I am concerned about speeding and running lights (being careful of course) when driving to the hopsital after going into labor. I'm sure MOST cops will understand and give you a police escort - but is there a chance the they will do the whole "license and registration" bit and make up wait for a ticket? I mean, is there a protocol for that or are we just relying on getting a decent cop with a heart?
2007-01-24 00:02:26 · 23 answers · asked by cfisher4234 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
As an Officer, I would escort you to the hospital to ensure you got there safely. Then I would see you inside to ensure you got treated. You may be pregnant and may be in labor or may be faking to get out of a ticket. Yes it been done. If you are in labor then I just made sure you got there safely and helped hold the doors for you once you got there. If your faking then you are either going to tell me at this point, or your going to get a doctor bill that will be far higher than any speeding ticket I was going to give you.
2007-01-24 00:56:32 · answer #1 · answered by thanson73 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My husband is a cop. He says traffic laws should still be obeyed as much as possible (car accident AND labor is no fun) However, he said most cops will call ahead to the hospital and let them know you are coming and won't give you a ticket. There is a chance some would do the whole "license and registration" thing and maybe ticket you, but if you fought it you would win in court. Labor generally takes hours , anyway, so there's really no need to run lights and go 100 miles per hour.
2007-01-24 01:19:54 · answer #2 · answered by Lotus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Labor is rarely enough of an emergency that you need to go full speed to the hospital. If you know that you likely will have a very short labor then you and the doctor should have a plan - they may go ahead and put you in the hospital close to term if you are a long drive from it.
But if you go into labor and then find it to be an emergency -t hen drive fast and safe...or if that isn't possible - pull over and call an ambulance to come meet you.
Most police officers will let you go on your way and urge you to proceed with caution. If it is a true emergency they will probably page the ambulance for you.
But, while it makes for great TV, it really doesn't usually happen that way. You have hours or labor before transition and most women end up at the hospital too early rather than too late.
2007-01-24 00:09:19 · answer #3 · answered by bgmom 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
According to Mr Kmennie, who was born in a hopsital _hallway_: you get a police escort to help you keep speeding...
...I'm pretty sure that's at police discretion, though, and you're relying on the cop-with-a-heart scenario. I now wonder if it didn't help that his mother was a nurse...
Given the answer you got from a cop -- I say if it happens, _ask_ the cop to come along.
The whole scenario is mostly from movies and teevee; it seems the average woman gets sent home from the hospital for not being far enough along rather than delivering in the hallway (!) -- but, then again, I suspect most fathers are a bit lead-footed when making that trip.
2007-01-24 04:47:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're relying on getting a decent cop with a heart. Labor isn't a medical emergency, as defined as being a life threatening injury or condition. You're not shot, stabbed or otherwise bleeding out, in cardiac arrest or in anaphylaxic shock, all of which you should call an ambulance to handle.
If your pregnancy is high risk, you should be in the hospital anyway or on bedrest per doctors orders and at home. There is no reason for you to risk the life of your husband, you and the unborn by running lights and speeding. Since this is your first pregnancy, you'll most likely be in labor for plenty of time to make it to the hospital in a safe, sane and civil manner. Even with the shortest of labor times, you have an hour or so to get there.
2007-01-24 00:22:23 · answer #5 · answered by sovereign_carrie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hopefully you want be so far into labor that you need to speed. Yes when I went the contractions were strong but there was no fear of the baby coming any moment, so there was no need to speed. However on the rare cases where a persons labor goes really fast and they feel the need to push while still in the car, I hope that the police officer will be nice enough to provide escort when he relizes what is happening
2007-01-24 00:10:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They wouldnt make you do all of that. They would just escort you to the hospital. I have even seen a cop stop a person before and the person jumped out of the car...dressed in his doctors uniform and said something to the cop and then the cop got in front of him and they both sped away. Cops cant make you sit there and give you documents if you are in labor or anykind of emergency.
2007-01-24 00:20:14 · answer #7 · answered by Blondi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all...do not speed or run lights, no matter how "safe" you think it is. You will be putting your life and that of your unborn child at risk. Secondly, why are you driving yourself in the first place? You should not be driving while in labor. What are you going to do if you get hit with a big contraction?! You seriously need to think here.
Going into labor is not a medical emergency. You can safely drive as normal, if you must, and get there with hours to spare...trust me on this.
Should you choose to go the route you plan on, the police can do one of several things, depending on the officer. They can let you go, give you an escort or give you a ticket (or two or three, depending).
Why risk it?
2007-01-24 00:14:09 · answer #8 · answered by Enchanted 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Chances are, you are not going to have to rush to the hospital when you're in labor. If it's really an emergency (severe hemorrhage, prolapsed cord, seizures during labor, etc), you should call 911 and have an ambulance take you.
In the rare event that your labor progresses suddenly and quickly such that the baby could be born while you're already on your way, I'm sure a police officer would help you out any way that they could. That's their job.
2007-01-24 00:50:48 · answer #9 · answered by Smurfy Keeps Going and Going 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My dad ran a red light while taking mother to the hospital with their last. He got his ticket. and no escort. If labor is that far progressed that you need to hurry you are better off stayign put and calling EMS.
Both of mine were high risk pregnancies. Thsi first time the bettwe hospital was 2 hours away. The second just over an hour.
Of course thats not to say my husband wasnt ummm......in a hurry lol
2007-01-24 00:22:46 · answer #10 · answered by Betsy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