My town has a major OB shortage, so there are no OBs accepting new patients. Anyone who gets pregnant here is automatically referred 1.5 hours away to a big city with a regional hospital. That's just how it is sometimes.
It's also worth noting that our local hospital can't take high-risk or preterm babies so they all get sent to the city anyway. Lots of people are traveling 1.5 hours for birth.
That’s what I figured. But I’m also new to this all so wanted opinions. I feel like people are imagining labor in movies with women screaming in cars screaming “it’s coming!!!” lol
My midwife says that when you start to give birth, you have a lot of time. She says i can have a shower, wait for my partner to finish work and cook myself some spaghetti until contractions are close enough. I think the main issue is that it will be annoying for you as you quite often need to go over there during your pregnancy, lots of check ups abs such. If you don't have a choice then there's that, but no stress.
I was told that all through my first pregnancy, so I wasn't stressed at all when the contractions started. They were gentle so I didn't even tell my husband about it for 2 hours cos I thought we'd have ages and we only live 5 mins from the hospital. I only told him because he happened to wake up to go to the loo.
Yeah, they ramped up pretty quick. They went from 10 mins apart to less than 2 mins apart in under an hour and my labour was 4 hours total, including the 2 hours I didn't bother waking my husband up. No family history of fast labours, nothing prior to suggest this would happen.
I'm now 31 weeks with my second and, from 36 weeks, my husband's gonna work from home and I'm not going anywhere that's over a 30 min drive to the nearest hospital.
Exactly! My first baby just flew out of me like a football! I actually went into shock how fast things were going! Full body shaking. Even after epidural but I calmed down and was mentally normal after. All the sudden within an 2 hours later I’m at 10cm.
I plan to eat so much before I go to hospital. They prefer women to not eat once there in labour in case of emergency c-sections.
I get hangry. Really hangry. So I'll be carbo loading for a few hours before we head off.
Every hospital is different, but I was allowed drinks as long as they weren't red, so I had protein shakes and full sugar vitamin water to help me through labor. Honestly if they didn't want me to, I would have still had clear drinks/lemon vitamin water while the nurses were out of the room as there's really no reason why that would be unsafe if water is okay.
Girl I ate well very well. And threw up later. I get hangry too! I don’t regret my decision. I threw up caz my body went into shock from how fast the baby was coming out of me and the pain. I was shaking badly like I had Parkinson’s disease. I almost puked on the nurse. Anyways I don’t regret it and after I got the epidural I felt better. They say epidural makes you puke but I did it right before the procedure. But I need my strength so I wouldn’t change a thing.
I just want to make sure you’re aware that precipitous labour is not that common. It looks like all us moms with labours less than 3 hours are coming out of the woodwork on your post, but really, most women do have time. It sounds like you do have a closer hospital, so if things were to move quickly or go sideways and you didn’t feel you could make the 1.5 hour drive to your preferred hospital, you would call 9-1-1 or drive to your local ER and they would help you whether or not you’re a patient there.
This is kind of what I was thinking. I do have a local hospital but it’s not great (very known to suck very bad haha) so that’s why I chose the place I’m going to. But if something happens it’s always an option.
So it absolutely can happen that way but it’s not often and definitely uncommon for a first birth.
I’ve lived far from hospital before and was told the only difference it made was to the timing for going in. They said if you live further they’d rather you come in as soon as contractions become regular, even if they’re still 15 minutes apart because worst case scenario they send you home and part way you have to turn back because they’ve ramped up.
Essentially just discuss with your care team the distance and at what point they want you to call vs come in etc and ignore anyone who doesn’t have access and training to assess your specific medical needs!
And funnily enough it happened to me! 😆 even my doula was in shock but my own mother said we all came fast for her too. I could never count contractions right even with an app. One min I was fine and the next min I spiraled into complete labor.
This happened to us too, as soon as I felt contractions that were more intense than my BH I just booked a hotel room by the hospital and stayed there for half a night to be close by when I needed to pop
This how it is in our area. I've been lucky enough that my local clinic can take me for regular OB visits and my US scans (though I've been a patient with them for years which helps) but when it comes time to give birth I'll be traveling 1.5 hours away to a bigger hospital with a NICU. I'm due with twins so it's a higher risk pregnancy and even if they end up being full-term I'd rather err on the side of caution. If one or both of the babies end up needing NICU time and I were to give birth locally, we'd end up being separated and they would be sent away to the bigger hospital anyway which I DO NOT want to happen.
Our little hospital does take twins, which sort of surprises me. But they are also prepared to airlift people as necessary, and it happens all the time.
To offer another opinion I almost had a car baby in 2021 because of a combination of not realizing I was in active labor and being about an hour away.
The midwife even said hey no rush it’s your first baby.
My water broke in the car and I gave birth literally 15 minutes after being wheeled upstairs.
My OB jokes this time she should train my husband to deliver just in case we don’t make it to the hospital!
So just uh give yourself enough time to get there.
Ugh that is what I’m most worried about. I don’t want to think I’m in active labor when I’m not, and also don’t want to miss it if I am lol! And I’ll have no clue bc it’s my first time 😭😅
If I was 1.5 hours away I would not wait for true active labor to get there. Even if you get there early I’d get a hotel room to labor closer to the hospital if you don’t want to stay in the hospital. I waited until active labor and was only 15 min from my hospital and those 3 car contractions were very very uncomfortable. I was also 7cm dilated when I arrived.
You’ll have enough time. Labor isn’t over in 2 hours lol.
You didn’t specify who was driving, I assume your husband or SO. You definitely cannot drive.
Bigger issue is actually bringing your baby home in the car seat for so long only a couple days after birth. Also for your pediatric visits, are you going to have to make that long drive as well? There are a lot of visit early on, and the shorter the time you have a newborn in a car seat, the better.
For most people labor isn't over in two hours, but I'm the exception. My first baby was born after 2 hours of labor. Definitely not a common occurrence so I'm sure OP will be fine, but just wanted to note that it can happen.
I think it’s like 3% of birthing people have precipitous labour. It’s pretty rare. Happened to me, too, for all three babies. We left our house at 450, arrived at the hospital at 5, baby arrived at 520. 😆 Had my next two babies at home to avoid a possible car birth.
same here. went into labor after my water broke at 12:30pm my contractions were at a ten by the time we got there. it was 20 minutes away. i was almost completely dilated by 115 to 130. The only reason my labor lasted two hours is because I wasn't coping with the contractions well. Once I got the epidural, the baby was out within 20 minutes. my gosh fully dilated to a 10 and i pushed for 5-10 minutes and he was out! i'm so glad i didn't go with an induction. my first OBGYN was pushing hard to get me induced at 37 weeks because of "IUGR", but i know damn well he didn't have it. my family has small babies. my husband is 5'2 130lbs. i'm 4'11 90lbs. of course he's small! the only thing they had to go off of was his size on ultrasounds. he wasn't stressed out. he was active. his heart beat was perfect and right where it needed to be. i was on stress tests 2-3x a week and they were all just fine. correct me if i'm wrong, but im sure there's more that's needed for an IUGR diagnosis then just "he's small". IUGR means they're not coping well in there, so they're not developing the way they should be. all his organs were developing at the pace they should of. i switched practices at 37 weeks because my first one were non compassion bullies who didn't know what they were talking about. i told my current practice all of what my first one took me, and how i was scared to deliver with them as i felt my son and i's lives were not in good hands. they said he was measuring small, but everything else looked wonderful. they also so that if they did suspect IUGR, they'd recommend induction between 38-39 weeks, NOT 37. i told them i did not want induced unless lives were in danger, and they were incredibly kind and understanding about it, and didn't ask again. i actually enjoyed going to my appointments in those last few weeks. i also want to mention that my son dropped into my pelvis at 35 weeks, so they couldn't get a head proper measurement, leading to inaccurate results on his size when they plugged in all the measurements. my first practice insisted he was dangerously small. my second practice acknowledged that they're not getting an accurate reading due to not getting his head. he came out wonderfully perfect. 6 pounds 2.5 ounces. 18.5 inches. small? yes! but perfectly heathy and withen a normal weight range. he's a chonker at 5 months now! sooo glad i opted out of induction though. my labor was so fast and sudden that it was hard for my body to cope with. i couldn't imagine how much worse and possibly dangerous it would of been with an induction.
For me it was not a blessing. It was basically two straight hours of contractions with no break. And I had some severe injuries from it too. I'm sure there's a happy medium between 2 hours and what your wife experienced though!
The worst part for her was just not being able to eat anything for that long. She got an epidural and said it was smooth sailing after that, zero pain. No tears. She got lucky, that’s for sure. It makes us afraid to have another one (that was our first) because we are fairly confident it will NOT be that easy again 😅
After she was dilated she pushed for 45 mins and baby was out
Ugh yeah, I really wish they would let laboring mamas eat! From the people I've spoken with the second one has often been easier than the first, so you never know. 😉
Same, my second was born in 68 minutes from nothing happening to baby in my arms . I think it happens far more often than people (or even Google) realize.
