I didn't know this actually happened

allnurses Guide · Oct 11, 2006

I have to agree. Doesn't sound like a reason to call 911 to me unless indeed, she had had no car and no family or friends whatsoever who could bring her to the hospital, which really doesn't sound like the case here. Sounds like the blatant abuse of the 911 system by a certified drama queen.

allnurses Guide · Oct 11, 2006

OR... wait a minute....

What if this was someone who knew a little bit about childbirth, who maybe was already in labor, she knew she was in labor, her contractions were very close together, and THEN her water broke? Would that signal IMMINENT childbirth, and therefore indeed warrant the need for an ambulance?

rnin02 · Oct 11, 2006

Maybe noone was home to drive her, and she couldn't get a hold of them right away, so she got a little panicky? And then was able to get ahold of them after the ambulance was there? Doesn't seem to outrageous when you stop and think of the possible scenarios.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2006

Community behavior, someone else is always responsible for me. Call 911 to take my drama queen self to the 5 star facility who will give all my friends bus passes to get back home and free lunch tickets too. Hey I am entitled to this as a US citizen and where is the social worker so I can not get evicted as I have not paid my rent for 3 months cuz I am pregnant.

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2006

When my waters broke it was a Friday evening around 5:30pm. My husband was overseas (military). My mother was on a train home from work. My father was unreachable. My brother was unreachable. My best friend was 40 miles away. After another 30 minutes I was able to reach my father and he drove me to hospital. I called two more friends (unreachable) before finding my father home. I must have made eight phone calls to different people. I knew better than to drive myself 11 miles to the hospital.

This was 12 years ago and before the age when everyone had a cell phone. But I would have given it an hour and then called an ambulance myself.

eden · Oct 12, 2006

We had someone do that because her first delivery was so quick once her water broke that she barely made it to the hospital. So when her water broke with this pregnancy she thought she would have no time and called an ambulance. Turns out this baby was in a lot less of a hurry and it took a few hours. She was a little embarrased but not sorry she called.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Oct 12, 2006

I dont think it was "outrageous". I was just surprised. Of course, not having worked in teh ER, and only been in OB 5 weeks, i haven't quite run into abuse of the system type things yet, 911 for non emergencies.

and, no, it was not an imminent delivery.

BabyRN2Be · Oct 12, 2006

I've tried to educate people on this for a while. They've read in the childbirth books that membrane rupture = imminent birth. So, they call 911 thinking that immiment means that baby is heading out NOW and they have no time to get to the hospital. I explain that this may not be the case. If your water breaks and you aren't having contractions, wait a bit, see what happens, and call your OB. If you've been in labor for a while (and mom is a primip), think about heading to the hospital but don't kill yourself driving there. Of course, this is not true 100% of the time, but this is my general outline - just because the water breaks doesn't mean the babe is heading out NOW.

I'm getting on my soapbox, but I know this is familiar territory. I hate it when the ambulance pulls up out front, mom is happy, chatting away with everyone (a sign that she's probably in very early labor, if at all), and then the rest of the family entourage arrives five minutes later. Umm.. hello? Where were these people when you said you needed to go to the hospital? Judging from time of their arrival, they weren't very far away, but to make the birth story sooo much more exciting, pregnant mom must arrive by ambulance although she could have safely had her family drive her to the hospital!

Of course, most of these drama queens arrive at taxpayers' expense. Just to make it a bit more exciting in years to come and brag about in coffee circles, just to make everything a bit more dramatic.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. And it happens more than once a day sometimes. :banghead:

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Oct 12, 2006

While it most likely didn't justify a 911 call, the reality is that far less emergent patients arrive by ambulance in emergency rooms every day.

Examples I've encountered: Patients with jammed fingers, little kids with colds, people who have had a cough for two weeks. It can really boggle the mind.

tddowney · Oct 12, 2006

While it most likely didn't justify a 911 call, the reality is that far less emergent patients arrive by ambulance in emergency rooms every day.
Examples I've encountered: Patients with jammed fingers, little kids with colds, people who have had a cough for two weeks. It can really boggle the mind.

One of my favorites: Touron (morons away from home) family calls 911 for child with bleeding knee. On arrival, child has minor abrasion, capillary bleeding, family--father, mother, and 4 other "adults"-- too lazy to set down the beer long enough to put a band-aid on child.

Jo Dirt · Oct 12, 2006

I had my first child at 22, if I had been home alone and my water had broken I would have totally flipped out and I probably would have called 911, then, I would have probably started running around like a chicken with its head cut off wondering what to do. And I am the last thing to a drama queen there is.

It's easy to say someone has been educated in theory and knows what you should and shouldn't do, but when it actually happens to you good sense may take a leap out the window.

I know about the entitled drama queens, who are usually on government welfare, who act like they are at the Ramada Inn. But this woman was not necessarily one of them. I can see why she would have flipped out. It is a scary thing to happen to your body, especially the first time.

When I had my third at age 26, I had gotten home from working at the nursing home and about 1:30am I felt like I had to pee and when I got up water gushed out between my legs. More experienced and mature, I called the L&D department at the hospital to aske what to do, and they told me to get there ASAP.

Brings back a lot of good memories. I was at the hospital by 3am and had my epidural soon after. Whatever that CRNA put in that epidural sure made me relaxed and happy and I did not feel a thing when they told me to push. They turned the light over that little crib..like I say, don't know what that guy put in that epidural but it was a psychedelic experience...anyway, too easy to get off track sometimes...but before I would write the woman off as a spoiled drama queen I might take other things into consideration.