Around my due date should i stay close to the hospital? (only women with children answer)?

Question

I'm not due for a while but i live about 20 minutes from the hospital i plan on delivering in. Should i be close by when the time comes around, or once i feel my labor coming on will i have time to get there? how much time passed by once you started contracting?

I still have about 4 months to go but i'm just trying to get as much info possible now.

And after you've birthed your baby vaginally, you have to spend about 2 days in the hospital, but was it extremely painful for you to endure the car ride home? my doctor said it usually is and i wonder if i should stay with my mom for a few days in town cuz she only lives about 5 minutes away from the hospital. Would a 20 minute car ride be to uncomfortable and painful?

And i doubt i'll be on pain meds because i'll be nursing, so answer based on a non-medicated ride home

Answer 1

The average woman has plenty of time to get to the hospital to deliver her first baby It took 11 hours from when my water broke to when I had my baby, and the contractions took an hour to start after my water broke...
However, it's a common concern so my suggestion would be to pack your bag early and have it ready....put it in the car, even, so that you know that as soon as it's time, you're ready to go...that should take some stress off. I'm guessing that the 20 minute ride may end up being the longest 20 minutes of your life because of the "unknowns" ....i.e.. how far dilated am I? Am I going to deliver in the car? Can I get the epidural? This is so normal...but I promise that most women have no problem getting to the hospital and 20 minutes is probably the average commute to our hospital. The average labor for a first time mom is 12-24 hours from when the contractions begin to change the cervix....many women count from their first painful contractions and that can make it seem much longer. As soon as your contractions are 5min apart for at least an hour and are painful enough that you're having difficulty talking or walking through them, call the doctor and explain that you live a little bit away....perhaps they'll say "come on in".

For the ride home....you should be fine...most people are on mild painkillers by the day they go home...the dull ache continues for a while, but it's not so bad that you can't sit.

Congrats on the baby and try not to let this worry you....just be on the lookout for symptoms of labor such as the contractions, water breaking, low back pain that comes and goes or thigh pain that does the same....You'll be fine!

EDIT: the pain medicines prescribed are safe with breastfeeding...we use Medications and Mother's Milk as a reference...it's the gold standard.

Answer 2

20 minutes to ride to the hospital is not bad! Once you start going into labor you should time how far your contractions are apart, once they become 5 minutes apart is when you go into the hospital. If this is your first baby then labor can progress rather slowly so it may be a few hours before you reach that point. In some people it may take less. I had my baby 3 weeks ago and had to have an early C Section so I didn't go through labor. As for the car ride home, a C Section tends to feel worse since it is surgery compared to a vaginal delivery. I live about 20-30 minutes from the hospital that I delivered in and the car ride wasn't bad. I don't suppose that it would be bad for a vaginal delivery either. Staying with someone during the first few days home can be a gret asset, so if you'd rather stay with your mom for a few days or whatever then it may be better for you! Hope any of this helps!

Answer 3

Normally women do not have babies right away, especially with 1st pregnancies. You usually feel contraction more then a few hours before the baby comes out. When the due date is near you will have chekcups and they will see how far your cervix is effaced, and dilated ect. For me I was 2 weeks late and my cervix was "unfavorable" then two days later I started feeling very painful contraction and went to the hospital I was only 2 cm dilated, I think I stayed in the hospital another 8 hours before my daughter came out. Normally you will have lots of time before your child comes.
I wouldn't be hours away from the hospital or anything. If you live 20 minutes away you are probably fine.
You usually stay in the hospital for 2 days, I stayed an extra day, I did not have anyone but my husband and he had to go back to work , so there was no way I was going to go home and be alone! The nice thing about being in the hospital is there they can help you with anything, any questions they can answer, and free icepack pads :D
A 20 minute drive will probably not hurt. When you first sit down it hurts, but the pain usually goes away, especially after two days. Then again it depends on what degree of tear you have. Also the hospital might give you an icepack pad which helps a lot. Peeing for me was the most painful, it stung!
Good luck and congrats.

PS I exclusively breastfed/am breastfeeding and they still gave me pain medication, I was worried and asked my doctor and she said it was fine, but the choice is up to you.

Answer 4

first of all...you don't have to stay close to the hospital if you live 20 minutes away...you ARE close to the hospital!!! Everyone is different as far as contractions....some people gibe birth quickly others do not. I am one of those who didn't for my first. I was in labor for 36 hours once my water broke. I have known people that give birth only 4 hours after their water broke...so everyone is different :).

As far as the ride home I dont remember it being sooo painful that I couldn't be in the car for 20 minutes. It's not that bad...I wouldn't worry too much If I were you!!! You wont really feel the pain too much anyway..since you will be in awe with your new baby!!!

I think you should stay at your moms' if you want her to help you out with your baby....but you might just want your mom to stay at your place...that is probably better!!!

Good Luck to you:) and Congrats

Answer 5

a 20 minute ride is nothing i lived nearly an hour from the hospital you will be fine going straight home. they give you pain meds right before leaving. i had an emergency c-section and i was fine for the ride. train tracks are painful though labor lasts a really long time your doctor will go over all this with you

Answer 6

Labor varies from person to person. I think genetics plays a large role. A good person to ask would be your mother or other female members from your mother's side of the family. My mother labored for over 24-hours with her first and so did I. My friend's mother labored for only a few hours and my friend barely made it to the delivery room. You will never know for sure, that's why they recommend staying within an hours distance from your hospital.

Answer 7

20 min. from the hosptial is fine. I found that I was much more comfortable at home. Choose what is more comfortable for you. Same thing after giving birth -- I was more comfortable at home so that's where I went! I don't remember being too sore in a car ride.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

your safe, the first labor is a tad slower anyways, good luck:)