Woman In Labor Gets Traffic Ticket

[crokett]

that the Mt. Auburn Hospital offers as opposed to going to the admittedly less swanky Lowell General Hospital, about three miles away?


Chris

Chris, do you have kids? I have two. The first one was born at a hospital that was about 15 minutes away. Since then we've moved. Now the nearest hospital is 15 minutes away, the one where the oldest was born is 20-25.

Our second was born at the same hospital because

a) We knew that one, the admission procedures, parking, nearest restaurants, etc.
b) that is where my wife's ob/gyn is.

I don't know anything about the woman in this story or where her doctor delivers babies. According to the news she has an older child that was delivered at Mt Auburn.

Childbirth is stressful enough without adding an unknown element like a new hospital into the mix. Before you judge them too harshly, consider that, especially if Mt Auburn is where her doctor is affiliated with.

[leehljp]

OK fellows, maybe I am not the best one to ask on this. But the nearest hospital when our first daughter was born was 45 miles away. Her first child was born in a hospital 50 miles from their home.

When Stateside,we have experienced that it is not uncommon for a doctor to have a clinic on one side of town and the primary hospital in another section of town. It is not uncommon to have a baby with one doctor and then move across town and keep the same doctor which will be then on the other side of town.

LOTs of variables here that women would look at totally different. IF you find a good garage and trustable serviceman, and then move 30 to 40 miles, I would bet that many of you would continue to go to the one you trusted in critical situations.

Lots of variables and I have seen many in my years as minister and even before as a chaplain with the highway patrol back in the US.


And I also wonder how many wives chide their husbands for continuing to go across town to the furtherest point to get that car or appliance fixed. Not the same thing per se, but the point is when you are the one that has the problem, you go with whom you trust. Logic goes out the window even for us men! Done been in too many counseling sessions with that one to know that is a fluke.

I am not justifying their breaking all the laws, as IMO the cops should have led the way. But the hospital deal being that far away because of a specific doctor is not illogical at all. Specific hospitals to particular individuals is quite common for many reason that cannot be overlooked by simple "distance". Cost, affiliation, doctor - way back when, and now in addition by insurance carrier, HMO or what ever - meaning penalty for not complying.

[ragswl4]

Dracut to Mt. Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, is 30 miles and (according to Mapquest) 47 minutes drive not taking rush hour into account. Who is playing around with labor, the parents who don't call an ambulance and use the nearest maternity facility if they really believe that delivery is imminent, or the state trooper who declined to take them all that seriously under the circumstances when they obviously weren't taking it seriously themselves? Driving illegally 20 miles in the breakdown lane is probably a greater risk to child and parents than a home delivery with instructions from the 911 operator! Were they worried about the baby or about missing out on the "special features like jacuzzi tubs, restaurant-style meals, partner chairs that recline into beds for fathers or other support persons, and rooms featuring views of the Charles River and Boston skyline" that the Mt. Auburn Hospital offers as opposed to going to the admittedly less swanky Lowell General Hospital, about three miles away?

Now, I certainly understand that the parents might not be thinking clearly and I would be sympathetic--if only they hadn't decided to complain publicly about the trooper. The parents made poor decisions and are trying to blame someone else.

Chris

Finally, the voice of reason. Maybe the parents should be charged with child endangerment for not going to the closest hospital. Dumb, Dumb and Dumber. "Oh, I just gotta have my baby at xxx hospital not matter what." Unbelievable conduct on the part of the parents.

[cbrown]

Chris,

That lady could have been deliberately playing her advantage on purpose, but no one should play around with labor either, including law officials.

Dracut to Mt. Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, is 30 miles and (according to Mapquest) 47 minutes drive not taking rush hour into account. Who is playing around with labor, the parents who don't call an ambulance and use the nearest maternity facility if they really believe that delivery is imminent, or the state trooper who declined to take them all that seriously under the circumstances when they obviously weren't taking it seriously themselves? Driving illegally 20 miles in the breakdown lane is probably a greater risk to child and parents than a home delivery with instructions from the 911 operator! Were they worried about the baby or about missing out on the "special features like jacuzzi tubs, restaurant-style meals, partner chairs that recline into beds for fathers or other support persons, and rooms featuring views of the Charles River and Boston skyline" that the Mt. Auburn Hospital offers as opposed to going to the admittedly less swanky Lowell General Hospital, about three miles away?

Now, I certainly understand that the parents might not be thinking clearly and I would be sympathetic--if only they hadn't decided to complain publicly about the trooper. The parents made poor decisions and are trying to blame someone else.