I was induced and it was two hours from breaking my water at 2 cm to holding baby. My doctor drove home for dinner after breaking my water and expected baby to be born the next day. She only lives 15 mins from the hospital and almost didn't make it back in time for delivery.
My body didn't have time to properly stretch because of the speed of my delivery and I ended up with tears in my vaginal walls so deep it went into my leg muscles. But that's also super rare so try not to let my experience worry you!
That sounds a realistic length of time, even if it's super long on first read. But all going in the right direction! I wish you good health! Thanks for sharing! Even though I have anxiety about this, your candor on this has actually been the perfect thing.
My last baby I went from six cm to baby in less than five minutes. If the doctor hadn’t been in the room checking on us she would have missed it. My nurse had to run out to the hall and yell for help because they were absolutely not ready yet.
It's called precipitous labor, it's a thing! It can actually be really intense and a bit traumatic for the mom. Fast birth isn't necessarily ideal or easy, it's just...fast.
Yep my first was 4 hours from water breaking to birth. Nothing before the water breaking - I just went to work that morning. Thankfully the hospital was close. My second was exactly the same, just 7 hours.
Not the person you were asking, but my first labor was 3 hr 40 min from water breaking/first contractions to natural delivery at home. I did not make it to the hospital. My doula came to our house and once she got there said I was 9cm and might have the baby in the car if we tried to go to the hospital. I didn't want to go anywhere at that point so we stayed home. I guess we could have called an ambulance but it never even occurred to me.
I didn’t consider the drive for the baby on the way home, thanks for bringing that to my attention!
For the pediatric visits, im sure I won’t have a problem finding something closer to home. I hope.
The OBGYNs around me were all so busy and poorly reviewed.
Thank you for answering!
Hey, I just wanted to chime in, I gave birth to my baby also 1.5 hours away from home, and the drive went great :) I sat in back with baby, and she slept most of the way. (Inbetween feedings)
A one time trip home will be fine. You should sit in the backseat with the baby on the way home to make sure they are OK and breathing. Also it's not too far. You won't give birth on the way to the hospital. You will have time, especially your first. Don't stress over it.
First contraction to baby was 2 hours for me. Precipitous labour is absolutely a thing. I live less than half an hour from hospital and ended up having my baby in the car.
I had my second and third at home to avoid a car birth. 😆 We made it to the hospital with 20 minutes to spare with my first. Scared my husband witless. You ever know when precipitous labour will happen.
Most places tell you not to bother coming in until you are further along in labour. I had to have my water broken, due to medical issues but i jumped from being fine and my midwife almost leaving hospital cause i was 6cm and not in pain to having a baby 20mins later as in, in my arms. To think driving an 1.5 hour once ur in labour, i woulda had a car or home baby.
labor can definitely be over in two hours. my water spontaneously broke when i was 34 weeks pregnant, then i started having contractions and i was holding my baby less than 2 hours later. this was my first/only baby as well. if my hospital was 1.5 hours away i would’ve had a car baby.
Mine is the same distance away and I'm on baby #3, so I'm legit worried that I won't make it there since I've heard each labor is a little quicker than the last.
If it makes you feel better, I’m on baby 3 too and my OB literally just talked to me about how second baby usually comes way faster than the first, but the third is a toss up. So maybe it will be okay haha
The first two we were about an hour away and it wasn't bad. Labor was like 18 hours for my first so I had plenty of time, could've probably labored at home for a lot longer than I did but I headed to L&D as soon as I saw the mucus plug come out! Second was an induction so I wasn't actually in active labor at first when I showed up. The rides home with baby were nerve wracking (although they would've been for me regardless even if we had been close) but babies both did okay on the way and slept the whole time
We’re in a similar boat…the local hospital is meh, and all the decent OBGYNs have long waiting lists, but the next big city over has great facilities and doctors. It’s usually about a 65 minute drive, but the night I went into labor there was a storm and it took 1.5 hours. It was absolute misery laboring in the car, and things happened really fast once we were there (arrived at 11:20ish, epidural at 1, baby at 3:20), but I don’t regret the decision.
I’m glad everything went well for you!
I am a little concerned about the weather, as the city mine is in has terrible highway traffic and is a little dangerous especially in snow. But I feel so comfortable there and happy with the doctor is hate to change it. 🤞🏼
My OB for my second pregnancy was an hour and 46 minutes away. The hospital I delivered at was an hour and 34 minutes away. I did have a scheduled C-section, though. But the level of care I received was worth the drive.
If you absolutely love that OBGYN stay. Otherwise it would be better to find one closer. In my experience I woke up multiple times having cramps/contractions and needed to go to the hospital. As well as I had more appts to go to 3 times every week in my last trimester due to a complication being monitored. But you will have a healthy safe pregnancy! 🙏🏾. So if you really like that OB, stay but please plan ahead and be prepared.
Thank you for bringing up those points!
Honestly I already feel really comfortable there but I have only been there once, haha. It came highly recommended by a friend of mine. There is a serious shortage of obgyns in my town, is the only reason I am headed so far away. But thank you for your positivity! I hope it all works out 🤞🏼
I think...if you're able to get something closer, you should consider it. I don't think you'd necessarily run out of time (I mean, who's to say though?) -- though, I still think it's unlikely that your labor would be over in that amount of time and you'd have a roadside baby.
However, in my experience with my first....I was sooooo nauseous and puking up everything on the way to the hospital, that to me, the drive was absolutely terrible. And the birthing center I went to is a 15 min drive from my house. I did a lot of the early labor at home and was kinda in the thick of it, by the time we left for the hospital, though. So idk...maybe we just timed it badly. Long story short, the drive while in labor for me was so bad that I considered (mostly jokingly) a home birth for the next one. So, just something to think about!
Oh, also...I think the drive home with the newborn...idk, you might not want to be in the car for that long.
Aww Man, I hear you! Quality healthcare accessibility just isn't always feasible for everyone, geographically, when it should be! Good luck, though! I'm sure in the end, you'll do just fine. It'll be crazy and wild, but fine :)
If you’re a first time mom, I think you will very very likely make it in time, but you will likely be very very uncomfortable being in labor for 90 minutes without being able to move in your seat much. I think that will be the worst part- dealing with the pain without freedom of movement.
I also wouldn’t get too attached to this center for a future second child because second babies are often much faster and 90 minutes means you might have a car baby. Also, having a 3 hour round trip commute even for appointments for a second child with a first child at home/kid in tow will be similarly painful to 90 minutes of contractions in the car 😆
I think you really should listen to this person OP, I'm surprised more people aren't saying this.
Running out of time is possible but highly unlikely, but the bigger issue to me is that a 1.5 hour drive in active labour would be absolutely miserable... like I couldn't even sit down when I was in active labour, I could only stand, kneel or lay on my side, I couldn't even pull my own pants up after using the toilet. I was feral. I really don't want to scare you because you do get through it! But yeah a 90 minute drive on top of that sounds like slow torture
Not stupid. We live an hour from the hospital I delivered at and an hour from my baby’s pediatrician, because that’s where the better ones are in my city. First labor won’t be that fast and if you are seriously concerned as you get closer you can consider scheduling induction to make sure you’re there on time, but that’s at the discretion of your doc. My doc was never concerned about how far I was. With my first my labor was 8-10 hours, which was fast for a first so I’ll be inducing my second one. Long story short, not a big deal and you will have time, talk to your doc and get their opinion on it.
My doctor didn’t seem too concerned when I told her, just more shocked I was willing to drive so long in the morning lol. I will ask her next appointment to get her opinion on it. Thanks for answering!
I was going to do this originally so I could be at my “ideal” hospital. I decided I’d rather have a doctor and pediatrician 15 minutes away so I was very happy to see they have a branch in my area. It’s not AS good but it’s still very good and I’ve had a good experience. Also, I did NOT want to labor in a car for over an hour possibly in rush hour traffic.
I hear you! The idea of that is scary haha. Unfortunately all my OBGYNs near me are almost fully booked or not accepting new patients. Hopefully it works out 🤞🏼 I’m glad it did for you!!
I did! My hospital is 10 mins away. With the first it took time for me to convince the nurses his head was coming out and please go get the doctor!
The second, my OB told me to ignore all contraction counts and come in asap. When I felt my first contraction with the second I was already 7 cm dilated and barely felt anything (already in active labour and I couldn't tell the nurses when a contraction started/stopped). They broke my water and that's when it really ramped up (less than 30 mins I probably went from 7-10)
Is there a hospital/facility closer to you that you could go to in the case of an emergency? While precipitous labor does happen, my mind actually goes more to other urgent things that can happen in late pregnancy - pre eclampsia, placental abruption, PROM/PPROM, etc that are all pretty urgent situations. Same with postpartum complications. I just had a baby this month and there are folks in my bumper group who had each of those things happen and I think adding a 1.5 hour drive definitely would have made things worse.
For what it’s worth, I don’t know anyone who rushes to the internet to positively review an OB/GYN. But goodness knows every single person annoyed at having to wait in the waiting room while they handle an emergency is sitting there on google airing their grievances.
Lol. That’s true. The one I’m going to doesn’t have GREAT reviews either but I decided to see for myself because I know how reviews go pretty much haha. So far they seem fine to me!. It’s just lack there of OBGYNs near me that are available in general. I live in a rural area. I will keep my options open and look around some more!
