Anyone else not got a car?

[JoAnn&Aimee]

I know this sounds very bizarre but is there anyone else on here that doesn't drive and neither does their OH?

This has started to become a big concern for me now. My maternity hospital is a 45 minute drive away and I get the bus in whenever I have appointments. Obviously when I go into labour I will not be standing at a bus stop, as funny as that would be!

There is a taxi firm who does a set price to the hospital for £14 each way but that is a lot of money. Now I DID have £40 set aside in a lil envelope named 'emergency hospital money' but with the way things have been with pains and twinges everytime I call the hospital they want me to come in and I just can't afford it. The envelope is empty and I need to wait until payday to replace the money which will probably be empty again next week!!

My dad has said that if he isn't at work when it happens he will drive me there but he works 3am - 1pm driving lorries. He goes to his bed at 9pm and knowing my flippin luck I'll have to go in at 4am!! My uncles have all said the same, that if anything happens to phone them and if they can they'll drive me there but I don't exactly want to spend an hour phoning around everyone to see if anyone can drive me to the hospital.

Ack, this post has gotten longer than I intended. My main reason for asking is for those who don't have access to a car how are you planning to get to the hospital? Finally got there in the end eh?

 

[Kimberly]

Neither of us drive and we don't have any family nearby or friends with a car. This has concerned me as well. We moved in the middle of my pregnancy and decided to stay at the hospital in my old area which is on the other side of London. It will probably take us an hour or more to get there. This has caused me a lot of anxiety, but I was recently book for a C-section so I feel a bit better knowing when he is coming. We are planning on taking the tube to the hospital and a taxi home. If I go into labor before then, we will just take a taxi.

I don't have any suggestions for you, but I wanted to say that I understand your concern. Luckily I haven't had to go into hospital suddenly, so I've been able to make due with the bus/tube. We've lived without a car for 2.5 years and this is the first time it has ever bothered me.

 

[moss]

I have no idea what I will do, either! In fact, I am planning on talking abut a homebirth on Wednesday with my midwife because of it! I am in a new city and I don't know anyone who could drive me. I had to take a taxi the other day with my husband (from a taxi rank), and the driver said "You're not in pain, are you?" and when I said no he said "Okay, good, I will take you then." I felt like this implied he would not want a labouring woman in his car. Also, whenever I have called for a taxi to come pick me up I have waiting for about an hour.

 

[Hazel]

If you have to call an ambulance. If you have no one to take you then that'll be your only option.

 

[moss]

This is what I am thinking if I can't have my homebirth, but I started to ask about this with the midwife and got as far as "We don't drive" before she said people who don't drive have relatives or friends to take them. When I said I don't because no one I know here drives either, all she said was not to call an ambulance. I guess I will anyway, and I will lie if I have to! Or I guess I will be getting the homebirth I want whether they like it or not!

 

[Hazel]

When I said I don't because no one I know here drives either, all she said was not to call an ambulance.

So she didn't offer to take you then??? Just lie and call the ambulance, they can't refuse.

 

[moss]

I'll speak to her again on Wednesday, but I'm also planning on pushing for a homebirth, with this being one of the reasons. Haha... Depending on how she is, this may push her into offering to take me! But having said that, I know that doctors aren't insured to drive patients around (I worked in a brain injury ward and a doctor got in trouble for picking up a wandering patient) so I wonder whether midwives aren't allowed either?

 

[abcd1234]

Although i drive and so does Dave the hospital is in the centre of town and i would NEVER drive up there myself. Because of its location it could take us 10 mins to get there or an hour it all depends on what time od day it is. There's also hardly any parking up there and they gave my dad a parking ticket for his bike recently so they're really strict.

We're very lucky as my dad will take us up, and if he's not in we've got friends or family that would do it.

I wouldnt wanna get a taxi tbh, i've not had good experiences with the bristol taxis, they're a bit wierd generally lol.

Joann, if your in labour and ring family im sure they'll take you no problem, they're not gonna force you to wait at home and get blue-lighted especially when you've had problems recently.

A midwife should also be helping you to find a way to get in, they dont want you to ring an ambulance because of the cost to the NHS, it's a waste of money when there should be another way for a women in labour to get in to hospital, i'm suprised she didnt explain that and offer you alternatives.

