Plan for going into labor at work

oxsarah7ox · December 2015

I couldn't find anything when I searched for this in the forum. Does anyone have a plan for if you go into labor at work? I work 40 minutes away from home, and 30 minutes from my hospital. My husband works close to home. I am a FTM so I don't know the realities of all that is going to happen when I go into labor. Will I be able to drive home, then to the hospital with DH, can I drive myself to the hospital and have DH meet me there, do I have someone drive me to the hospital? Has this happened to anyone? I am very interested. I am only 29.5 weeks, but this came barreling into my mind this evening and I realized I have no plan!

camusoh2011 · December 2015

For the safety of all involved I would say that it would be best to ask a coworker to drive you to the hospital and have your DH meet you there. You never know how quickly your labor might progress and while it could be totally possible for you to drive yourself home or to the hospital, it would be very dangerous for you, baby, and other drivers if you weren't able to make it there.

oxsarah7ox · December 2015

@camusoh2011 Thank you! I definitely do not/would not plan to drive myself. I just don't know how it all normally plays out for women and was interested. My hope would be that there would be enough time for DH to maybe drive to my work, get me, and go to the hospital if it were to happen. I wasn't sure if you have to go right away or not.

rachrobertson · December 2015

Good question. I work at a hospital, but will be delivering at a different hospital. However, if I went into labor at work, idk if I would attempt the drive or just give in and deliver where I work. I just don't want people I know seeing my business if I can help it.

camusoh2011 · December 2015

I know that when I was working while pregnant I had already worked out with my boss who would be willing to take me and what not.

VitaLuna · December 2015

I would drive home (45 min), then to the hospital (20 min) after laboring at home a while. If you're a FTM, it's *extremely* unlikely you'd magically go from early labor to delivering in a hour.

I personally plan to be off work at least a week before baby comes

We'll see what LO thinks about that. I was scheduled to work the day I delivered DD.

Karen249 · December 2015

For me, I never went into active labor with my first child until I was actually checked into the hospital. My water broke at home late at night. When I called my Drs answering service, the doctor on called told me to wait until I either had contractions (which I didn't) or when five hours had passed before coming to the hospital (which is what I did). Somehow I managed a shower and a nap before we went to hospital. So for me there was a ton of time. But everyone is different. It's just a good idea to have a plan in place just in case.

Now thinking of it...two things for anyone interested...have a towel in your car in case your water breaks to sit on (as well as wear a pad or two) Nobody mentioned that to me but very essential.

Also EAT!!! I can't emphasis it enough. If you can and your water breaks, EAT. Shove food in your mouth if you have to. You'll be so nervous and excited you won't want to but once you get to hospital and get checked in, they won't let you eat while in labor. You'll need the fuel to get through it and it could be a full day before you eat again. Again nobody told me this. I was so flippin hungry!

Anyway I wish you the best and hope you have a nice easy delivery and being at work won't be an issue!

summererdvig · December 2015

I love this post! I hadnt even thought about what would happen if I was at work when my water broke. I don't drive myself to work, so I think I will arrange for a coworker to drive me either home or to the hospital.

Aussiechicka · December 2015

I dreamed earlier this week about going into labor at work and it being like a gushing fire hydrant and everyone was staring so it's all I've thought about since lol. My commute is 40 mins and I reaalllly don't want to ask people I just started working with a month ago to drive me. Wonder if I could Uber it?? Lol

dragonfly321 · December 2015

@Aussiechicka "yeah uber? I'm not drunk, but I may or may not give birth in your car".

MississippiCatfish · December 2015

It depends on how soon after you go into labor you actually leave. I was induced with my first, but I started having contractions at 8am with my second. We went to a family picnic that day and left around 3pm, because I was just starting to feel the need to focus during my contractions rather than visit with family. I would have been fine to drive all day long. If you leave when you realize you're in labor, I personally don't think it's a big deal at all, but that's JMO.

BabyHope2013 · December 2015

I was more worried about this with my first and I ended up being induced with him. My hospital is about half way in between home and work. If I go into labor at work I would probably assess whether I could drive myself or needed someone to drive me. I don't think I would go home and then drive back to the hospital. I would just have someone bring me my hospital bag. It all depends how close my contractions are together.

satuttle1014 · December 2015

This is a great question and I haven't really thought about it myself. I'm a FTM as well. My actual due date is a Monday so I plan to take the week before off but who knows when she will come. Thankfully I only work 1.8 miles from home so I could drive home if necessary and in the new year I will be installing the carseat and put my hospital bag in my car. My hospital is about 8 miles away, which isn't too bad so hopefully if I was at work I could just drive there. From other posts and other people I know, there is usually a ton of time before you will actually deliver.