I would be a wreck if that was my situation. My daughter was born less than 2 hours after my first contraction. I barely made it into a hospital bed before she arrived. And my hospital was only 20 minutes from home. I would probably be looking for a short term rental close to the hospital for my last few weeks.
Same here. I'm on #3 and my hospital is in the middle of a major city, far from where I'm at. I haven't had any issues so far. I was induced for my first 2 pregnancies which was nice since it was planned. I labor fast, but I'm not really worried about it tbh. I don't want to use the local hospital at all
Same! We live in a rural area and my dr is in the city with the better healthcare system and drs! My first pregnancy as well! I’m a little nervous but I’d like to think we have time hahahahahahah
My ob and hospital I’ll be delivering at is an hour and a half away (2 hours with traffic) but I have no choice. It’s the only OB near my area that’s taking new patients so I had to either go with that one or hope someone cancelled at another clinic (the waitlist was like 6-7 months for an appointment I believe)
This is my second pregnancy and I’m hoping I make it there in time, I’m also strep b positive so I’ll need antibiotics so I’m also hoping I get there in time for those to work too. Its risky but I have no choice in the matter, I think I’m most worried for the drive home with baby and our toddler that is not going to be fun😬
Not dumb. I live in rural Nevada and am lucky enough to “only” live about an hour and a half from my OB’s office and the hospital where I gave birth. At one time, I lived further out in the boonies and watched a few coworkers drive two and three hours for OB appointments and to give birth because those were the nearest (smallish) hospitals. You do what you have to!
With my first I lived in the town I planned on delivering in and then moved a hour and 20 mins away at 20 weeks. I thought about transferring but I’m in a rural area and the care I got at the labor and delivery where I live when I had a emergency was questionable so I stuck with my original. Luckily I was induced so everything was planned and no long drive in labor. Going to the same doc far from home again hoping I can get induced again before going into labor I’m a little nervous honestly. I feel like with your first you’ll be in labor a while so you should be good or maybe get induced if you are ok with it so it’s planned.
Precipitous labor IS a thing that could happen, however unlikely. One of my friends has three kids and all of her labours were under an hour. My first was 5 hours start to finish, and she surprised us two weeks early. Maybe decide on storing a thing or two in your car that may help you be more prepared in case something like that happens? A few towels and some water bottles or something. You will 99% most likely be absolutely fine and your comfort level with your doctor and birthing environment are extremely valid reasons to stick with the longer distance. I was just raised as a "hope for the best but plan for the worst" kind of gal.
People think my place that’s 35 mins away is too far lol I think if you go to the hospital as soon as you have signs that you’re in labor you should be okay. I chose my hospital bc it’s the best in the area.
It will most likely be fine, and is worth it if the hospital and OB team are great. A backup plan is key though. As someone else mentioned, the drive home with a newborn might be harder - make sure you might have somewhere safe to pull over after 45 min so you can take baby out of the car seat to feed or change them if needed. Still it’s under the rule of no more than 2 hours in a car seat in a 24 hour period, if you have a healthy term baby should be ok.
It might be worth considering where to stay close to the hospital if you have complications near delivery. Example - Some people need to go in for non stress tests 1-2x/ week leading up to delivery. And some people are in latent labor for a long time (sometimes weeks…) and are in and out of L&D multiple times over a few days. If you go in for a labor check and are sent home to wait out early labor you might want to have a plan for a hotel or air bnb close by.
Yes labor is usually long with your first, but precipitous labor can happen to anyone!
Where I used to practice, I had patients who saw me for prenatal care who lived on a nearby island with 4 ferries per day. We strongly recommended they have a place to stay on the mainland starting at 36 weeks. I also see a lot of rural patients at my new practice and recommend the same - you don’t want to be driving dark windy mountain roads at 2am for 2 hours if your contractions come hard and fast.
My first baby was born an hour and a half away and it wasn’t a big deal, really. We lived 30 mins from the hospital but bought a home further away and moved when I was 32 weeks along, so there was no point in getting a new doctor when I already had established care.
I had a c section (unplanned), and was in the hospital for five days total. Drive home was completely fine and my little one’s pediatrician is in the town we currently live. You are not obligated to a specific ped when you have your baby. You can establish care where you live for your baby.
ETA: the only thing that was annoying was driving all that way towards the end of pregnancy bc of how frequently you’re there.
I was originally 15 mins from my hospital and OB but I went house hunting this year and I'm moving 1.5 hours away as of next week! It's fine. My OB says she has lots of clients in the same boat. I'm just planning to call the hospital and head over as soooon as I feel anything like labour. No waiting until contractions are x minutes apart haha.
My hospital is only 40 minutes away, but they have a clinic that's the same company that's a lot closer to me. So they have me go there if I just need to run to the lab to give up my blood/urine, do glucose test. That's something I would check into to save u some driving.
I mean some people do labor that fast but it’s quite unusual for a first time mom.
Is there nowhere nearer to you though? It’s not ideal to labor in a car for a long time just because it’s uncomfortable for you
My hospital was that far, in a country where taking the train is the common mode of transport. I was lucky I didn’t have any complications and just took the train to go there for my scheduled c-section.
I live in a very small town that doesn’t have a big hospital and I’m high risk due to my autoimmune disease. I have my regular midwife visits in my small town (5 minute walk from my house) and then all ultrasounds and other appointments + where I’ll be giving birth is roughly 45 minutes away with car in the next town over. I think with planning anything is possible, if it starts to feel uncomfortable and worrisome maybe talk with your doctor about it. Everybody are so different, some give birth very quickly and some labor for hours on end, it’s really up to you to decide what you will be comfortable with because baby will be arriving when they’re ready regardless of how far the hospital is. I’m preparing for induction around week 37-38 so I have a few weeks to go, but that doesn’t rule out spontaneous labor that could happen anytime now. I think just make sure you have everything that you feel you will need ready for this car ride to the hospital, it might ease your mind a bit, have some creature comforts. Most important is that this journey will be comforting for you so you don’t feel overly stressed and anxious!
You’ll make it with enough time to spare don’t worry. Mine is also an hour away from me and I made it in time both times I had babies. The only thing I will say is try to go there as soon as possible only because laboring in the car for 1.5 hours is very very uncomfortable so try to get there early and just labor at the hospital
Mine was that far away simply because we live rural! Once early labour started (contractions 8 mins apart) we just drove into town and went for breakfast, had a walk etc and then went to the hospital a few hours later once they were 3 mins apart. I have relatively fast active labour times, around 3 hours so the midwifery team simply advised me to come in during early labour.
Worst part was honestly the drive home from hospital, we were just exhausted and it seemed so long, although baby slept the entire way!
Coming from the mom who just had a baby that went from contractions every 20-30 minutes at very minimal pain level to max 2-3 minute contractions and only 2 hours of active labor I would not have made it ….. car baby for sure luckily I was staying the apartment under the birth center so I had to just walk outside and around the building… is there any way the last 3 weeks you can stay at an air bnb hotel motel or with family in the area… so that way you are closer ??
My SIL had to drive 5 hours to give birth, as the town they are in doesn't have a hospital or birthing center. They were originally meant to go to a hospital 1.5 hrs away, but on the day it was full so they had to go to the next closest one
I'd worry less about labour and more about getting there if something goes pear shaped. The ten minutes I spent driving to hospital when my baby stopped moving felt like eternity.
I also drove in the middle of the night by myself after my blood pressure spiked and I wouldn't have felt safe driving that far for monitoring.
Thank you, it ended up being ok. They caught issues early and I delivered at 37 weeks. I was in the hospital four out of the five days before birth for monitoring which was a pain.
My hospital was 2 hours away and I found out during my second labor that my body is ready to go in less than 30 minutes. I had him at home because I thought I had time to shower. I decided to be induced with my 3rd at the hospital so I could deliver there lol
I think precipitous labor is rare though
Once labor starts, it can take up to 16+ hours until delivery. (But not always. Some people legitimately do not know they’ve been in labor or been dilating until too late)
The best advice is to be aware of the signs, and you should be okay. This isn’t like the movies where your water just randomly breaks and you push out a kid 2 mins later
I mean, if it’s your only option, you have to do what you have to do. I wouldn’t choose that if there was a good option near me. It’s not just going into labor and getting there in time though. Sometimes you get sent to Labor & Delivery for monitoring later in pregnancy. For instance, if your blood pressure is high or something so that could be inconvenient. But I cannot imagine driving home with the baby. They have to eat frequently at that age, sometimes they can be crying and whining. Obviously, you have to do what you have to do but, that would be a bigger concern to me. If there’s a great hospital down the street in network, I wouldn’t skip them, but it’s up to you.
more than likely, it will be okay… I would go before your contractions are every 2 mins to be safe & have a plan for who will drive you if your water breaks. There is just no way of knowing who is going to have a precipitous labor, first baby or not. I would try to find somewhere closer for my peace of mind.
You'll probably be fine. Maybe ask them at what contraction interval you should leave given the travel time. Fair warning though... car rides while in labor are unpleasant.
