Getting home when labor starts?

[bclare]

I have been thinking about going into labor when I am at work. Having never done all of this before, I wonder what early labor is like for most women. Could I drive myself home (20 minutes)? Are there early warning signs that I would want to be home? Do women tend to begin labor when they are home and safe? Did you know when you were about to start labor and went home, or were you already home? What would you do if you were out?

I plan to work up until I have baby and take my leave after, so the idea of this happening is a real possiblilty. I guess that for many women I speak with their labor is long and there is plenty of time to get home and do anything else they need to, but then I speak with women who have very quick labors and I wonder how did they make sure they weren't away from home / DH? I am far too independent to spend weeks never away from someone else as I go about my daily routine.....Thanks!

[at_the_hip]

I think most women (esp 1st timers) would have plenty of time to get home and drive themselves. Even if your water broke, cx don't always start immediately and you should still have plenty of time. With #3 we went to the mall, walked around Ikea, had lunch, got stuck in traffic LOL before going home - and that was with me in known labor. That being said, if you are having a ton of prelabor and walking around for weeks at 5-6 cm then you might have to worry about getting home. Otherwise it takes awhile to get to 4 and then things speed up from there, generally speaking.
kind regards,

[Peony]

3 labors and they have all started very early in the morning while I was sleeping. If labor started while I was out then I'd just drive home. DS's labor was a quick one but I still had a window of 30 minutes in the beginning where I could of driven home if need be.

[jenfl]

With my first, I planned to work right up until labor started, as well. But a few days before DD ended up being born, I got this uncontrollable urge to be home. I ended up starting my maternity leave on Thursday, a week before her due date... and she was born the next day.

That said, my labor was FAST (4 hours, first baby). But there was still a window of 30 minutes where I would have been perfectly fine to drive (water had broken, but no contractions) and another 30 where I could have driven if absolutely necessary (easy to handle, spaced out contractions). And I had co-workers very willing to drive me home if labor had started at work.

[Sweetiemommy]

My water broke while I was at Target with my first. I stopped at a few more places before I went home, I wasn't even having noticeable contractions. Even if the contractions are noticeable, you still have a lot of time to drive. I wouldn't worry about it, honestly. It is pretty rare to go very fast, especially with a first.

[xixstar]

I think you'll have time to get home for sure. Mine started in the middle of the night, we did some last-minute cleaning and then I went back to sleep. Things were still fairly slow moving the next morning and we went to the Farmer's Market and to a cafe for breakfast as well.

Like pp said, some women do have fast labors but I wouldn't worry about it, especially with a first birth.

[ShwarmaQueen]

My 'prelabor' contx started at night; couldnt sleep through them and probably couldn't have worked through them either, though the next day I went shopping for several hours, drove myself around while having them.

I also intended to work up until by due date, but had the urge late in the game to give myself some down time before his birth. So, I took off at 38 1/2 weeks, he was born at 40 1/2 weeks. I really enjoyed cleaning, organizing, and finding peace with myself before he came.

[mrsfrenchy]

I'll be the voice of descent that says strongly consider calling your DP to come pick you up if possible. Once my ctx started (my water didn't break, but I did have diarrhea all day before hand with a handful of mild contractions, so I knew it was likely coming soon). I only had about 30 minutes before they got to where I had to stop everything I was doing and close my eyes during a contractions--not the kind of thing I could drive through. For me, that wouldn't have been enough to get my stuff together, tell my boss I was leaving, and get home. My labor was only about 8 or 9 hours total.

Its up to you, but I think contractions can change in intensity so quickly and unpredictably that I'd rather have someone else drive if at all possible.

[emnic77]

Agree with above, you are probably going to be fine to drive yourself home but I would have a back up plan. I work with my sister and live 10 minutes from my office, so she's my ride if need be.

[RPS67]

Like the others, I think you'll be fine to drive yourself. With my 4th, I drove to pick up my oldest from baseball practice and I even timed contractions while I was at it.

I really do believe that there's an unconscious thing that keeps you from going right into hard labor when you're in an inconvenient place for it. Every one of my 5 labors so far started at home, but at varying times of the day (2 during the night, 3 late afternoon).

[CallMeMommy]

Originally Posted by RPS67

I really do believe that there's an unconscious thing that keeps you from going right into hard labor when you're in an inconvenient place for it. Every one of my 5 labors so far started at home, but at varying times of the day (2 during the night, 3 late afternoon).

ITA. I was in labor all day at work with my last one, and things picked up considerably once I got home (then they picked up again when DH got home, and even more once DS1 was off with his grandma). I even ran into my midwife that day while I was at lunch and told her "Something's going on but they're not timeable or in any pattern so it's probably nothing" and boy was I wrong!

[RPS67]

Originally Posted by CallMeMommy

ITA. I was in labor all day at work with my last one, and things picked up considerably once I got home (then they picked up again when DH got home, and even more once DS1 was off with his grandma). I even ran into my midwife that day while I was at lunch and told her "Something's going on but they're not timeable or in any pattern so it's probably nothing" and boy was I wrong!

My last labor was fairly typical for a grand primip -- contractions started then petered out for several hours, then got going again.