 

[Miss.Monroe]

we dont have a car, were planning to get a taxi to hospital.

 

[Morganuk]

I do not drive either and although my partner does we are waiting on a car.

 

[JoAnn&Aimee]

I was beginning to feel like the only person in the world who doesn't have a car! It is good to know I am not the only person.

Kimberly - A few weeks ago when I had to get a taxi to the hospital the driver gave me a weird look when I told him where I was going and asked 'your not in labour are you?!?' when I said no he relaxed and replied 'ok then!'. I felt a tad insulted however he did explain on his way in that it was his first week on the job and got a bit of a fright when I told him the maternity hospital.

 

[Sherlock]

When I said I don't because no one I know here drives either, all she said was not to call an ambulance.

So she didn't offer to take you then??? Just lie and call the ambulance, they can't refuse.

They can't refuse you maybe, but I don't think they consider it a genuine emergency when its a normal progressing labour etc and you simply need to get to the maternity unit once contractions are a certain time apart etc. It would take the service away from a possible genuine emergency if you call them out.

Just a thought

 

[Sherlock]

OK my way around this would be, depending on when you go into labour and how long it takes you to reach the point where you need/want to go to hospital....

Call the maternity unit and explain to them your situation. Or discuss with a MW on the maternity unit tour. Depending on when you go into labour you won't have access to a car between 3am and 1pm. You could go into hospital earlier so as to be sure of having a lift, rather than waiting till your contractions are 5 minutes apart etc. If its midnight and they are 7 minutes apart, call the hospital, talk to them and ask if you can come in then and there. Explain otherwise you won't have transport so won't be able to get in under own steam later on. They should be ok to admit you to the ward then.

Same with your other offers of lifts. Ask them now what times they would be available for around the time you are due so you can write it down and know who to call first, rather than randomly trying to find someone to take you.

That is how I would go about it Cover all my bases now and do a bit of research and preparation. I'm sure if you ring round and get times/days etc you'll have a pretty good idea of who can help when.

 

[Kimberly]

Kimberly - A few weeks ago when I had to get a taxi to the hospital the driver gave me a weird look when I told him where I was going and asked 'your not in labour are you?!?' when I said no he relaxed and replied 'ok then!'. I felt a tad insulted however he did explain on his way in that it was his first week on the job and got a bit of a fright when I told him the maternity hospital.

Eeek! I guess if the taxi turned you down, you would have to call an ambulance? I hope I don't have any trouble like that. Hopefully my little one stays put until the 26th when my c-section is scheduled and fingers crossed your little one comes when you can get a ride.

 

[nickilubs]

We are really having to think about this too. We live a good distance away from the hospital and my OH doesn't drive this is why I want a home birth really. There are not any buses so if I have to go to hospital then he wouldn't be able to get in a visit us if anything did happen because there would only be taxis and that would cost £30 just getting there! Nearest familly is 200 miles away! Also if you do got to go to hospital and you are taking a taxi then would you need to take the car seat too or would the taxi have one? Its quite a worry really because if we do go to hospital then we will pretty much be stranded!

 

[NickyB]

Good thinking Sherlock.

And Nicki, I think you'd need to have the car seat with you

 

[Steelgoddess]

I agree with Sherlock about discussing with a midwife, also sod all that star at home stuff get yourself to the hospitsl pronto because you can't tell when the baby will arrive...

The other thing is (if you have considered it) is what about a homebirth? ok so there will be no epidurals and what nots but at least you wont have to worry about pouncing about?

Just a thought
x

 

[farls]

i didnt have any problems getting to hospital but my midwife said i could have phoned an ambulance. there was 2 hospitals i could have picked. i chose the one close to me but if i had picked the other one its in the middle of a city and the traffic is terrible. midwife said if i was in labour at rush hour not to even bother going in car but to just ring ambulance. they wont turn you away if your in pain. at least you have a good reason for ringing them, ive seen programs where people ring 999 for the most trivial things. good luck hun

 

[JoAnn&Aimee]

I never thought to speak to my midwife about it. I am seeing her on Thursday so I will definately mention it as it has started to worry me more recently.