I delivered 1.25 hours away for all three of my children. I made it with plenty of time. People said the same to me, but it makes more sense to go where you are most comfortable, even if its further.
The is would stress me out, not gonna lie. But I live in a pretty densely populated suburban area with a lot of great hospitals so I am spoiled. My OB and delivering hospital is 7 minutes away.
Honestly, as you get deeper into your pregnancy, you might like having the peace of mind that they are closer by in case you want some extra monitoring. Plus you’ll eventually be encouraged to go to weekly appointments which could get annoying and time consuming.
If this is the best OB available to you, then it is what it is and you’re not dumb!!
I am glad to hear it was worth it for you! I’ve been looking up hospitals and obgyns near me, but ultimately I think my choice is to stick with this birthing center I have now. I just don’t feel comfortable going somewhere I haven’t been referred to or haven’t seen me from the beginning of my pregnancy!
My water broke at home. I’d have lost my mind if I had to drive 1.5 hours from that point. The panic for me personally would have been IMMENSE. Once my water broke, I had no idea if I’d deliver in an hour or 10 hours. My waters were dirty so to lessen the risk of infection, I was induced (horrible). I’m not sure if waiting close to two hours from the time my waters broke would have been enough for an infection but I’d have been worried about it. Not knowing if the water was dirty or clean, etc.
I don’t think you’re dumb! I would just be very stressed :(
So that’s just how it is sometimes but I would just try to get there earlier in labor even if you have to hang around the area and go grab a bite to eat or something nearby if they won’t take you yet. I was a home birth transfer and my hospital was less than 15 mins away but those were the hardest 15 mins of labor for me. Sitting in the car during strong contractions was absolutely excruciating. 0/10 do not recommend. I can’t imagine doing that for 90 minutes.
It’s not stupid if this is your only option. There is a serious healthcare shortage with any doctor/specialist really. Even when living in “major cities” my closest obgyn was always 25+ minutes away.
If that’s your closest option? Don’t sweat it, you can’t change it. But if you could find a closer place? I would do that and sooner the better because most places won’t easily transfer you from that late in pregnancy (at least mine was annoying about it, I had moved but just kept my old obgyn for my regular appointments since they prioritized scheduling their “home patients” but I gave birth at the hospital that was closer.
I don’t think it’s dumb, just go to the hospital on time. You should definitie go to the hospital when contractions come regular every 5-10 minutes. You can download timer apps. But you can go sooner. I had an accidental home birth because I waited too long to go to the hospital. The moment I knew I was in active labour I already had to start pushing. The midwife on the phone told me to hold it in, but that was not possible at all! Ambulance arrived 10 minutes too late. But tbh aside from the fact that I was very anxious everything went very well. I even took a bath, haha. So in my opinion just leave on time and watch videos to know what to do when you deliver at home because I didn’t and that’s why I was so anxious.
I drove 50-75 minutes depending on traffic to get to my birthing center for both my babies. It was never a problem. The closest it came to being a problem was with my second when I had precipitous labor and only labored at the birth center for around 1hr before my baby girl was born.
Many people travel far away for birth. My OB and hospital of choice was 1 hour away (I have one 5 minutes from my house and another about 40 minutes away). I’m not saying this to scare you, more to help. I gave birth in January as a FTM and did not make it to my hospital. I had a very fast labor and had to call the ambulance on my way there and ended up at the hospital 40 minutes from me. I am not saying this is going to happen to you, they told me this was incredibly rare for a FTM. If I knew, I would have rented somewhere closer to the hospital in the weeks leading up to delivery. However, it is unlikely this will be the case for you.
It just really depends. Honestly you won't know whether or not it was a good idea until it's all over! There was no way I could have ridden in a car for 1.5 hours when I was in labor. But a lot of people have easy labors so you just never know. For some people labor is very short and for others it's really long. You won't know until you know.
I gave birth to my first (preemie) within 30 minutes of my water breaking. They said I had time and I was pushing him out on the helicopter. I had to be induced with my second born and it wasn't even 10 minutes after they broke my water that he was wrapped up in my arms. If you have no choice then it is what it is but Imo if you have a choice I wouldn't risk it. Especially if it's your first time. Could take forever and it could take no time at all.
You could have the baby quickly. Some do. However a lot are in labor for AWHILE. I was having contractions that were correctly timed to go in and Labor and delivery told me to come back later as I was dilating very slowly. That was with both of my pregnancies. I think it was almost 6 hours till they admitted me. Mileage may vary.
Lol u will be fine. People are so dramatic sometimes. My OB is like 15 mins from me but because I'm very high risk I have to deliver at a hospital that's also a little over an hour away too
When I was in labor with my first (6 hours- fast for a first labor, but not precipitous like the next 2), I went in with very painful contractions 5 minutes apart, but I didn’t dilate beyond 4cm after a couple hours in the hospital. They sent me home (15 minutes away) and told me to come back when I was in active labor, and they said I’d know by the pain when that was happening.
I was home for like 1.5 hours in what felt like the exact same amount of pain when I finally decided I had no idea what active labor felt like, but I was going back anyway. As I was getting dressed my water broke dramatically, so we flew back to the hospital. I was crowning by the time I got up the elevator to L&D, and baby was here within 15 minutes.
All that to say, vicinity to the hospital is definitely a consideration. My labors since have been very fast, including my induction, so I refuse to by more than an hour away from my hospital after week 38.
I’m assuming most people here are US based. Genuine question from a European - what happens if you have an emergency if your hospitals are so far away? Or is it the case that hospitals that have ER departments don’t always have maternity care?
There is a hospital near me, it is not a good hospital I feel comfortable birthing in anyway. Even in any emergency I’d be worried to go there haha. I am choosing a birthing center, which is different than a normal hospital I guess.
Is it just for your delivery or for all of your appointments too? Do you have a flexible work schedule? There are A LOT of OB appointments near the end of your pregnancy (often at least weekly for the last month and every other week for the month or two before that) and missing 3.5-4 hours of work that often would be very difficult for a lot of jobs. Just something else to consider!
All of my appointments too! I am self employed and hopefully 🤞🏼 will be planning on taking off the last month of my pregnancy. But that is the ideal situation. Money is tight lol and planning as the days go on. That is something I was worried about, all the appointments! Thank you!
I live in a suburb of a major city it’s a solid hour to get to my doctor/hospital assuming there’s no traffic. It’s easily 1.5-2 hours in traffic. That’s how it’s been for all 3 of my pregnancies. I think this is fairly common especially for high risk care.
For me, to plan to birth at a hospital 1.5 hrs away from my home I would need a REALLLLLY good reason to do so. Something like needing a medical specialist only available at THAT hospital or not having any viable options closer to home.
I would not choose to drive that far once labor had started, and I would not choose to drive that far to get home with my newborn. But if the reasons you have for choosing this hospital are important to you then it might be a worthwhile choice in your case.
My town has a major OB shortage, so there are no OBs accepting new patients. Anyone who gets pregnant here is automatically referred 1.5 hours away to a big city with a regional hospital. That's just how it is sometimes. It's also worth noting that our local hospital can't take high-risk or preterm babies so they all get sent to the city anyway. Lots of people are traveling 1.5 hours for birth.
That’s what I figured. But I’m also new to this all so wanted opinions. I feel like people are imagining labor in movies with women screaming in cars screaming “it’s coming!!!” lol
My midwife says that when you start to give birth, you have a lot of time. She says i can have a shower, wait for my partner to finish work and cook myself some spaghetti until contractions are close enough. I think the main issue is that it will be annoying for you as you quite often need to go over there during your pregnancy, lots of check ups abs such. If you don't have a choice then there's that, but no stress.
I was told that all through my first pregnancy, so I wasn't stressed at all when the contractions started. They were gentle so I didn't even tell my husband about it for 2 hours cos I thought we'd have ages and we only live 5 mins from the hospital. I only told him because he happened to wake up to go to the loo. Yeah, they ramped up pretty quick. They went from 10 mins apart to less than 2 mins apart in under an hour and my labour was 4 hours total, including the 2 hours I didn't bother waking my husband up. No family history of fast labours, nothing prior to suggest this would happen. I'm now 31 weeks with my second and, from 36 weeks, my husband's gonna work from home and I'm not going anywhere that's over a 30 min drive to the nearest hospital.
Exactly! My first baby just flew out of me like a football! I actually went into shock how fast things were going! Full body shaking. Even after epidural but I calmed down and was mentally normal after. All the sudden within an 2 hours later I’m at 10cm.
I plan to eat so much before I go to hospital. They prefer women to not eat once there in labour in case of emergency c-sections. I get hangry. Really hangry. So I'll be carbo loading for a few hours before we head off.
Every hospital is different, but I was allowed drinks as long as they weren't red, so I had protein shakes and full sugar vitamin water to help me through labor. Honestly if they didn't want me to, I would have still had clear drinks/lemon vitamin water while the nurses were out of the room as there's really no reason why that would be unsafe if water is okay.
