Ambulances to hospital.

[Me, My Girls & I]

Shauna love I wasnt being funny! Was just saying it how I saw it, and probs in a rush at the time too the way I see it is, ambulances are part of the EMERGENCY services, 9 times out of 10, simply being in labour isn't an emergency! My labour turned into an emergency situation and I was blue lighted to hospital an hour or so after giving birth, and ambulance rides are horrible! You travel backwards so you end up feeling really sick! The way our midwives put it at Antenatal classes was, you've got 9 months to prepare for how to get to
Hospital, so ambulances are only to be used if it's an absolute emergency! My OH wasn't driving when I had my 1st, but I still had plans and backup plans of who was to take me!

 

[Lexusno1]

Well to chip in with something that may contradict previous posts, I called the labour ward when I was getting random contractions but very painful. I couldn't talk through them at the time and the midwife told me to call an ambulance as I was 10 miles away and it was my second baby as they can come quicker. I also told her my OH could bring me in and she said get him to follow the ambulance. The drivers were fine with this too. It never even entered my head that i'd go to hospital in an ambulance for labour but if there was even a slight chance I'd have the baby @ home I'd call an ambulance 10 times over!! I'm not really bothered about a drain on resources over safety of my unborn baby.what am I payin my taxes for??

Xxx

 

[HeppiBean]

Neither me or my partner drive... I'm not in contact with my family... And the only friend we have who does drive works 12 hour shifts 5 days a week... So if I ended up needing to go into hospital between 6pm and 6am... I might get a lift if his phone wakes him up... Other than that I wouldn't stand a chance... Hospital is around 15 miles away... Everyone's just been telling me that if it comes to it, don't feel bad about calling an ambulance... It wasn't so long ago that it was standard procedure for labouring woman to be taken to hospital in an ambulance.... My mum was with both me AND my brother... With me, cause I was stubborn, she had 3 ambulances as she was in labour for almost 4 days....

 

[nadine]

Well to chip in with something that may contradict previous posts, I called the labour ward when I was getting random contractions but very painful. I couldn't talk through them at the time and the midwife told me to call an ambulance as I was 10 miles away and it was my second baby as they can come quicker. I also told her my OH could bring me in and she said get him to follow the ambulance. The drivers were fine with this too. It never even entered my head that i'd go to hospital in an ambulance for labour but if there was even a slight chance I'd have the baby @ home I'd call an ambulance 10 times over!! I'm not really bothered about a drain on resources over safety of my unborn baby.what am I payin my taxes for??

Xxx

This was my point exactly. N I'd do the same,

I can see were other r comin from but as I said u may only ever use a ambulance in ur life whilst in labor? N to me thats not a waste of resources, Or u may not know how serious a situation u r in n call one to get u were ur going faster lots of different reasons to call one, no one is silly n just going call n ambulance if ur having strong BH haha I mean half of us won't call our Mw let alone n ambulance but I'm defo up there with lex if I needed it I'd call it x

 

[ippa]

I would just like to say, not trying to be horrible to anyone, but my sister works for an ambulance service and if a woman in labour calls for them, she said thay actually get really annoyed, as other people have commented it is an emergency service, not a free taxi.
I had a placental abruption at 35 weeks which ended in an emergency c-section and i still didnt call for an ambulance, i got driven to the hospital, and well they told me off in the delivery room as i should have called one, but to be honest i probably got there quicker than if i waited for an ambulance to come and get me!

 

[AugustMum]

Just to chip in because we all are

I wouldn't even think of calling an ambulance unless I truly felt it was an emergancy. I live 15 miles from my hospital and so did a test run with my parents seeign how long it would take to get there ect and had back up plans incase people couldnt take me. I would have just called a taxi if I couldnt of got a lift.

Im pretty sure youll have quite a bit of time to get to hospital and if you're really worried, then maybe once youre contractions start just arrange for someone to take you there and then. Even if you have a quick labour you'll get there in time then! But this would mean alot of waiting around in the waiting room. Just always keep enough money for a taxi in your house so its always there just in case and it'll put your mind at ease

 

[cosmicgirl]

I would just like to say, not trying to be horrible to anyone, but my sister works for an ambulance service and if a woman in labour calls for them, she said thay actually get really annoyed, as other people have commented it is an emergency service, not a free taxi.
I had a placental abruption at 35 weeks which ended in an emergency c-section and i still didnt call for an ambulance, i got driven to the hospital, and well they told me off in the delivery room as i should have called one, but to be honest i probably got there quicker than if i waited for an ambulance to come and get me!

