Is Your Car Ready For The Drive To Hospital?

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You’ve packed your hospital bag, you’ve checked it and re-packed it. You’ve planned the route to the hospital (or birth centre) and you’re more than ready for this baby to arrive. Is your FIAT Automobiles ready though? Yes you’ve got the car seat ready, the petrol tank is full and you may have even put it through the car wash. But has it been well maintained? Is the oil level topped up and the water level checked? If you don’t want to do it, get your other half or birth partner to go through a checklist. Go through this checklist so that it’s in tip top condition for the big journey. If it isn’t, get it checked at MOTOR-DOCTOR.CO.UK. There’s nothing worse than breaking down in full blown labour:

• Check the oil level
• Check the tyre pressures
• Check the tyre tread
• Check the water level
• Is the service history up to date
• Check the windscreen wipers are working properly
• Check the light bulbs are all working

You should also look into when was the cambelt / timing belt was last changed. These should usually be changed every 4 years depending on your manufacturer’s specifications. Check out Pentagon Ford cambelt advice or your manufacturer’s website for more information. When this small but important belt breaks it can impact on your cylinder head and result in a very expensive repair. Hardly what you need with a new baby on the way. Some vehicles, however, use a chain instead of a timing belt, so this may not be necessary. Check with your manufacturer if you’re at all unsure.

This is a very basic list, but you get the idea. Most importantly, have your route planned and have a backup route in case of traffic or roadworks. In winter, it might be a good idea to keep a blanket or two in the car, a torch and a phone charger you can run off the car. Keep a list of important phone numbers in with your maternity notes like car breakdown service, your parents and any other important people, along with a taxi service and your local hospital number.

When I went into labour with one of mine, I told my husband to grab my bag with my phone in it, but he thought I meant my hospital bag, so I was left without my phone and I didn’t know my parent’s number off by heart – I was gutted they missed it. Be more prepared than me!

There’s no need to call an ambulance unless you feel like the baby is coming RIGHT NOW, or if you are bleeding heavily. Using an ambulance for normal labour can take them away from another emergency, if you haven’t got someone to take you, call a taxi. If you know you might need to use a taxi, have some money ready so you are not worrying about it when the time comes. Lecture over! As midwives, we see so many unnecessary ambulances used.

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