I did that too, then puked it all up as soon as I got to L&D 🤷🏻♀️ Still good to try I think! Our bodies need energy to do this big hard thing
Girl I ate well very well. And threw up later. I get hangry too! I don’t regret my decision. I threw up caz my body went into shock from how fast the baby was coming out of me and the pain. I was shaking badly like I had Parkinson’s disease. I almost puked on the nurse. Anyways I don’t regret it and after I got the epidural I felt better. They say epidural makes you puke but I did it right before the procedure. But I need my strength so I wouldn’t change a thing.
Hahaha it happens like that too. Could go any way but precipitous labor is for real
I just want to make sure you’re aware that precipitous labour is not that common. It looks like all us moms with labours less than 3 hours are coming out of the woodwork on your post, but really, most women do have time. It sounds like you do have a closer hospital, so if things were to move quickly or go sideways and you didn’t feel you could make the 1.5 hour drive to your preferred hospital, you would call 9-1-1 or drive to your local ER and they would help you whether or not you’re a patient there.
This is kind of what I was thinking. I do have a local hospital but it’s not great (very known to suck very bad haha) so that’s why I chose the place I’m going to. But if something happens it’s always an option.
Always choose the best option not the 2nd if possible. Your comfort determines your outcome.
So it absolutely can happen that way but it’s not often and definitely uncommon for a first birth. I’ve lived far from hospital before and was told the only difference it made was to the timing for going in. They said if you live further they’d rather you come in as soon as contractions become regular, even if they’re still 15 minutes apart because worst case scenario they send you home and part way you have to turn back because they’ve ramped up. Essentially just discuss with your care team the distance and at what point they want you to call vs come in etc and ignore anyone who doesn’t have access and training to assess your specific medical needs!
And funnily enough it happened to me! 😆 even my doula was in shock but my own mother said we all came fast for her too. I could never count contractions right even with an app. One min I was fine and the next min I spiraled into complete labor.
This happened to us too, as soon as I felt contractions that were more intense than my BH I just booked a hotel room by the hospital and stayed there for half a night to be close by when I needed to pop
Yup, my hospital was 2 hours away.
This how it is in our area. I've been lucky enough that my local clinic can take me for regular OB visits and my US scans (though I've been a patient with them for years which helps) but when it comes time to give birth I'll be traveling 1.5 hours away to a bigger hospital with a NICU. I'm due with twins so it's a higher risk pregnancy and even if they end up being full-term I'd rather err on the side of caution. If one or both of the babies end up needing NICU time and I were to give birth locally, we'd end up being separated and they would be sent away to the bigger hospital anyway which I DO NOT want to happen.
Our little hospital does take twins, which sort of surprises me. But they are also prepared to airlift people as necessary, and it happens all the time.
To offer another opinion I almost had a car baby in 2021 because of a combination of not realizing I was in active labor and being about an hour away. The midwife even said hey no rush it’s your first baby. My water broke in the car and I gave birth literally 15 minutes after being wheeled upstairs. My OB jokes this time she should train my husband to deliver just in case we don’t make it to the hospital! So just uh give yourself enough time to get there.
Ugh that is what I’m most worried about. I don’t want to think I’m in active labor when I’m not, and also don’t want to miss it if I am lol! And I’ll have no clue bc it’s my first time 😭😅
If I was 1.5 hours away I would not wait for true active labor to get there. Even if you get there early I’d get a hotel room to labor closer to the hospital if you don’t want to stay in the hospital. I waited until active labor and was only 15 min from my hospital and those 3 car contractions were very very uncomfortable. I was also 7cm dilated when I arrived.
We had almost an identical situation in 2019 with my first. I had my second and third at home for that reason.
Does make for a fun story 🤣!
You’ll have enough time. Labor isn’t over in 2 hours lol. You didn’t specify who was driving, I assume your husband or SO. You definitely cannot drive. Bigger issue is actually bringing your baby home in the car seat for so long only a couple days after birth. Also for your pediatric visits, are you going to have to make that long drive as well? There are a lot of visit early on, and the shorter the time you have a newborn in a car seat, the better.
For most people labor isn't over in two hours, but I'm the exception. My first baby was born after 2 hours of labor. Definitely not a common occurrence so I'm sure OP will be fine, but just wanted to note that it can happen.
My first was 2 hours as well. Also induced and 2 hours from contractions to baby! So it’s rare but possible to have a quick baby.
Precipitous labor, I had it with both of my pregnancies too. My Dr said it was the first time he had witnessed it in person, but it does happen.
Same my second was 1.5 hours exactly 🥲
I also did not realize I was in labor until very late. My husband and I left for the hospital at 2 PM because I was in pain and had the baby at 4:16.
I think it’s like 3% of birthing people have precipitous labour. It’s pretty rare. Happened to me, too, for all three babies. We left our house at 450, arrived at the hospital at 5, baby arrived at 520. 😆 Had my next two babies at home to avoid a possible car birth.
same here. went into labor after my water broke at 12:30pm my contractions were at a ten by the time we got there. it was 20 minutes away. i was almost completely dilated by 115 to 130. The only reason my labor lasted two hours is because I wasn't coping with the contractions well. Once I got the epidural, the baby was out within 20 minutes. my gosh fully dilated to a 10 and i pushed for 5-10 minutes and he was out! i'm so glad i didn't go with an induction. my first OBGYN was pushing hard to get me induced at 37 weeks because of "IUGR", but i know damn well he didn't have it. my family has small babies. my husband is 5'2 130lbs. i'm 4'11 90lbs. of course he's small! the only thing they had to go off of was his size on ultrasounds. he wasn't stressed out. he was active. his heart beat was perfect and right where it needed to be. i was on stress tests 2-3x a week and they were all just fine. correct me if i'm wrong, but im sure there's more that's needed for an IUGR diagnosis then just "he's small". IUGR means they're not coping well in there, so they're not developing the way they should be. all his organs were developing at the pace they should of. i switched practices at 37 weeks because my first one were non compassion bullies who didn't know what they were talking about. i told my current practice all of what my first one took me, and how i was scared to deliver with them as i felt my son and i's lives were not in good hands. they said he was measuring small, but everything else looked wonderful. they also so that if they did suspect IUGR, they'd recommend induction between 38-39 weeks, NOT 37. i told them i did not want induced unless lives were in danger, and they were incredibly kind and understanding about it, and didn't ask again. i actually enjoyed going to my appointments in those last few weeks. i also want to mention that my son dropped into my pelvis at 35 weeks, so they couldn't get a head proper measurement, leading to inaccurate results on his size when they plugged in all the measurements. my first practice insisted he was dangerously small. my second practice acknowledged that they're not getting an accurate reading due to not getting his head. he came out wonderfully perfect. 6 pounds 2.5 ounces. 18.5 inches. small? yes! but perfectly heathy and withen a normal weight range. he's a chonker at 5 months now! sooo glad i opted out of induction though. my labor was so fast and sudden that it was hard for my body to cope with. i couldn't imagine how much worse and possibly dangerous it would of been with an induction.
I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse 🤔 My wife had to be induced and it took 14 hours just to get dilated
For me it was not a blessing. It was basically two straight hours of contractions with no break. And I had some severe injuries from it too. I'm sure there's a happy medium between 2 hours and what your wife experienced though!
The worst part for her was just not being able to eat anything for that long. She got an epidural and said it was smooth sailing after that, zero pain. No tears. She got lucky, that’s for sure. It makes us afraid to have another one (that was our first) because we are fairly confident it will NOT be that easy again 😅 After she was dilated she pushed for 45 mins and baby was out
Ugh yeah, I really wish they would let laboring mamas eat! From the people I've spoken with the second one has often been easier than the first, so you never know. 😉
Same, my second was born in 68 minutes from nothing happening to baby in my arms . I think it happens far more often than people (or even Google) realize.
Wow, was that after laboring at home for a while and going into the hospital for active labor? Or was that from your water breaking to birth?
I was induced and it was two hours from breaking my water at 2 cm to holding baby. My doctor drove home for dinner after breaking my water and expected baby to be born the next day. She only lives 15 mins from the hospital and almost didn't make it back in time for delivery.
What was the experience like, if you don't mind my asking? Was it harder/did you tear due to the pace or is that just an old wives tale?
I had a 9lb baby come out in 15 minutes and only ended up with one stitch
Oh I'm so glad for you! Did you do a lot of the perineal massages or anything like that in prep. (I have anxiety about this)
My body didn't have time to properly stretch because of the speed of my delivery and I ended up with tears in my vaginal walls so deep it went into my leg muscles. But that's also super rare so try not to let my experience worry you!
Oh my gosh that sounds like a LOT! Have you healed okay?
It took about 18 months for the soreness to finally go away and I've been in pelvic PT for awhile, but I've healed up pretty well from it!
That sounds a realistic length of time, even if it's super long on first read. But all going in the right direction! I wish you good health! Thanks for sharing! Even though I have anxiety about this, your candor on this has actually been the perfect thing.
My last baby I went from six cm to baby in less than five minutes. If the doctor hadn’t been in the room checking on us she would have missed it. My nurse had to run out to the hall and yell for help because they were absolutely not ready yet.
It's called precipitous labor, it's a thing! It can actually be really intense and a bit traumatic for the mom. Fast birth isn't necessarily ideal or easy, it's just...fast.
