Hour and a half drive to hospital?

kaitlynbarnett · October 2012

Hello

I've been lurking on these boards for a while now, but this is my first time ever actually posting. So greetings! You ladies have provided some awesome advice and ideas through posts I've read these past few months, and I'm in need of some unbiased opinions. This is my first pregnancy, I'm due in early Jan, and will be moving with my fianc?' an hour and a half away from where we're currently living in the beginning of December. I love my midwives here, and really would like to continue to see them and give birth in the city I'm currently living in. My fianc?' doesn't really like this idea. He'd prefer me to find a new doctor when we move and have our baby there. So my question is, would it be crazy and unreasonable to drive an hour and a half when I go into labor to give birth at the hospital I feel comfortable and familiar with? Or should I just give in and find a new doctor there?

askarstad · October 2012

It really depends on what you're comfortable with. Is there potential for traffic that could prolong the commute? Have you talked to the midwives to find out their opinion?

I would personally freak out, but that's based on my labor experience with my first. We got to the hospital at 3:30a and he was born at 6:30a. We recently moved, and it makes me nervous that it added 10 minutes to our hospital commute! With that said, many women spend HOURS laboring at the hospital, and an hour and a half drive wouldn't matter (though contractions in the car aren't the most comfortable thing). Smile

kellyrn9956 · October 2012

Personally, I think an hour and a half is a bit much, but there are plenty of women around the country who have no choice but to drive that far because there aren't hospitals in their area. However, if I HAD a choice, no way would I drive an hour and a half in labor. Not to mention you are due in January, and the possbilities of winter weather.

I am driving 40 minutes, and even that makes me nervous. The thought of being scrunched up in the car seat for 40 minutes and being unable to get a position that might make me more comfortable is scary.

I would just find a new doctor where you are going to be living.

Unknown · October 2012

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drpayne · October 2012

I think it's too far. Labor can start slowly but that's not always the case. Mine was intense from the the start and I was 7 cm when I got to my birthing center. Luckily it was 5 minutes away.

SockMonkeySam · October 2012

I drive 1.5 hours one way to work... and I hate it. I can't even fathom doing it in pain..

mrsmcdonald · October 2012

I think that would be way too far, personally. Like PP wrote, you never know how quickly labor will progress. I went from a pinky dilated to fully dilated in only a few hours; we had a 40 minute ride to the birthing center, and it was brutal - I arrived at there ready to push and DD came 20 mintues later. Easiest the longest ride ever. If we had ran into a little bit of traffic, it could have been a bad situation.

I would definitely find someone in your new area. I had to switch providers at 28 weeks and it turned out to be was no big deal, as much as I loved my old providers.

RissKay · October 2012

As much as it might suck, I would find a new doctor in the new location. Not only is it an hour and a half TO the hospital, but you'd also have that drive back with a newborn when you left.

lightgetsin · October 2012

Personally, I think that if you have a typical first labor and delivery (long) you should be fine. With my first I could have had a 1.5 hour drive no problem but it was 5 minutes. I had a 1.5 hour drive with my second baby and I have to tell you it was worse than labor because of all the bumps in the road etc. I was in the front seat, facing backward, on all 4's shouting obscenities because the pain was so bad. And it's not like my baby came as soon as I got to the hospital. She was born 4 hours later.

mommajewels87 · October 2012

Oddball here. With my first 2 pregnancies both my midwife and the hospital we deliver at were 1.5hrs away. Where I live, you have 2 options. Deliver at the super shady, c-section happy hospital that is more like a veterenarian clinic 15 minutes from home OR drive up north to the city to get good care. We chose the latter, of course.

So with my 1st 2 pregnancies, it was a 1.5 hr drive. While I was pregnant with my 2nd they started doing road work to turn the highway from a 2 lane into a 4 lane and do some additional rennovations which was going to shorten the drive by 30 minutes. Because of the road work, it sometimes took 2 hours to make it to my doctor, which was right across the street from the hospital we deliver at. While I certaintly could have ran into issues, such as not making it to the hospital in time, thankfully I never did. And the drive was definitely worth it to make sure my baby and I were in good hands and recieving quality care.

By the time I got pregnant with my 3rd, they were finished with the stretch of road we take up there and our drive is now only an hour, which seems like a cake walk.. lol.

There was a brand new hospital built 25 minutes from here and I have heard nothing but great things about it. But I have grown so close to my midwife (she can tell you the exact room she first saw me in, knows all my kids & hubbys name, etc) I really can't imagine seeing someone else. For me, comfort trumps convenience... and I personally don't fear having the baby in the car on the way to the hospital. It's a small risk I'm willing to take to be where I feel comfortable.

ChevyFam717 · October 2012

I live a half hour away from ANY hospital... From what I hear (FTM) laboring can take a while before even the water breaks... should have plenty of time to get there if you aren't procrastinating too bad...

I'd say you have to do what you are most comfortable with in the long run. I love my doctors and wouldn't want to leave them, it is who YOU have to deal with. DH should have a say in the process but it is you who has to work with the new Dr. ultimately and it is up to you what you are comfortable with. Talk to your current Dr's about it and see what they say!

MelTwe · October 2012

If I remember correctly, I had a friend that wanted to deliver with a midwife that was 2 hours away. I think there a couple options if SO is nervous. You could consider staying in a hotel near your midwife if you think labor is starting, but are not ready to go to the hospital. Or if you have family nearby, you could ask to stay there if you need to.

smurf605 · October 2012

If you can get decent care in your new area, I would find a new doctor. The half hour drive to the hospital with DS was the worst part of my labor experience. I was very uncomfortable.