I told my MW and SO to be on alert, but that nothing was really happening at that point. My MW had a hair appointment but would be done at 6 p.m. and SO had to take his older son to guitar lessons, but would be done at 6:30.

At 6:15, after having such light contractions on and off all day, labor REALLY kicked in. I don't think it was a coincidence at all. FWIW, the mw arrived at 6:50, SO at 7:30 (he got stuck in traffic!) and our son was born at 7:40. It could not have worked out better.

[Geerbabe]

Can I second the suggestion of giving yourself a few days off at home before you deliver? A well rested body is likely to do better in labour than one that has pushed itself to the limit of the very last day. You don't have to be superwoman :-)

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by Geerbabe

Can I second the suggestion of giving yourself a few days off at home before you deliver? A well rested body is likely to do better in labour than one that has pushed itself to the limit of the very last day. You don't have to be superwoman :-)

I would have loved that, but any days off prior to labor would have eaten into my maternity leave. I definitely needed maternity leave more than prelabor rest, and the 3 weeks I had were NOT enough. I can only cringe to think about taking a few days off before and having only, say, 2.5 weeks after.

[Happiestever]

Originally Posted by Sweetiemommy

My water broke while I was at Target with my first. I stopped at a few more places before I went home, I wasn't even having noticeable contractions. Even if the contractions are noticeable, you still have a lot of time to drive. I wouldn't worry about it, honestly. It is pretty rare to go very fast, especially with a first.

LOL I could just imagine. MY water breaking and thinking "hey I still need a few things" and continuing on like normal. Where most peoplw ould rush to the hospital at that point. NOt you though LOL- let me go to Macy's and check out the sales

[bclare]

Thanks everyone. I am glad to hear most of you had a "window"-- this is really what I was hoping to hear-- since I can't stay home for a month or so! How inspiring to hear the logistical stories of early labor. Sounds like most of you had some sort of premonition or knew you would be okay for a while until you got home, and sounds like your body knew when it was time to really get moving.

I hear you about taking a "few days off", but how does one plan that? I get a set time off, and I see so many women take leave a week before their due date, go 10 days past their due date and there goes 3 weeks of their 6 week leave. I don't have a stressful job, I can leave early and nap at work, I can work from home if I need to, so I don't think it will be too much to work right up until. We will see what happens.

[MegBoz]

Originally Posted by RPS67

I really do believe that there's an unconscious thing that keeps you from going right into hard labor when you're in an inconvenient place for it.

Exactly what I was thinking. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Worst case scenario, you have someone else drive you. Or if you start driving & ctrx suddenly become so intense that you have to close your eyes, make sure your cell phone is always charged (and/or have a charger in your car) so you can pull over & call someone to get you.

As for the work leave issue, ugh, I ended up stopping work at 40W1D because I could not STAND the stress of, "Still here?!" "No baby yet?!" I remember 2 ladies stopping at my desk when I was sitting there on my exact due date and looking at me as if I was sitting behind the computer after my arm had just been ripped off.

I could not cope with it emotionally. I was going to SCREAM at the next person who made a comment like that to me!
I wasn't even having any BH ctrx, so I was honestly starting to feel as if my uterus didn't even WORK! I was terrified of being induced- so these comments were just pouring salt in my existing wound. It was just a miserable scenario.

So if you want to work up until you give birth, I highly suggest you lie about your due date by at least 2 weeks so you don't have to deal with that. It's just not fun.

As for me, I went to 41W4D & decided to have my membranes stripped. MW did that at 10:30 AM, started having ctrx 2 hours later. About 1 hour after that, I started feeling the need to pause what I was doing & got into our pool out back, but I suppose I could have driven through them.

[Plummeting]

Well, I was 0 cm dilated and 0% effaced when my water broke and still 0/0 when the real contractions actually started a few hours later. My birth was fast for a first one (4 hrs 50 minutes from first contraction to babe in arms) and I would've been able to drive myself home at any point during the first 2 hours of real labor, and that's even with a posterior baby and laboring with ruptured membranes, both of which are supposed to make it more intense or painful (whatever word you choose - *I* thought it was painful). DD was my only labor and delivery so far, so I don't have any basis for comparison, but I know that's what people say anyway. At any rate, the first couple hours just felt like moderate to bad menstrual cramps.

[Plummeting]

Oh, and my last day of work was a Tuesday and DD was due 2 weeks past the next day. I went into labor on Thursday, so I really didn't have any rest and I did just fine. I really don't think women 10,000 years ago could take a break from life just because they thought maybe the baby was coming soon, and women with other young children to take care of don't really get a break at all, whether they work or not and they still generally manage to get the babies out faster and more easily than first timers, so I'm thinking that stuff really doesn't matter. Not unless you have some kind of job you absolutely hate that requires 70 hours a week at the office or something. JMO.

[emnic77]

Originally Posted by MegBoz

So if you want to work up until you give birth, I highly suggest you lie about your due date by at least 2 weeks so you don't have to deal with that. It's just not fun.

Ditto this. Both my other two have been between 41 and 42 weeks, the best anyone is getting out of me this time is "sometime in early May."