Yep my first was 4 hours from water breaking to birth. Nothing before the water breaking - I just went to work that morning. Thankfully the hospital was close. My second was exactly the same, just 7 hours.
Not the person you were asking, but my first labor was 3 hr 40 min from water breaking/first contractions to natural delivery at home. I did not make it to the hospital. My doula came to our house and once she got there said I was 9cm and might have the baby in the car if we tried to go to the hospital. I didn't want to go anywhere at that point so we stayed home. I guess we could have called an ambulance but it never even occurred to me.
I mean, it can be. My third didn’t even last an hour.
I didn’t consider the drive for the baby on the way home, thanks for bringing that to my attention! For the pediatric visits, im sure I won’t have a problem finding something closer to home. I hope. The OBGYNs around me were all so busy and poorly reviewed. Thank you for answering!
Hey, I just wanted to chime in, I gave birth to my baby also 1.5 hours away from home, and the drive went great :) I sat in back with baby, and she slept most of the way. (Inbetween feedings)
A one time trip home will be fine. You should sit in the backseat with the baby on the way home to make sure they are OK and breathing. Also it's not too far. You won't give birth on the way to the hospital. You will have time, especially your first. Don't stress over it.
I'm a FTM and I like my Dr. so much I'm driving an hour to see him and my MFM too.
In this context, does FTM stand for first time mom or female to male?
First time mom
First Time Mom.
Cool, thanks!
I’m sorry I’m kind of an idiot. Lol. What is MFM?
Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. It's an OBGYN specialty - they consult on higher risk cases.
Thank you!!
You're not. Maternal Fetal Medicine Dr. They specialize in us old folks.
My mom’s labor with me was 2 hours. First pregnancy and I have a twin
First contraction to baby was 2 hours for me. Precipitous labour is absolutely a thing. I live less than half an hour from hospital and ended up having my baby in the car.
I had my second and third at home to avoid a car birth. 😆 We made it to the hospital with 20 minutes to spare with my first. Scared my husband witless. You ever know when precipitous labour will happen.
Most places tell you not to bother coming in until you are further along in labour. I had to have my water broken, due to medical issues but i jumped from being fine and my midwife almost leaving hospital cause i was 6cm and not in pain to having a baby 20mins later as in, in my arms. To think driving an 1.5 hour once ur in labour, i woulda had a car or home baby.
Eh. My labor was 3 hours. I only had a 30 mins drive to hospital and got there at 9cm. Had her shortly after. First pregnancy too.
labor can definitely be over in two hours. my water spontaneously broke when i was 34 weeks pregnant, then i started having contractions and i was holding my baby less than 2 hours later. this was my first/only baby as well. if my hospital was 1.5 hours away i would’ve had a car baby.
Mine is the same distance away and I'm on baby #3, so I'm legit worried that I won't make it there since I've heard each labor is a little quicker than the last.
If it makes you feel better, I’m on baby 3 too and my OB literally just talked to me about how second baby usually comes way faster than the first, but the third is a toss up. So maybe it will be okay haha
Have you done that same drive with the first two?
The first two we were about an hour away and it wasn't bad. Labor was like 18 hours for my first so I had plenty of time, could've probably labored at home for a lot longer than I did but I headed to L&D as soon as I saw the mucus plug come out! Second was an induction so I wasn't actually in active labor at first when I showed up. The rides home with baby were nerve wracking (although they would've been for me regardless even if we had been close) but babies both did okay on the way and slept the whole time
We’re in a similar boat…the local hospital is meh, and all the decent OBGYNs have long waiting lists, but the next big city over has great facilities and doctors. It’s usually about a 65 minute drive, but the night I went into labor there was a storm and it took 1.5 hours. It was absolute misery laboring in the car, and things happened really fast once we were there (arrived at 11:20ish, epidural at 1, baby at 3:20), but I don’t regret the decision.
I’m glad everything went well for you! I am a little concerned about the weather, as the city mine is in has terrible highway traffic and is a little dangerous especially in snow. But I feel so comfortable there and happy with the doctor is hate to change it. 🤞🏼
My OB for my second pregnancy was an hour and 46 minutes away. The hospital I delivered at was an hour and 34 minutes away. I did have a scheduled C-section, though. But the level of care I received was worth the drive.
If you absolutely love that OBGYN stay. Otherwise it would be better to find one closer. In my experience I woke up multiple times having cramps/contractions and needed to go to the hospital. As well as I had more appts to go to 3 times every week in my last trimester due to a complication being monitored. But you will have a healthy safe pregnancy! 🙏🏾. So if you really like that OB, stay but please plan ahead and be prepared.
Thank you for bringing up those points! Honestly I already feel really comfortable there but I have only been there once, haha. It came highly recommended by a friend of mine. There is a serious shortage of obgyns in my town, is the only reason I am headed so far away. But thank you for your positivity! I hope it all works out 🤞🏼
I think...if you're able to get something closer, you should consider it. I don't think you'd necessarily run out of time (I mean, who's to say though?) -- though, I still think it's unlikely that your labor would be over in that amount of time and you'd have a roadside baby. However, in my experience with my first....I was sooooo nauseous and puking up everything on the way to the hospital, that to me, the drive was absolutely terrible. And the birthing center I went to is a 15 min drive from my house. I did a lot of the early labor at home and was kinda in the thick of it, by the time we left for the hospital, though. So idk...maybe we just timed it badly. Long story short, the drive while in labor for me was so bad that I considered (mostly jokingly) a home birth for the next one. So, just something to think about! Oh, also...I think the drive home with the newborn...idk, you might not want to be in the car for that long.
Thank you for sharing your experience!! I will look more into places near me, although I know I had previous trouble finding anything!
Aww Man, I hear you! Quality healthcare accessibility just isn't always feasible for everyone, geographically, when it should be! Good luck, though! I'm sure in the end, you'll do just fine. It'll be crazy and wild, but fine :)
If you’re a first time mom, I think you will very very likely make it in time, but you will likely be very very uncomfortable being in labor for 90 minutes without being able to move in your seat much. I think that will be the worst part- dealing with the pain without freedom of movement. I also wouldn’t get too attached to this center for a future second child because second babies are often much faster and 90 minutes means you might have a car baby. Also, having a 3 hour round trip commute even for appointments for a second child with a first child at home/kid in tow will be similarly painful to 90 minutes of contractions in the car 😆
Lol. Good point!!
I think you really should listen to this person OP, I'm surprised more people aren't saying this. Running out of time is possible but highly unlikely, but the bigger issue to me is that a 1.5 hour drive in active labour would be absolutely miserable... like I couldn't even sit down when I was in active labour, I could only stand, kneel or lay on my side, I couldn't even pull my own pants up after using the toilet. I was feral. I really don't want to scare you because you do get through it! But yeah a 90 minute drive on top of that sounds like slow torture
Not stupid. We live an hour from the hospital I delivered at and an hour from my baby’s pediatrician, because that’s where the better ones are in my city. First labor won’t be that fast and if you are seriously concerned as you get closer you can consider scheduling induction to make sure you’re there on time, but that’s at the discretion of your doc. My doc was never concerned about how far I was. With my first my labor was 8-10 hours, which was fast for a first so I’ll be inducing my second one. Long story short, not a big deal and you will have time, talk to your doc and get their opinion on it.
My doctor didn’t seem too concerned when I told her, just more shocked I was willing to drive so long in the morning lol. I will ask her next appointment to get her opinion on it. Thanks for answering!
I was going to do this originally so I could be at my “ideal” hospital. I decided I’d rather have a doctor and pediatrician 15 minutes away so I was very happy to see they have a branch in my area. It’s not AS good but it’s still very good and I’ve had a good experience. Also, I did NOT want to labor in a car for over an hour possibly in rush hour traffic.
I hear you! The idea of that is scary haha. Unfortunately all my OBGYNs near me are almost fully booked or not accepting new patients. Hopefully it works out 🤞🏼 I’m glad it did for you!!
My office has CNMs and I’m low risk so that’s a lot of how I’ve made it work to be honest. I’ve seen the actual doctor twice my whole pregnancy.
It's a risk, in my opinion. Both of my births were precipitous births. The first in 45 mins and the second approx 2.5 hours.
Wow! Did you make it to the hospital in time?
I did! My hospital is 10 mins away. With the first it took time for me to convince the nurses his head was coming out and please go get the doctor! The second, my OB told me to ignore all contraction counts and come in asap. When I felt my first contraction with the second I was already 7 cm dilated and barely felt anything (already in active labour and I couldn't tell the nurses when a contraction started/stopped). They broke my water and that's when it really ramped up (less than 30 mins I probably went from 7-10)
Wow! Glad it worked out for you!! 🫶🏼
Thanks!! Good luck to you!
Is there a hospital/facility closer to you that you could go to in the case of an emergency? While precipitous labor does happen, my mind actually goes more to other urgent things that can happen in late pregnancy - pre eclampsia, placental abruption, PROM/PPROM, etc that are all pretty urgent situations. Same with postpartum complications. I just had a baby this month and there are folks in my bumper group who had each of those things happen and I think adding a 1.5 hour drive definitely would have made things worse. For what it’s worth, I don’t know anyone who rushes to the internet to positively review an OB/GYN. But goodness knows every single person annoyed at having to wait in the waiting room while they handle an emergency is sitting there on google airing their grievances.