Maybe work out with a co-worker in case and it happens and you can call your husband on the way there if it happens that way. I have 1 or 2 people who could drive me but I would want them to drive my car so everything is there and maybe pay for their cab or uber back to work lol I will have to work that out.

As I get closer I would hopefully also use my bi-weekly/weekly appointments as a gage whether I can work up until I plan to or I may need to go on leave early or something.

g8trkim · December 2015

With my first baby, I could have easily driven after my water broke. I didn't have contractions for hours. I don't think that's the norm though. It seems like most people have early contractions so there is more warning. With my second, my water broke at a restaurant. I felt fine but was leaking all over the place. Not ideal for driving. This time, who knows. Being my third I'm worried it could go really fast. If my water breaks at work, I will have someone drive me to the hospital or if it's a day my husband's is off I will have him come get me. I seriously hope my water doesn't break at work because I teach 4th grade and that could be very interesting. All that said, I wouldn't ever recommend driving in labor. Every labor is different and you could be putting yourself and other drivers in a dangerous situation.

Kiek · December 2015

It reall depends on how your labor goes. I wouldn't have been able to drive myself anywhere once labor started. I labored at home for over 20 hours until my water broke and I finally had my MIL drive me to the hospital. I was barely able to walk into the building at that point. But some women are able to shower, eat something and function just fine in the earlier stages of labor. Some women have their water break a few hours before contractions even start. So it really depends on how your body labors. Hard to say at this point. I'd have a plan in place for someone to drive you just in case, though. You might be fine, but a back up is always good

kinnonam · December 2015

I haven't thought of this but now serious considerations need to be made. My job is 30 min from home and hospital is 15 min but in opposite directions. In my mind if I just so happen to be at work I would drive myself home since FTM have a long labor I assumed the 30 min ride would be a breeze. Then once I got home labor would kick in then make my way to the hospital when my SO go home. Now something else to think of lol lol

oxsarah7ox · December 2015

Thanks so much ladies! I appreciate all of your insight. I am also glad to hear that this has slipped other FTM's minds. If I am in the early stages of labor and need to go home, but not ready to go to the hospital, hopefully I can have someone bring me home, or DH come get me then, and labor at home for a bit then go to the hospital. Otherwise I'll have someone drive me in and DH meet me there. I am hoping my water doesn't break at work, could make for a very uncomfortable ride in someones car. Will definitely keeping a nice towel in my work bag from now on haha.

mcklough · December 2015

Hmm I'm planning on working the whole time sooo I guess I should have a tentative plan for this. I'm guessing I can do the drive if I leave at the first signs of somewhat regular contractions (or broken water).

I would not anticipate going straight to the hospital based on what our labor class instructor said. She said the average at home time is 4-5 hours of active labor.

I like to think that if it gets to be a "holy shit this is coming fast and furious" a coworker could bring me to either home or the hospital

Achae · December 2015

Luckily I'm able to be able to ask a coworker to take me home so I could wait for my husband to take us to the hospital and take care of our daughter. If it seems to be progressing faster a coworker can take me to the hospital instead although it'd only be 15 minutes away instead.

charliegoldengirl · December 2015

g8trkim said:
With my first baby, I could have easily driven after my water broke. I didn't have contractions for hours. I don't think that's the norm though. It seems like most people have early contractions so there is more warning. With my second, my water broke at a restaurant. I felt fine but was leaking all over the place. Not ideal for driving. This time, who knows. Being my third I'm worried it could go really fast. If my water breaks at work, I will have someone drive me to the hospital or if it's a day my husband's is off I will have him come get me. I seriously hope my water doesn't break at work because I teach 4th grade and that could be very interesting. All that said, I wouldn't ever recommend driving in labor. Every labor is different and you could be putting yourself and other drivers in a dangerous situation.

