labour question

[paradysso]

you know when your in established labour and need to get to hospital.... are you allowed to phone an ambulance if no one is available to drive?

my partner doesnt drive and hospital is hours drive?

now ive decided against section, im not sure about getting to hospital

 

[happy-chick]

It may be worth asking your MW as i've heard that some hospitals wont send an ambulance unless you are bleeding which I find utterly ridiculas but apparantly true

Is it too far to get a taxi? Have you no friends/family that could take you?

 

[paradysso]

hour drive in a taxi may empty my bank account my dad may be around so it wud be ok if he is, but hes on business trips to peru and canada around my due date, so sods law he wont be here.

and my mum said she wont drive me as shes wud be a nervous wreck worrying about me in pain and isnt very confident driving their car down country roads.

so other then asking my neighbours which work dodgy shifts i dont have any one

 

[BEX101]

i checked with the hospital as our car was in the garage and hospital about 35 mins away. they agreed an ambulance but ended up letting me come in early (contractions 5 mins apart - they want them to be 3 mins apart) because it was midnight and i had the chance of a lift.

 

[Gem & Leland]

i cant see how an ambulance would turn u down tho , if ur stuck ur stuck and not alot they can do about it !

 

[Emma58]

I've been told to call one if i need to as my first birth was very quick 1h 45m.
So my M/W has said to ring one if OH can't get home in time.

I would check with your M/W

 

[paradysso]

thanks ladies, i will ask her at next appointment, i just remember in southampton they said phone a taxi but i guess hospital was only 5mins away.

 

[Emma58]

Surely they would send an Ambulance for you if you rang for one?

Seems a bit silly to be refused one when you are in labour - unless they are exceptionally busy.

 

[KJL]

I am sure you can call an ambulance, you pay taxes so have every right to call one if you need to get to the hospital, it's a valid reason to call one. My hospital said that the only thing with calling an ambulance is that they will automatically take you to the closest hospital with facilities as they treat every call as an emergency. The only other option is calling a private ambulance but that is quite costly. I would say that appart from calling a taxi your only option really is an ambulance (unless you fancy hitch hiking!).

 

[paradysso]

we have 3 hospital i can choose from, they are all equal distance. when we had to phone one for alana when she was choking, they asked us which one would we like to go to in a nervous wreck of a state we said the one u can get to quickest being rush hour....they took her to the horrible one.. they cudnt help her at that hospital so got sent to another hsopital further away from home
if they took us to the other one they cud have helped her sooner
stupid paramedics.

im hoping if i have to phone i will get the choice again as 1 has an amazing rep and the other 2 are terrible

 

[Squiglet]

I'm lucky that our hospital is only about 20 mins away by car... but OH doesn't drive, and well we don't have many other options... My parents live over half hour away (they need to pass the hospital to get to us to take us to the hospital) .. so I will probably need to get a taxi...

Tbh I'm thinking of just driving myself

So far the plan is to call my parents because we will need someone to come get Tia anyway. So when they come down, my mum will stay at our place with Tia while my dad takes us to the hospital, then he will take Tia and mum back home, as I will be in hospital for a few days.

However, Paradysso... just like you, my dad is due to go away next week so sods law means I'll pop then, and well my mum can't drive... so I have absolutely NO CLUE how we will sort things then... Its kinda worrying..

 

[paradysso]

your in spain you cud just drive lol what will u honestly do though?

 

[samandbump]

im in a similar situation im due in 5 weeks, we live 30mins away from the hospital, my OH is going to be working away for the next eight weeks over and hour away, but back every night, all my family live a 20 min drive away and we hardly know any of the neighbours!!!!! im trying not to worry too much about it but its niggling at the back of my mind but ive decided if i need to get somewere quickly i will phone an ambulance, thats what they are there for!!!

 

[-Kelly-]

My midwife told me to call an ambulance as neither of us can drive and don't have family living near that could take us - but apparently the hospital (Liverpool women's) have their own so that you don't get put on the same list as emergency cases.

Would a taxi be able to refuse you if you were in labour? Either through not wanting the responsibility of you giving birth on the way or making a mess in their car or something?

 

[paradysso]

yeah some companies refuse, due to the mess we could make but as suiglet just said on msn... they take drunks so its a bit crap really

 

[moomoo192]

check with your midwife but i think some hospitals, when you ring in to say you're in labour and they tell you to come in you can request an ambulance then if you have no transport and they'll get one sent out to you.

If you've rang your hospital and they know you are going in anyway but you have to dial 999 for an ambulance, they should take you to the one you want, especially if you tell them they are expecting you as they will prob be getting a room etc ready for you.

You prob won't have any trouble getting one as you live so far away from the hospital.

Let us know what your widwife says though

 

[Babylicious]

I'd phone an ambulance, Looks like I'll be driving myself

 

[KJL]

Would a taxi be able to refuse you if you were in labour? Either through not wanting the responsibility of you giving birth on the way or making a mess in their car or something?

they can do, midwife said that the best thing to do is ask your taxi firm in advance or just not tell them you are in labour until u are in the taxi and enroute to the hospital!

 

[paradysso]

oh i forgot to update this after i spoke to MW yesterday she says unless im about to literally give birth im not to ring an ambulance, i have to either get a lift or phone a taxi

also if i did ring an ambulance and one came they would only take me, so dan would have to try and find a way to hospital

she said when MW does home visit at 36 weeks she will discuss all this and tell me to get a list of people willing to drive me..... but if i did go into labour during the day every one will be at work so not sure what im going to do

 

[purple13]

the midwife at my antenatal class this morning said that we should definitely call for an ambulance, rather than drive or take a taxi, if we need to come in during rush hour. and we should def call for an ambulance if we didn't have any alternative travel arrangements... stupid NHS postcode lottery...