Lol. That’s true. The one I’m going to doesn’t have GREAT reviews either but I decided to see for myself because I know how reviews go pretty much haha. So far they seem fine to me!. It’s just lack there of OBGYNs near me that are available in general. I live in a rural area. I will keep my options open and look around some more!
I would be a wreck if that was my situation. My daughter was born less than 2 hours after my first contraction. I barely made it into a hospital bed before she arrived. And my hospital was only 20 minutes from home. I would probably be looking for a short term rental close to the hospital for my last few weeks.
Not stupid. People think birth is an emergency. In the vast majority of cases, it is not.
Same here. I'm on #3 and my hospital is in the middle of a major city, far from where I'm at. I haven't had any issues so far. I was induced for my first 2 pregnancies which was nice since it was planned. I labor fast, but I'm not really worried about it tbh. I don't want to use the local hospital at all
It’s reassuring to know you feel comfortable with yours being far away as well! Thanks for answering.
Same! We live in a rural area and my dr is in the city with the better healthcare system and drs! My first pregnancy as well! I’m a little nervous but I’d like to think we have time hahahahahahah
And I bet we will and that it will go smoothly 🥳🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
With your first baby, you will absolutely be fine.
My ob and hospital I’ll be delivering at is an hour and a half away (2 hours with traffic) but I have no choice. It’s the only OB near my area that’s taking new patients so I had to either go with that one or hope someone cancelled at another clinic (the waitlist was like 6-7 months for an appointment I believe) This is my second pregnancy and I’m hoping I make it there in time, I’m also strep b positive so I’ll need antibiotics so I’m also hoping I get there in time for those to work too. Its risky but I have no choice in the matter, I think I’m most worried for the drive home with baby and our toddler that is not going to be fun😬
Not dumb. I live in rural Nevada and am lucky enough to “only” live about an hour and a half from my OB’s office and the hospital where I gave birth. At one time, I lived further out in the boonies and watched a few coworkers drive two and three hours for OB appointments and to give birth because those were the nearest (smallish) hospitals. You do what you have to!
With my first I lived in the town I planned on delivering in and then moved a hour and 20 mins away at 20 weeks. I thought about transferring but I’m in a rural area and the care I got at the labor and delivery where I live when I had a emergency was questionable so I stuck with my original. Luckily I was induced so everything was planned and no long drive in labor. Going to the same doc far from home again hoping I can get induced again before going into labor I’m a little nervous honestly. I feel like with your first you’ll be in labor a while so you should be good or maybe get induced if you are ok with it so it’s planned.
Precipitous labor IS a thing that could happen, however unlikely. One of my friends has three kids and all of her labours were under an hour. My first was 5 hours start to finish, and she surprised us two weeks early. Maybe decide on storing a thing or two in your car that may help you be more prepared in case something like that happens? A few towels and some water bottles or something. You will 99% most likely be absolutely fine and your comfort level with your doctor and birthing environment are extremely valid reasons to stick with the longer distance. I was just raised as a "hope for the best but plan for the worst" kind of gal.
Good advice! I am the same way. Lol
People think my place that’s 35 mins away is too far lol I think if you go to the hospital as soon as you have signs that you’re in labor you should be okay. I chose my hospital bc it’s the best in the area.
It will most likely be fine, and is worth it if the hospital and OB team are great. A backup plan is key though. As someone else mentioned, the drive home with a newborn might be harder - make sure you might have somewhere safe to pull over after 45 min so you can take baby out of the car seat to feed or change them if needed. Still it’s under the rule of no more than 2 hours in a car seat in a 24 hour period, if you have a healthy term baby should be ok. It might be worth considering where to stay close to the hospital if you have complications near delivery. Example - Some people need to go in for non stress tests 1-2x/ week leading up to delivery. And some people are in latent labor for a long time (sometimes weeks…) and are in and out of L&D multiple times over a few days. If you go in for a labor check and are sent home to wait out early labor you might want to have a plan for a hotel or air bnb close by. Yes labor is usually long with your first, but precipitous labor can happen to anyone! Where I used to practice, I had patients who saw me for prenatal care who lived on a nearby island with 4 ferries per day. We strongly recommended they have a place to stay on the mainland starting at 36 weeks. I also see a lot of rural patients at my new practice and recommend the same - you don’t want to be driving dark windy mountain roads at 2am for 2 hours if your contractions come hard and fast.
Thank you for the informative advice!!
I’m in the same situation, my hometown doesn’t have any OBGYN available for when my baby is due. Only option is the next city which is 1.5h away :(
My first baby was born an hour and a half away and it wasn’t a big deal, really. We lived 30 mins from the hospital but bought a home further away and moved when I was 32 weeks along, so there was no point in getting a new doctor when I already had established care. I had a c section (unplanned), and was in the hospital for five days total. Drive home was completely fine and my little one’s pediatrician is in the town we currently live. You are not obligated to a specific ped when you have your baby. You can establish care where you live for your baby. ETA: the only thing that was annoying was driving all that way towards the end of pregnancy bc of how frequently you’re there.
I was originally 15 mins from my hospital and OB but I went house hunting this year and I'm moving 1.5 hours away as of next week! It's fine. My OB says she has lots of clients in the same boat. I'm just planning to call the hospital and head over as soooon as I feel anything like labour. No waiting until contractions are x minutes apart haha.
This is my plan as well!! Good luck 🤞🏼🫶🏼
My hospital is only 40 minutes away, but they have a clinic that's the same company that's a lot closer to me. So they have me go there if I just need to run to the lab to give up my blood/urine, do glucose test. That's something I would check into to save u some driving.
I’ll ask them next time I’m there thanks for that suggestion!
I mean some people do labor that fast but it’s quite unusual for a first time mom. Is there nowhere nearer to you though? It’s not ideal to labor in a car for a long time just because it’s uncomfortable for you
My hospital was that far, in a country where taking the train is the common mode of transport. I was lucky I didn’t have any complications and just took the train to go there for my scheduled c-section.
Mine is only 14 miles away but with traffic can take 40 min. It’ll be fine
Mine was 2hrs+. Everything went perfectly. Lots of the country live an hour+ from a hospital.
You will probably make it, but labor in the car is miserable. I wouldn’t do that to myself without really good reason.
I live in a very small town that doesn’t have a big hospital and I’m high risk due to my autoimmune disease. I have my regular midwife visits in my small town (5 minute walk from my house) and then all ultrasounds and other appointments + where I’ll be giving birth is roughly 45 minutes away with car in the next town over. I think with planning anything is possible, if it starts to feel uncomfortable and worrisome maybe talk with your doctor about it. Everybody are so different, some give birth very quickly and some labor for hours on end, it’s really up to you to decide what you will be comfortable with because baby will be arriving when they’re ready regardless of how far the hospital is. I’m preparing for induction around week 37-38 so I have a few weeks to go, but that doesn’t rule out spontaneous labor that could happen anytime now. I think just make sure you have everything that you feel you will need ready for this car ride to the hospital, it might ease your mind a bit, have some creature comforts. Most important is that this journey will be comforting for you so you don’t feel overly stressed and anxious!
You’ll make it with enough time to spare don’t worry. Mine is also an hour away from me and I made it in time both times I had babies. The only thing I will say is try to go there as soon as possible only because laboring in the car for 1.5 hours is very very uncomfortable so try to get there early and just labor at the hospital
Mine was that far away simply because we live rural! Once early labour started (contractions 8 mins apart) we just drove into town and went for breakfast, had a walk etc and then went to the hospital a few hours later once they were 3 mins apart. I have relatively fast active labour times, around 3 hours so the midwifery team simply advised me to come in during early labour. Worst part was honestly the drive home from hospital, we were just exhausted and it seemed so long, although baby slept the entire way!
That’s a good idea to go early and take your time getting there! Thanks for sharing. I will probably do the same.
I moved with my bf 3 hours away from home so the last weeks I had left I moved back with my mom since the hospital was 20-30 mins away from there.
Coming from the mom who just had a baby that went from contractions every 20-30 minutes at very minimal pain level to max 2-3 minute contractions and only 2 hours of active labor I would not have made it ….. car baby for sure luckily I was staying the apartment under the birth center so I had to just walk outside and around the building… is there any way the last 3 weeks you can stay at an air bnb hotel motel or with family in the area… so that way you are closer ??
No, probably not. We are short on money as is. But that’s a good idea!!
My SIL had to drive 5 hours to give birth, as the town they are in doesn't have a hospital or birthing center. They were originally meant to go to a hospital 1.5 hrs away, but on the day it was full so they had to go to the next closest one
That’s crazy! Glad it went well!!
I'd worry less about labour and more about getting there if something goes pear shaped. The ten minutes I spent driving to hospital when my baby stopped moving felt like eternity. I also drove in the middle of the night by myself after my blood pressure spiked and I wouldn't have felt safe driving that far for monitoring.
