What to pack for car birth?

[barefootfarmwife]

I know the thread title is a bit shocking, lol. Here is my situation;

I have a few categories of high risk so am seeing a fetal/maternal medicine specialist and delivering in a hospital for safety or at least my anxiety if nothing else. My risk categories are not super bad. I have had two kiddos, the second was a very FAST and sudden natural birth. I kept waiting for regular contractions because mine are all over the place and ended up walking to the delivery room at 9cm. Baby popped out in 3 pushes.

I live in a rural area and am 1:10 away from the hospital because they just shut down the last maternity ward in our area. Having had a natural baby I know as much as I can within reson to be prepared. I'm just worried that by the time my lil one shows up I may be doing some active labor quickly on the road. My only other choice is inducing for timing which is not especially appealling. I am just NOT a candidate for home birth flat out.

Long story short, I need a birth bag for an "emergency" car birth. I hope to not use it but want to be ready. I figure the mental preparation will help me stay calm.

So far a couple things I thought of:

Recieving blankets
Nasal Aspirator
Butcher twine to tie off cord
Sharp scissors and iodine(unless waiting to get to hospital for that is better)....I live on a farm and keep picturing what we do for baby livestock
plastic sheeting for over upholstery
sheet, towel
rubber gloves

Anyway, you get the idea. I need a simple, easy to stash in car budget friendly kit. I can't afford a lot of fancy stuff I may not use. Feel free to modify anything I listed above.


Thanks very much

[sarahn4639]

All I'd worry about is chux pads, blankets/towels, large bowl or plastic bag for placenta, and you could have a nasal aspirator if it made you more comfortable. I would not worry about cutting a cord in the car, there is absolutely no rush on that, even if the placenta is birthed, just put it level with the baby. You also don't need gloves to touch your own baby, just wash your hands before you leave, you could take hand sanitizer if you felt better about that. Good luck!

[phathui5]

A doula. I think it would be good to have someone experience with birth driving with you.

[barefootfarmwife]

Thanks for the list. I actually found some emergency birth kits online at a very reaosnable price.


I would love to have a doula drive me but I am VERY rural. The closest doula is a 1/2 hour+ away from me in the opposite direction I will be riding (maybe in a huge rush) toward the hospital.

The closest I could maybe come is an Amish woman or a veterinarian, lol.

Rural healthcare is so minimal it is kind of scary...we have hospitals but they "import" big city docs (specialists) a couple times a month for clinics. The rest is small town family practice or an over glorified emergency room/blood draw lab/xray place. We also pay twice as much for half the services.

[Juvysen]

Bring a hat for the baby. New babies don't regulate their body temperatures well.

[Sudonk]

Maybe an extra outfit for you and your birth partner, and some post-partum pads would be helpful.

[lovestolearn]

Tha Amish woman sounds like a GREAT idea--especially if she has birthed a babe or 2. Honestly, someone you trust who is calm and who understands birth (even a vet) would probably be the best support you could have.

[crittersmom]

Check out the UC forum.I have fast labors and told my Dr I wasn't going to race in if it looked like I was going to birth in my car.It was so comforting to know that I had a plan in place in case I didn't make it and I didn't make it last time anyway.
My last couple of weeks I had a bag with
sterlized scissors and string
Puppy pee pads ( they were leftover from PTing my dog and do the same thing as chux)
Two towels
Hibiclens and a peri bottle
an out fit and diaper for baby and a change for me plus pads
Some wipes
a bowel for the placenta
Two trash bags
Pen and paper
and the car seat
I did download emergency childbirth but I never got around to printing it out, that would be a good idea to have on hand to calm anyone with you.
Having a kit really did set my mind at ease.I didn't need the aspirator because it was a natural birth and what I read was the fluid is squeezed out on its own, the bulb syringe is sometimes overkill.I did have it at home just in case but never used it.
I hope your planning helps you have a peaceful and calm birth wherever you are!

[sweeetpea]

One thing I might add is one of those Thermacare disposable heating pads - when you get in the car you can open it/activate it and wrap your receiving blankets around it to warm them, in case you need warm blankets. Or you can put it against your back to help comfort you through contractions in the car. And if baby IS born in the car and has trouble regulating her temp, you can wrap it up with her to keep her warm.

Don't worry about cutting the cord unless it is really short. Baby and placenta can stay connected for quite a while.

[Juvysen]

maybe a plastic bag to tie around the placenta so it's not keeping baby wet if you choose not to cut the cord.

[scottishmommy]

I don't know if this was mentioned, but I would fill up some maxipads with water and freeze them. I would want to sit on something cold. Also, personally, if I gave birth in a car, I wouldn't go to the hospital unless I needed stitches or something. I would just go home and rest!

[Pepper44]

I would take:
2 big bowls, one for puke/poop/pee and one for placenta
Package of chux pads
Towels and wash cloths
Jug or 2 of water
cup and straw
a few receiving blankets (and the thermacare things are a great idea if it's not hot there!)
2 black trash bags for quick clean up

That's all we needed at my last birth, besides an herbal tincture for excess bleeding. We wrapped the placenta in a chux pad and left it attached for several hours.

[rere]

A jug of water for drinking and cleaning because if I pooped my self in the car I would want some cleaning to happen.

[HeatherB]

I would definitely advise NOT tying off or cutting the cord in the car. It's not necessary and can cause more harm than good (even EMTs shouldn't be doing it).

Definitely have big bowls and/or big ziploc bag for the placenta. Love the idea of trash bags for cleaning up and/or mess during labor.

Towels and blankets. A pillow to put on the floor in case baby comes out suddenly.

And, absolutely, a change of clothes.

If possible, I'd have homeopathics on hand for excessive bleeding, as that's one of the few things that could be emergent. I don't have a list on hand but I'm sure you can find one.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by barefootfarmwife

I know the thread title is a bit shocking, lol. Here is my situation;

So far a couple things I thought of:

Recieving blankets
Nasal Aspirator
Butcher twine to tie off cord
Sharp scissors and iodine(unless waiting to get to hospital for that is better)....I live on a farm and keep picturing what we do for baby livestock
plastic sheeting for over upholstery
sheet, towel
rubber gloves.


Thanks very much

FWIW, my labors were 11 hours, 13 hours, *2* hours and then... I had a very long labor that ended up being augmented with pitocin at my request. A short labor doesn't necessarily mean the next one will be short!

That said, my emergency car birth contained:
A vinyl table cloth
a trash bag (actually a couple -- one for the placenta, others for actual trash)
a roll of paper towels
towels
a blanket (big enough for baby & me -- skin to skin is the best warmer)
a baby hat
wipes
a diaper
a big sanitary napkin
a small package of wipes


I think that was it... my goal was to contain the mess and keep the baby warm/.stable. I wouldn't cut the cord, I also wouldn't use gloves to catch my own baby. I also had some 4x6 cards written up with instructions for dh -- what to do in various common emergencies. I had them for hemmorhage, stuck shoulders and unresponsive breathing (first step is always call 911 if it turns into an emergency, but reminders to use nipple stimulation & fundal pressure, hands & knees/gaskin maneuver, and rub/stimulate/talk to baby seemed useful to put into writing for dh. )