I was ready to pop.

mommygrams0730 · February 2012

when i had my first i was about this far away, maybe even farther and i had no issues. we left for the hospital when my contractions were about 10-12 min apart, got there i was a 4. an hour later i was a 6. had him in the morning. i think it's really about your comfort level.

catmtl · February 2012

Labor can sometimes take hours but it can also take minutes. You don't want to be the exception to the rule and give birth in the car.

More than an hour is a very long time. If for whatever you hit traffic...you'll be in trouble. And do you really want to bump along in the car for at least an hour and a quarter while you're in labor?

mamahawk12 · February 2012

MrsMandaK:
I'd say yes. If you're in early labor and head to the hospital, there's a chance you'll be sent home and that's a long trip. And if you're in active labor, it will be no fun at all to be in a car for that long. I'd work on your relationship with your mom and stay there for the last month--maybe even just the last 2 weeks?

This exactly. I was sent home twice - thank goodness my parents live 5 minutes from the hospital. The 20 minute drive from our house seemed like a lifetime.

I don't think you're at risk for delivering your baby in the car or anything crazy like that, it's just definitely not an ideal situation. I'd say at least patch things up enough that if you need to crash there in early labor, you'll be fine. I think a month (even 2 weeks) is excessive.

sarahandeddiejune212008 · February 2012

I am about an hour and 15 minutes from my hospital. Just make sure your FI can drive fast (but safely). I'd also leave as soon as you are starting to feel contractions just to be on the safe side. Don't wait until they are 2 minutes apart. You may end up spending more time at the hospital, but at least you won't deliver on the side of the road.

ericamanuela · February 2012

meaknigh:

MrsMandaK:
I'd say yes. If you're in early labor and head to the hospital, there's a chance you'll be sent home and that's a long trip. And if you're in active labor, it will be no fun at all to be in a car for that long. I'd work on your relationship with your mom and stay there for the last month--maybe even just the last 2 weeks?

This exactly. I was sent home twice - thank goodness my parents live 5 minutes from the hospital. The 20 minute drive from our house seemed like a lifetime.

I don't think you're at risk for delivering your baby in the car or anything crazy like that, it's just definitely not an ideal situation. I'd say at least patch things up enough that if you need to crash there in early labor, you'll be fine. I think a month (even 2 weeks) is excessive.

Yes, that would be my plan, if I were sent home I would undoubtedly stay with my Mom instead of heading back for that hour and 15 min drive.

APendola · February 2012

JKPLMS:
Would you really have to stay there for a whole month? Why don't you just plan on staying there for the last 2 weeks or so...I think that is a far distance to travel. You could always see what your doctor thinks about you being so far away too.

As a FTM, I think chances are you will have lots of time to make it to the hospital. But you never know if car trouble, accidents, or weather will get in your way and make the drive take even longer. You don't know if your labour will be average or if it will happen much faster.

You'll be seeing the doctor regularly at the end, and they can usually tell when your body is preparing for labour. Maybe you can just spend a short time at your Mom's...

urbanmamacountryheart · February 2012

I'd want to be close to the hospital. But I'm very bias on this one. I had a precipitous hour and twenty minute birth with my first (very, very unusual). But it can happen. I barely made it there and then hemmoraged after I delivered (which is more likely to happen with this type of labor), and that can be life threatening.

judahsmommy1 · February 2012

What if you headed to your mom's house when you're in early labor? As soon as you notice regular contractions that seem to be getting stronger and longer, head to your mother's house. You can labor there until you're ready to go to the hospital, then if they happen to send you home, you can go back to your mom's house. In very early labor your contractions will probably slow down if you're sitting in a car. (If they stop all together you're not in labor.) That means that you probably won't have all that many contractions while on your way there. But I would recommend planning on stopping a few times by the end of the drive to allow you to get up and breathe through contractions. Contractions while sitting in the bucket seat of a car are very uncomfortable! If you choose to do things this way I would definitely have both you and your fiancee review emergency delivery information so that if you happen to be one of the rare women who have very fast deliveries you both have an idea of what to expect and what to do.

laoch101 · February 2012

I'm an hour away from where I plan to deliver. I'm not worried about it. Well just plan on leaving earlier. If I get there and my labor has slowed I'll go somewhere where I can walk and kick start it again. If I feel there's something wrong I'll go to a hospital that's closer.

Brandyjean30 · February 2012

I'm glad you asked this question. I am 5 minutes from my hospital BUT the day before my EDD one of my very close friends from home is getting married. It will be an hour and a half away in my hometown. I plan on playing it by ear and seeing what my MW has to say closer to the wedding date but if things aren't really progressed I definitelly plan on going.

I hope things get better with you and your mom but I think you will be so much happier if you are able to stay home until its "go-time".

mlf625 · February 2012

I think it's totally fine. You're a first time mom, it's likely you'll have plenty of time to get to the hospital.

My hospital is just over an hour from our house. I'll be having a repeat c/s, but even if I go into labor, I don't feel like it's too far. When we had our other kids we lived in a bigger city and it could easily take an hour to get through traffic to the hospital.

katmacwv · February 2012

Different people progress at totally different rates once labor starts. My water broke and I was fortunate to be about 5 minutes from the hospital (at my office). I could have ridden in a car for an hour+, but it certainly wouldn't have been comfortable since the fluid was really coming out. I wasn't having painful contractions during that time, so it could have just been discomfort and possibly a wet seat by the end of an hour and 15 minutes.