Chris

[LCHIEN]

you never see men in labor getting a ticket... now, that would be newsworthy.

[leehljp]

Wah, wah, wah....

You wanna see traffic? Come to Houston!

Got all of you beat! Want to know what the traffic in 30+ million population mega-opolis of Tokyo/Yokohama/Chiba/Saitama looks like? Or 20 million in the next mega-opolis of Kansai/Osaka?

We are country here in Nagoya/Aichi only 10 million in this megacity area. No crowds at all, thank you very much!

[leehljp]

Note also that the baby was born . . . five hours later. This was not someone about to give birth in the back seat.

Even as a Boston-area resident who's driven my wife to the hospital for a similar purpose four times now, I can't muster too much sympathy.

Chris

Chris,

This is something I have to disagree with. When Labor starts, NO ONE KNOWS when the baby is coming - 5 minutes or 24 hours. One lady having her first baby didn't know what labor pains were and imagined horrible death killing pains. She called my wife and described them in her terms; LOML said rest, and hung up. Then two minutes and realizing the ambiguity with which people often describe pain, LOML called back and said Get to the Hospital - Now. She went and in 30 minutes the baby was born. (This was in Japan and one of our co-workers.)

Contrast that with back in February. We had tickets to fly from Nagoya to Detroit and then to Memphis on Feb 28. As we are leaving here (home), we get a call from youngest daughter. Her baby due on March 7 was coming. We get to the airport in Nagoya, fly to Detroit and call, no baby. Fly to Memphis, no baby. Daughter # 2 picks us up and we drive to Dallas (400+ miles) baby is born 5 minutes after we arrive.

That lady could have been deliberately playing her advantage on purpose, but no one should play around with labor either, including law officials.

Being in ministry has given me the advantage of hearing countless and numerous birth stories from the mother's points of view within hours or a day or so after delivery. It is unpredictable at best. One of my former co-workers - his second son was delivered by him on the way to the hospital in the Dallas area some years ago. The son died due to complications within a few days. Even to this day, when he sends out a card or even email, he names his family and his son "... who is in heaven".

It's not good to play around with labor.

[gjat]

I wonder what the attitude was of the couple when they were stopped the third time. The article also states the trooper was writing another ticket, so did they zoom up on the trooper? Did they blow the horn at the trooper? The article said he made the woman open her coat to prove she was pregnant, so it doesn't sound like she was laying back in obvious physical stress.

I've been in the roadway electrical / signal business for more than a couple of decades. It's extremely dangerous to drive in the emergency lane because other traffic doesn't expect you there, plus you run the risk of ticking off some nut job that's been sitting there for 20 minutes and sees you coming up in his side view mirror. I've seen way too many accidents and close calls while working on the side of the road with barricades, signs, and flags. I would bet my paycheck the couple are a couple of jerks that believe the world should make way for their convenience.

BTW. My crews spent a few months in Houston after Ike. We would agree that Houston has the worse traffic I've ever experienced and the most convoluted and ineffective government organizations I've ever encountered.

[buckeye95]

I had a cop tell me once that the vast majority of the time he would not take a chance running a civilian medical "escort" with lights and sirens due to liability concerns. Even if he did it with the best of intentions, if there was an accident he knew he would surely be a defendant in a lawsuit (unfortunately, with our litigous society). He preferred to call a medic to the scene.

Pete

[JR]

L.A. is hands down the worst. Boston, at least you have a choice of public transportation. Houston Metro is a freaking joke...

All true. It's the Boston drivers that make life grim. They ARE the worst, according the JR informal poll of many American cities.

JR

[dbhost]

Americas worst traffic.

Boston doesn't even make the list. Houston is second only to Los Angeles.

I've driven in Boston, Houston, L.A., Chicago, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Phoenix etc..

L.A. is hands down the worst. Boston, at least you have a choice of public transportation. Houston Metro is a freaking joke...

[shoottx]

Wah, wah, wah....

You wanna see traffic? Come to Houston!

Sorry this is where the home state loses. Traffic in Boston makes Houstons problems look like sale days at the mall.

[cbrown]

Note also that the baby was born . . . five hours later. This was not someone about to give birth in the back seat.

Even as a Boston-area resident who's driven my wife to the hospital for a similar purpose four times now, I can't muster too much sympathy.

Chris

[dbhost]

Wah, wah, wah....

You wanna see traffic? Come to Houston!

[Ed62]

She's in labor. That's all the argument they should need. Especially after being let go by two previous troopers.

Like one comment above, the first should have provided an escort.

I'm in complete agreement with that.

Ed