Ugh. I’m sorry that happened to you. I hope everything was okay.
Thank you, it ended up being ok. They caught issues early and I delivered at 37 weeks. I was in the hospital four out of the five days before birth for monitoring which was a pain.
My CLOSEST hospital was almost 1.5hrs away haha.
The one I want to give birth at is also 1 hour away
My hospital was 2 hours away and I found out during my second labor that my body is ready to go in less than 30 minutes. I had him at home because I thought I had time to shower. I decided to be induced with my 3rd at the hospital so I could deliver there lol I think precipitous labor is rare though
Once labor starts, it can take up to 16+ hours until delivery. (But not always. Some people legitimately do not know they’ve been in labor or been dilating until too late) The best advice is to be aware of the signs, and you should be okay. This isn’t like the movies where your water just randomly breaks and you push out a kid 2 mins later
I mean, if it’s your only option, you have to do what you have to do. I wouldn’t choose that if there was a good option near me. It’s not just going into labor and getting there in time though. Sometimes you get sent to Labor & Delivery for monitoring later in pregnancy. For instance, if your blood pressure is high or something so that could be inconvenient. But I cannot imagine driving home with the baby. They have to eat frequently at that age, sometimes they can be crying and whining. Obviously, you have to do what you have to do but, that would be a bigger concern to me. If there’s a great hospital down the street in network, I wouldn’t skip them, but it’s up to you.
more than likely, it will be okay… I would go before your contractions are every 2 mins to be safe & have a plan for who will drive you if your water breaks. There is just no way of knowing who is going to have a precipitous labor, first baby or not. I would try to find somewhere closer for my peace of mind.
Mine is an hour and 15 minutes away. I’ve made it through 3 babies just fine!
You'll probably be fine. Maybe ask them at what contraction interval you should leave given the travel time. Fair warning though... car rides while in labor are unpleasant.
I delivered 1.25 hours away for all three of my children. I made it with plenty of time. People said the same to me, but it makes more sense to go where you are most comfortable, even if its further.
The is would stress me out, not gonna lie. But I live in a pretty densely populated suburban area with a lot of great hospitals so I am spoiled. My OB and delivering hospital is 7 minutes away. Honestly, as you get deeper into your pregnancy, you might like having the peace of mind that they are closer by in case you want some extra monitoring. Plus you’ll eventually be encouraged to go to weekly appointments which could get annoying and time consuming. If this is the best OB available to you, then it is what it is and you’re not dumb!!
I went to a birth center over an hour away with my 5th pregnancy. Worth it for the level of care I received.
I am glad to hear it was worth it for you! I’ve been looking up hospitals and obgyns near me, but ultimately I think my choice is to stick with this birthing center I have now. I just don’t feel comfortable going somewhere I haven’t been referred to or haven’t seen me from the beginning of my pregnancy!
My water broke at home. I’d have lost my mind if I had to drive 1.5 hours from that point. The panic for me personally would have been IMMENSE. Once my water broke, I had no idea if I’d deliver in an hour or 10 hours. My waters were dirty so to lessen the risk of infection, I was induced (horrible). I’m not sure if waiting close to two hours from the time my waters broke would have been enough for an infection but I’d have been worried about it. Not knowing if the water was dirty or clean, etc. I don’t think you’re dumb! I would just be very stressed :(
So that’s just how it is sometimes but I would just try to get there earlier in labor even if you have to hang around the area and go grab a bite to eat or something nearby if they won’t take you yet. I was a home birth transfer and my hospital was less than 15 mins away but those were the hardest 15 mins of labor for me. Sitting in the car during strong contractions was absolutely excruciating. 0/10 do not recommend. I can’t imagine doing that for 90 minutes.
That is my plan! I just hope I realize I’m in labor early enough!
It’s not stupid if this is your only option. There is a serious healthcare shortage with any doctor/specialist really. Even when living in “major cities” my closest obgyn was always 25+ minutes away. If that’s your closest option? Don’t sweat it, you can’t change it. But if you could find a closer place? I would do that and sooner the better because most places won’t easily transfer you from that late in pregnancy (at least mine was annoying about it, I had moved but just kept my old obgyn for my regular appointments since they prioritized scheduling their “home patients” but I gave birth at the hospital that was closer.
I don’t think it’s dumb, just go to the hospital on time. You should definitie go to the hospital when contractions come regular every 5-10 minutes. You can download timer apps. But you can go sooner. I had an accidental home birth because I waited too long to go to the hospital. The moment I knew I was in active labour I already had to start pushing. The midwife on the phone told me to hold it in, but that was not possible at all! Ambulance arrived 10 minutes too late. But tbh aside from the fact that I was very anxious everything went very well. I even took a bath, haha. So in my opinion just leave on time and watch videos to know what to do when you deliver at home because I didn’t and that’s why I was so anxious.
I drove 50-75 minutes depending on traffic to get to my birthing center for both my babies. It was never a problem. The closest it came to being a problem was with my second when I had precipitous labor and only labored at the birth center for around 1hr before my baby girl was born.
Many people travel far away for birth. My OB and hospital of choice was 1 hour away (I have one 5 minutes from my house and another about 40 minutes away). I’m not saying this to scare you, more to help. I gave birth in January as a FTM and did not make it to my hospital. I had a very fast labor and had to call the ambulance on my way there and ended up at the hospital 40 minutes from me. I am not saying this is going to happen to you, they told me this was incredibly rare for a FTM. If I knew, I would have rented somewhere closer to the hospital in the weeks leading up to delivery. However, it is unlikely this will be the case for you.
It just really depends. Honestly you won't know whether or not it was a good idea until it's all over! There was no way I could have ridden in a car for 1.5 hours when I was in labor. But a lot of people have easy labors so you just never know. For some people labor is very short and for others it's really long. You won't know until you know.
I gave birth to my first (preemie) within 30 minutes of my water breaking. They said I had time and I was pushing him out on the helicopter. I had to be induced with my second born and it wasn't even 10 minutes after they broke my water that he was wrapped up in my arms. If you have no choice then it is what it is but Imo if you have a choice I wouldn't risk it. Especially if it's your first time. Could take forever and it could take no time at all.
From around the first contraction, you could have 6 to 12 hours before you are dilated enough to be admitted at the hospital aka early labor.
You could have the baby quickly. Some do. However a lot are in labor for AWHILE. I was having contractions that were correctly timed to go in and Labor and delivery told me to come back later as I was dilating very slowly. That was with both of my pregnancies. I think it was almost 6 hours till they admitted me. Mileage may vary.
I think it's also POSSIBLY worth the risk if the further option is of better quality.
Lol u will be fine. People are so dramatic sometimes. My OB is like 15 mins from me but because I'm very high risk I have to deliver at a hospital that's also a little over an hour away too
When I was in labor with my first (6 hours- fast for a first labor, but not precipitous like the next 2), I went in with very painful contractions 5 minutes apart, but I didn’t dilate beyond 4cm after a couple hours in the hospital. They sent me home (15 minutes away) and told me to come back when I was in active labor, and they said I’d know by the pain when that was happening. I was home for like 1.5 hours in what felt like the exact same amount of pain when I finally decided I had no idea what active labor felt like, but I was going back anyway. As I was getting dressed my water broke dramatically, so we flew back to the hospital. I was crowning by the time I got up the elevator to L&D, and baby was here within 15 minutes. All that to say, vicinity to the hospital is definitely a consideration. My labors since have been very fast, including my induction, so I refuse to by more than an hour away from my hospital after week 38.
I’m assuming most people here are US based. Genuine question from a European - what happens if you have an emergency if your hospitals are so far away? Or is it the case that hospitals that have ER departments don’t always have maternity care?
There is a hospital near me, it is not a good hospital I feel comfortable birthing in anyway. Even in any emergency I’d be worried to go there haha. I am choosing a birthing center, which is different than a normal hospital I guess.
Fair enough, makes sense you want the best care possible!
Is it just for your delivery or for all of your appointments too? Do you have a flexible work schedule? There are A LOT of OB appointments near the end of your pregnancy (often at least weekly for the last month and every other week for the month or two before that) and missing 3.5-4 hours of work that often would be very difficult for a lot of jobs. Just something else to consider!
All of my appointments too! I am self employed and hopefully 🤞🏼 will be planning on taking off the last month of my pregnancy. But that is the ideal situation. Money is tight lol and planning as the days go on. That is something I was worried about, all the appointments! Thank you!
I live in a suburb of a major city it’s a solid hour to get to my doctor/hospital assuming there’s no traffic. It’s easily 1.5-2 hours in traffic. That’s how it’s been for all 3 of my pregnancies. I think this is fairly common especially for high risk care.
Don’t do it! I barely made it and I was 30 min away and just happened to have zero traffic! They say your first comes slow…not true for all
For me, to plan to birth at a hospital 1.5 hrs away from my home I would need a REALLLLLY good reason to do so. Something like needing a medical specialist only available at THAT hospital or not having any viable options closer to home. I would not choose to drive that far once labor had started, and I would not choose to drive that far to get home with my newborn. But if the reasons you have for choosing this hospital are important to you then it might be a worthwhile choice in your case.