A friend of mine has MS and the hospital where her docs preferred she delivered was over an hour from her house. They needed to control when she gave birth so they could get her the right meds immediately after she gave birth. To avoid any issue with the distance to the hospital, they induced her a week or so before her due date. I'm not sure how they would have handled it if she went into labor before the induction.

mrsj0423 · February 2012

I guess it all depends on how quickly things progress. Like a pp said, you wouldn't want to go in too early and have them send you home. You could always head down to your moms once early labor starts. I live 40 mins from our hospital. My sister however lives right across the street so MH and I will be "camping out" at her house once we feel that it's "time" but not quite "hospital time".

Asquared · February 2012

You can probably just start getting "checked" after 36 weeks and see if you're making any progress- a month is a little overboard imo. Then when you get w/ in a week or so of your labor- you can head there...

Is there no decent hospital closer? I wouldn't want to be in a car that long while I am in active labor.

ericamanuela · February 2012

Asquared:

You can probably just start getting "checked" after 36 weeks and see if you're making any progress- a month is a little overboard imo. Then when you get w/ in a week or so of your labor- you can head there...

Is there no decent hospital closer? I wouldn't want to be in a car that long while I am in active labor.

I'm in Kittery, ME and the one hospital closeby doesn't have the best reputation. The house that is 15 minutes away from the hospital that I am delivering is in Boston and that's definitely where I want to deliver. It's one of the best hospitals in the country to have a baby in so I'll take full advantage.

judahsmommy1 · February 2012

Getting checked and knowing if you've "progressed" at all won't necessarily help. My friend who is pregnant with her second child has been dilated to between 5 and 6 cm for the last week and is not in labor yet. (no, I'm not kidding. This is not the only friend who has had this experience either.) I was dilated to 2 for nearly a month. (Then it took 28 hours of active labor to give birth.) Some women don't dilate at all and go into labor needing to go from 0-10. You just don't know what your body is going to do and when.

HeyJune · February 2012

There are a couple of things I'd want to consider before deciding:

1. Is there another closer option that you could use as a back-up plan if your water breaks and contractions become very close together very quickly? Is there a closer option just in case you have pre-term labor and need to be seen immediately?

2. Is the hour and 15 minutes with traffic? Is this interstate/highway travel? Could this time be cut if you were in an emergency situation and got a police escort?

In a typical first time delivery, an hour and 15 minutes is way more than enough time. Most first time moms I know labored at home for at least a full day before contractions were close enough together to go to the hospital. However, there are the rare instances where labor happens very quickly. I know a few of these moms as well (no contractions, then water broke, baby born within 2 hours) I'd want to have a set in stone back-up plan that I was comfortable with way ahead of time just to be safe.

downwardsunshine · February 2012

I'm really surpsied nobody has mentioned the obvious:

Why are you subjecting your mother to an environment that YOU won't subject yourself too?! I would evict the loud tenants. This is a no brainer.

amberlynnr7 · February 2012

I'm only delivering about 25 mins away from my home & I'm nervous about it, but if you decide that's what's best for you...GL!

margaret_howell · February 2012

You will probably be fine. With my first we lived 50 mins away from our hospital. We left our house when my contractions were 3 mins apart and I delivered about 5 hours after we got to the hospital.
As I'm sure others have suggested, you should probably ask your Dr. and go with whatever he/she says since we don't know your medical history.

Still free to be me · February 2012

I live 45 minutes away from the nearest hospital and have had two VERY fast labors. With my first, I got to the hospital (30 minutes from my house) 13 minutes before the baby was born. With my second, I went from "almost 4cm dilated" to baby out in under two hours.

My plan is that when I am pretty certain that I am in labor, I will head to town. Then, I will hang out at a friends' house until I am ready to go to the hospital. Last time, I ended up spending the night at their house, having mild, but regular, contractions all night, and went to the hospital around noon.

missmaggie11 · February 2012

I would stay whereever you feel the most comfortable. However, if you are a FTM an hour plus car ride is not going to be an issue- you will have time to get to the hospital. I lived 75 miles from my closest hospital and it took over an hour to drive there. I made it to the hospital with both of my first two children, no babies were delivered in the car. The car ride was not fun, but it was managable :-)

sourapplemartini · March 2012

ericamanuela:
Asquared:

You can probably just start getting "checked" after 36 weeks and see if you're making any progress- a month is a little overboard imo. Then when you get w/ in a week or so of your labor- you can head there...

Is there no decent hospital closer? I wouldn't want to be in a car that long while I am in active labor.

I'm in Kittery, ME and the one hospital closeby doesn't have the best reputation. The house that is 15 minutes away from the hospital that I am delivering is in Boston and that's definitely where I want to deliver. It's one of the best hospitals in the country to have a baby in so I'll take full advantage.

Holy crap, it might take 1hr 15m to get to NWH in the middle of the night but no way in hell would I risk going into labor and fighting rush hour traffic to get to SOUTH of Boston. If you're talking about Portsmouth Regional, I delivered both of my kids there and had a fantastic experience-- so much so that I moved to a city with a hospital and I'm still going to PRH. I know nothing about York so I can't speak to that but I think it's silly of you to bypass a wonderful hospital 10 mins from your house in order to deliver at NWH where you won't know anyone.

ETA: Not to mention that there are probably 15 hospitals closer than NWH. Your insurance probably won't cover it based on that alone.

cinnamon84 · September 2012

I am also having my first and live an hour from the hospital. I am not worried though, even if something were to happen along the way I am a paramedic and know that there is an ambulance along the way that would take great care of me Smile

coraaustin1 · October 2012

That's not to far. I live about 1 and 15 minutes away from the hospital that i will be delivering at. I'm okay with that because I know it will be a better hospital.Don't worry. I was in labor 11 hours with my son. You will be okay. hope this helps

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