My dad is exactly the same, they get really annoyed too. He says that some ladies tell him that they actively planned to call for an ambulance throughout their pregnancy, an ambulance shouldn't be something that is planned xx

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Was speaking to the midwife today and she said if noone can take me to phone an ambulance and that they wouldn't charge me if i was in labour and needed to get there.
Well this has turned out to be a longgg thread lol.
I can see with where everyone is coming from... i agree with Lex too.
xxx

 

[bethx]

I wouldnt call an ambulance either... have you asked at the hospital mine offer a reduced taxi service as long as you have your notes etc and arrange it. You can use it for any check up etc aswell. A taxi 10 miles wouldnt actually be that expensive.. no more than you pay for parking anyway and as long as you have a big bag to sit on youll be fine dont worry to much. my mums car broke just as i got to my due date so i had to look into these things aswell.

 

[tinytoes]

Was speaking to the midwife today and she said if noone can take me to phone an ambulance and that they wouldn't charge me if i was in labour and needed to get there.
Well this has turned out to be a longgg thread lol.
I can see with where everyone is coming from... i agree with Lex too.
xxx

Fantastic that its sorted and now you can relax

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Yeah sure can. If needed and no other way atall i'll have to. Just hope my dad is there really though lol! xxx

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Ill probably still look into taxi prices too! xxx

 

[midnight]

i honestly think i would be more scared in an ambulance than in our car or a taxi , i associate ambulances with bad memories though, 1st time i went in 1 was when i had a brick over my head when i was about 11 blood was everywhere and i was terrified then the next time was with my dad when he couldnt breath that was scary and then with my daughter when she had meningitis so i think being in 1 for the moments before the birth of my baby would kinda scare me and feel very negative

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Would probably scare me too. I have never been in one before... think it will be last resort but at least i know i can call now. x

 

[scottishlassie]

Well that's what you should do hun, you've spoken to the mw and she's told you if no one can take you - phone an ambulance. I see other people's views but i agree with nadine and lexus too. I'm really quite anxious about labour, and I've never been through it before, I think i would rather medics be there. But now seeing that some ambulance medics get annoyed at women who might consider labour an emergency not sure if i really want to be in that environment, nice to bare that in mind though for when i'm panicking in labour. As i've never been through it before i won't know if something is wrong.. I think i'll speak to my mw too and see what she says x x

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Yeah i know what you mean hun, let me know what your midwife says. xxx

 

[Laura_C]

When I was 34 weeks I started contracting, it didn't feel right and I was worried. Called midwife the hospital and when I described pain she was worked about placental abruption and she told me to get to hospital ASAP. My hubby was already at work and at that time he worked an hour away. I told her I would call him and I'd probably be in in about an hour and a half and she said no you won't I'm calling you an ambulance! I felt stupid but so glad she did, when I got to hospital they thought I was in premature labour. All turned out ok and two days later everything settled but I was so scared. I think in certain situations an ambulance is necessary but tbh if I had someone else to take me in at that time then that's what would have happened. When I was in labour my husband took me to hospital.

 

[songbird]

I just had a conversation with my health visitor about this and she said if my waters go i have to get a ambulance because i had my daughter 20 mins after they broke my waters last time but anything else like contractions etc wont be counted as a emergency and as the hospital im under state do not use the 999 service unless its a emergency ie bleeding or prem labor i would have to find my own way there by taxi.
She did say that the first niggle i need to contact the midwife who will then be able to figure out how far i am and what to do next

 

[BabysMomma]

xshauna_bazx - this may sound REALLY stupid..but I was catching up on the soaps and in an episode of Emmerdale (don't know if u watch or not) a character Rhona is pregnant and was having BH pains, and the first thing that was said was "ring an ambulance" So I think you're not alone about not knowing when its ok to ring an ambulance I told you it was stupid It just made me think of you x

 

[midnight]

xshauna_bazx - this may sound REALLY stupid..but I was catching up on the soaps and in an episode of Emmerdale (don't know if u watch or not) a character Rhona is pregnant and was having BH pains, and the first thing that was said was "ring an ambulance" So I think you're not alone about not knowing when its ok to ring an ambulance I told you it was stupid It just made me think of you x

lol