If you try out a few new doctors/midwifes and you can't find anyone you like, you can always decide to go back to your old clinic.

2Chefs · October 2012

I did it and it wasn't a big deal. We just left before things got super intense. Getting a newborn home was much more nerve wracking, but DS slept the whole way.

Elocin · October 2012

I would ask your current practice for recommendations that are closer. Obviously, some women have done it, or wouldn't be bothered by it, but I would be.

Anne Mommy · October 2012

With DS, I liked the hospital that was an hour drive (depending on traffic of course). We had a plan. Hospital A would be our first choice. If for some reason (bad weather/ labor progressing too quickly/ some emergency) we would go to Hospital B that was maybe 10 minutes from home. Since it was across state lines, my doctor wouldn't deliver there but he gave me a recommendation for another doctor there whom I met before hand. I did have DS at Hospital A and will more than likely deliver there again.

monlyn9 · October 2012

I know that my experiences are not normal but both of my labors so far have been incredibly short (just over 2 hours from first labor pain until baby was out - both were vaginal deliveries) so there is no way that I would choose to go to a hospital that far away. DH is already joking about camping out at the hospital starting 2 weeks before my due date. Is there anyway to push the move back a couple of months until after baby is born?

drpayne · October 2012

ChevyFam717:
I live a half hour away from ANY hospital... From what I hear (FTM) laboring can take a while before even the water breaks... should have plenty of time to get there if you aren't procrastinating too bad...

I'd say you have to do what you are most comfortable with in the long run. I love my doctors and wouldn't want to leave them, it is who YOU have to deal with. DH should have a say in the process but it is you who has to work with the new Dr. ultimately and it is up to you what you are comfortable with. Talk to your current Dr's about it and see what they say!

I mean this respectfully but if you've never been in labor, you really can't fathom labor in a car. I get that some people have no other choice... but if there are options that don't involved a 1.5 hour drive, they are worth serious consideration. All I'm saying is that it's worth listening to the ladies that have been there/done that. My contractions didn't start slowly. I had about 30 minutes to leave my house.

jamiedsgirl · October 2012

There is no way i could do this. We were more than 20 miles from our hospital, and it was the middle of the night, and that 30-ish minute drive was torture. Plus, when I arrived, I was 5cm, and within an hour, I was at 10 and started pushing. If I lived where you lived, I would have been pushing in the car!

sbevmc09 · October 2012

Would it be crazy? No, I don't think so. Ideal? Definitely not, but people do it.

I think if I were in your position, I'd probably explain to my current practice that I was moving and ask them what they recommend. Do they know of any good practices in your new area? Do they know anything about the hospitals around there? Etc. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised about your new options. I'd probably just look around there to see if I was comfortable changing practices/hospitals too. If not, and you really want to stay with your current practice then do it.

Just keep in mind you'll probably have appointments pretty close together towards the end of your pregnancy (weekly or at very least bi-weekly for a normal pregnancy) so you'll be doing a lot of driving and you'll also have to take the drive into account when thinking of when to head to the hospital. I think you'll have plenty of time to get there, but you know... obviously it's not as convenient as a closer hospital. For example, if you would go in, get checked, find out for some reason you're still in early, early labor, you wouldn't have the option to just go back home for a little bit and then come back later, you know? Also it will be harder for your H to run home for things while you're in the hospital. Laboring on a long car ride is not going to be fun. I think delivering with a provider you're comfortable with is way more important than convenience though so just look at it from every angle and decide what's best for you. I definitely don't think you're crazy though

dande2129 · October 2012

RissKay:
As much as it might suck, I would find a new doctor in the new location. Not only is it an hour and a half TO the hospital, but you'd also have that drive back with a newborn when you left.

This.

There's nothing worse than hearing that newborn cry in the car when you can't do shiit to feed them.

saturdaynightdoubletree · October 2012

Do what you feel comfortable with. Talk to your midwives and see what they say. Even if you plan on driving 1.5 hours to deliver your baby, know that there are a lot of possibilities that may keep that from happening - you could go into labor and progress quickly, bad weather = not good to drive, etc. etc. If you can't drive the distance while in labor are you comfortable with whoever is at the closest hospital? Or would you prefer to have a doctor/midwife close by who you have been able to form a trust with. Just throwing some things out there to help you think things through. GL!

sararn2004 · October 2012

drpayne:
I think it's too far. Labor can start slowly but that's not always the case. Mine was intense from the the start and I was 7 cm when I got to my birthing center. Luckily it was 5 minutes away.

I agree. Plus, for me, I didn't realize I was in labor until I was well into it. I had back labor and it just felt like intense back pains. Absolutely nothing up front. Only reason I came in was b/c my mom said that was how her labor with me was.

We lived 15 minutes from the hospital and I was at 7 cm when I got there. Imagine if I lived further away, it'd be a car birth.

JPinkman · October 2012

I couldn't deal with a hospital that far away - my hospital is about 7 miles from my house and 15 miles from work.

hmt7 · October 2012

Personally I would not! But you may be fine. My cousin (literally) had her water break, and 20 min later gave birth!! You may just be on the 5:00 news as having your baby on the side if the highway!

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