So your water broke with both your first two pregnancies? With my first, my water broke almost four weeks early and anyone I asked after the fact was kind of like "yeah no one knows what causes it". I keep thinking about it because I don't know if I'm more likely to have my water break again (because of the physical anatomy of my uterus or something ?) or start labor "normally" by having contractions instead of SROM. I guess there is never any way to know how labor is going to go ! But I also am a teacher so while I wouldn't mind starting labor with contractions while in school, having my water break in front of a classroom of middle schoolers is less then ideal... And I think the maintenance staff would hate me.

g8trkim · December 2015

charliegoldengirl said:

g8trkim said:
With my first baby, I could have easily driven after my water broke. I didn't have contractions for hours. I don't think that's the norm though. It seems like most people have early contractions so there is more warning. With my second, my water broke at a restaurant. I felt fine but was leaking all over the place. Not ideal for driving. This time, who knows. Being my third I'm worried it could go really fast. If my water breaks at work, I will have someone drive me to the hospital or if it's a day my husband's is off I will have him come get me. I seriously hope my water doesn't break at work because I teach 4th grade and that could be very interesting. All that said, I wouldn't ever recommend driving in labor. Every labor is different and you could be putting yourself and other drivers in a dangerous situation.
So your water broke with both your first two pregnancies? With my first, my water broke almost four weeks early and anyone I asked after the fact was kind of like "yeah no one knows what causes it". I keep thinking about it because I don't know if I'm more likely to have my water break again (because of the physical anatomy of my uterus or something ?) or start labor "normally" by having contractions instead of SROM. I guess there is never any way to know how labor is going to go ! But I also am a teacher so while I wouldn't mind starting labor with contractions while in school, having my water break in front of a classroom of middle schoolers is less then ideal... And I think the maintenance staff would hate me.

Yep, mine broke both times. No contractions. No feeling it was coming. I went straight to the hospital the first time and no contractions for hours so they put me on pitocin. It ended up being 12 hours start to finish. The next time I took a shower, straightened my hair, did makeup, ate then went. But between leaving home and checking in I went into full on labor and was there maybe 2 hours before she was born. I guess I was assuming this one would follow the same pattern but watch it be totally different.

kbette12 · December 2015

I've asked a few different co-workers if they were comfortable with driving me to the hospital (which is about 15 minutes away) in case of labor or emergency in general and made sure to give them my husband's contact information. I also plan to keep a hospital bag in my husband's car so he does not have to drive home first to pick up the bag, then come back to the hospital. Of course, this is assuming I go into active labor and not just sitting around for hours : )

Kiek · December 2015

My contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart for at least 20 hours while I was at home. I went to the hospital the night before when they first got that close and was sent home because I wasn't dilated enough for them. I would have cried my eyes out had I not been in so much pain already. So I labored at home all night and most of the next day until I couldn't care it any more and was terrified they would send me home again. Thankfully they didn't and the nurse I had said they should have never sent me home in the first place. I had the baby that night. So I'm just assuming I will be unable to drive at all when labor starts lol

miss071311 · December 2015

like everyone else said, it all depends. you could potentially go quickly or you could labor for hours. with our first, from my first contraction to holding baby in my arms was 3 hours total. second baby was way overdue and I was induced, but when I went into labor, it was fast.

I would just have a few plans in mind and pick one when the time comes... you'll know if your contractions are too painful for you to drive or too close together to be able to get home to get your husband first. and I doubt your co-workers will just sit there and watch you labor... someone will drive you!!

purplepenguin3 · December 2015

I completely agree with @miss071311 everyone baby/labor is different. So just be prepared for anything, and if you know you're in labor and want to get home do that b/c you'll be so much more comfortable laboring there then at the hospital if they'll even accept you right away. I think my hospital has told me that they won't even admit you unless you're 4cm and in active labor. I'm kind of in the same boat as you are even though this is my third. for my first two i went into labor early in the morning so i was already at home. It will be interesting to see what happens this time around.

purpletulip · December 2015

Like others have said, have a few plans in mind and pick the best one based on the circumstances.
I've heard that most labors start in the night so you hopefully won't even have to pick a plan! Plus only 15% of labors start with water breaking, so again, you hopefully won't have to deal with that. It's good to plan though, because you never know how it'll go.

brushesnbrunch · December 2015

I plan to already be out on maternity leave, but if it's not the case, I'll call my MIL because they live close to my work to drive me to the hospital.

oxsarah7ox · December 2015

Thanks ladies. I am thinking I will go into this with a few plans, because in reality I am sure I will have a plan and God will go ahead and laugh at it. Lol. As long as I have a few plans in place, I think I will be okay!

roseyrose1984 · December 2015

I will also just drive home if I go into labour at work. I work in the building next to the hospital so I could basically walk over, but from what I hear is that you have to be a few cm dialated already to be admitted, and that it may take a long time. I am putting a towel in my car though, just in case. In some nightmare my water breaks like a tsunami and my colleagues have to mob the floor.

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DD1: 9/19/11
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