Hospital..

[Pregnopaws]

For those of you having hospital births, how far do you have to travel to get to the hospital when your in labour and have you made any plans for the event?

I'm not having the baby in Spain where I live but over in Gibraltar in the british NHS hospital, so I have to queue with all the other cars at customs and show my passport. It takes me 15 minutes to drive to that border but usually one hour to get through the customs queue!! I'm seriously hoping I don't give birth in the car before I get to cross over, LMAO! Though I've heard that if you are in labour or an emergency, they'll let you skip the queue! Also, we'll have to get a passport for bubs the same days its born or we won't be able to cross back and bring it home!

 

[Kayte&Bump]

I wont rub it in that my hospital is only a 2 minute drive then

xx

 

[lisa&alex]

your not renting an appartment now then?

 

[annem]

only about 5-10mins xx

 

[Pregnopaws]

An apt for one month rental in Gib is £700. Its barely furnished.. i.e. prob just a bed, sofa and no TV and its a 1 bedroom which means if my son stays there too he'd have to sleep on sofa! Its really iffy if its worth paying that or not, though it is right beside the hospital! We've got friends who have said we can stop over with if I do get to have to go across sooner. That may be easier, but at end of day, prepare for the worst and hope for the best I think!

 

[Squiglet]

Well I'm really lucky.. If I had had the baby this time last year we would have had to go out the the Vega Baja Hospital....which is an hours drive away, built in the 1930's, is seriously underfunded for the area it had to cover and the amount of patients it had, considering the population of the Vega Baja area is now 10x what it was back in the 1930's....

But because of this the Government sponsored a brand new hospital just outside the town, and it's really nice....the maternity ward has private rooms which the dad can stay in after the birth... and it's about 10 mins from our house or 2 mins if you are in an ambulance.

And... because there is a HUGE ex pat community here, almost all the staff speak English.... so that's a benefit if you are screaming for drugs during labour.. cos I really don't have confidence in my ability to talk in Spanish during the pain of labour.

 

[charlie84]

The hospital i will give birth at is about 17 miles away. Shame the hospital just down the road doesnt have a maternity unit, that would only take me bout 2 mins to get to.

 

[Gem & Leland]

sounds silly but its 10 miles or so , but in rush hour or bust traffic can take well over an hour when visiting MIL couple of nights ago its took over an hour to get there ! i imagined that ill end up given birth on route too , cos they hate you going in early !

 

[purple13]

probably only about 3-4 miles away - but this is london, so its between a 10 and 30 minute drive!!

am v happy with it though, cos they've just built a brand new birthing unit; i'm adamant i don't want a hospital birth if i can help it... much prefer the home from home idea with just gas & air and birthing pools. fingers crossed anyway.

 

[UmmAli]

My hospital is 2 minutes drive away. If the baby needs some "encouragement" to come out, I'm considering walking there!

 

[moomoo192]

about 10 mins if traffic is ok.

Pregnopaws, why didn't you just opt for a home birth

 

[DebbieM]

Our maternity unit is a 5 minute drive

 

[Pregnopaws]

about 10 mins if traffic is ok.

Pregnopaws, why didn't you just opt for a home birth

Er... as much as I love my hubby, there are just some things I'd rather let the so-called professionals do moo moo Besides, with the notoriously laid back spanish reputation for turning up very late or not at all, I think I'd be pushing my luck expecting a midwife round in the same week that I give birth..

 

[fothers]

Mine is about 5min drive thankfully

 

[NIE]

I am 2 minutes away. I would be able to see the hospital except it's hidden by the roofs of other houses.

Will it be easy for you to get baby a passport without too much hastle or stress. xxx

 

[Kylie1007]

I am 2 minutes away. I would be able to see the hospital except it's hidden by the roofs of other houses.

You wont even need to get the car out then!!

The hospital where I live doesn't deliver babies so I have to got to the big general one which will take us about 20 mins on a good run! Thank goodness all the tourists have gone because the journey could take an hour or so then!