Community› The Bump Local Boards› New York Babies
New York Babies
New Discussion

2 L&D questions for NYC mamas - transportation to hospital and pet care

katelin318katelin318 member
in New York Babies
For the NYC mamas out there:
1. How did you get to the hospital if you didn't have a car?  Did you call an ambulance when you went into labor?  Car service?  Taxi?  Gulp... subway?  I live in south Brooklyn but will be delivering at NYU Langone (east 30's in Manhattan).  Thoughts?
2. If you have a dog, how did you arrange for its care while you were at the hospital, without knowing when that would be or how long you might be there?  Our vet's office has a kennel that we use for boarding if we go out of town, but I'm not sure how that would work in this case since we'd have no advance notice and I could easily go into labor while they're closed.  We don't have a regular dog walker/sitter, and our pup is not the most easy going little guy, so I'd be worried about just asking a friend to stop in for feedings and walks.  Maybe if we worked it out with a friend in advance, and set up a couple of times for the friend and our dog to spend some time together beforehand that could work??
Any advice or experiences to share would be much appreciated, thanks!
Report Reply to Post

Re: 2 L&D questions for NYC mamas - transportation to hospital and pet care

  • erikaalzeterikaalzet member
    No answer for question 2.

    I also live in South BK and will be delivering at Langone. My colleagues who have recently delivered all made it via taxi cab (Uber). My family who has recently delivered were usually driven by husbands in their own vehicles. Everyone happened to be coming from home.

    If this is your first baby, you will likely be okay in terms of having to cab it. Tip from one of my colleagues is do not let them know you are in labor :) as they may cancel the ride.
    Report Reply
  • babealertzbabealertz member
    I live in Park Slope, and I delivered at NYU Langone. I took an Uber to the hospital. I was very lucky--my water broke really early in the morning on a Sunday, and there was absolutely no traffic. Door to door, the ride took 20 minutes. I was really worried about making a mess in the car so I made sure to buy pads in advance and put one on. Bringing a towel is also a good idea.

    A very kind neighbor of mine looks after my dog from time to time, and she agreed in advance to do so when it was time for me to deliver. If you have friends who would be willing to do it, just ask! You can even set up a backup person to give the first person some relief if you're in the hospital for longer than expected.

    I met this neighbor by asking another neighbor if he knew any good dog walkers. She's not a dog walker, just a person who loves dogs, and has fun taking care of mine. It's worth asking around.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • babealertzbabealertz member
    Btw, my husband and I didn't want to deal with installing the car seat in a taxi or Uber, so we used a service called Kid Car. It was a little more expensive than a regular car service would have been, but they arrived with a rear facing infant car seat installed. It cost us $70 to get home. We tipped the driver on top of that, but apparently gratuity is included, so ask about that if you decide to use that company.

    Unless you have the car pull over to the side, there is no good place to install a car seat at Langone. It only took us about 2 minutes to get our baby buckled into the car seat, and there were cars behind us honking.
    Report Reply
  • katelin318katelin318 member
    @erikaalzet Thanks!  I figure I'd make it to the hospital in time in a cab/uber, especially since it's my first, but I was in one recently and the driver couldn't tell that I was pregnant and he happened to tell a story about how a pregnant woman was in labor and tried to book him for a ride to the hospital and he almost didn't take her!  

    @babealertz Unfortunately I don't know my neighbors very well, but I do have three friends who are roommates who live somewhat close by.  I think I'll ask them and maybe they can split the doggie responsibility so it's not too much for one person.  And thanks for the tip about Kid Car.  I'll definitely look into it!
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"