If you’re pregnant and getting closer to your due date, you may begin wondering where specifically to go when the time comes. If you don’t have an exact plan of action going to an emergency room can be your best bet.

Emergency Maternity Services

Having worked as a patient transporter in a busy Chicago hospital I can attest that heading directly to the emergency room at your local hospital ensures that you will be seen as quickly as possible. The way emergency medical care works is that patients will be seen in order of severity, and a woman in labor is high on that list. While you won’t be giving birth in the ER, the staff there will be able to assist you before either they, or a transporter takes you into the birthing center. A few other benefits of heading to the emergency room include:

• Most emergency rooms are easier to access than the standard hospital lobby, and usually feature an area where you can pull up directly to the entryway. The hospital I worked in also had valet services so patients in need could drive up and get in without worrying about parking.
• Trained personnel are always on hand in the emergency room, which means you will be taken to where you need to go, as opposed to waiting for transport in the lobby.
• If you are experiencing any complications a doctor will be able to assist you and assess the situation as soon as possible. Depending on what is wrong this can mean potentially saving a child’s life.
• Most hospitals will have a maternity centers that are staffed twenty four hours, seven days a week; however, in smaller more rural hospitals physicians may not be on site at all hours. This means that depending on where you live heading straight to the emergency room give the staff time to care for you while they wait for the physician to arrive.

Conclusion

Going into labor can be both a scary and exciting moment. When it comes you want to be prepared so that everything can go as smooth as possible for both you and the baby. Unless otherwise directly specified by your physician, heading to your local emergency room can be your best course of action. There you will receive the care you need, without worrying about navigating the hospital itself, or waiting in the main lobby for transport. Additionally, the trained staff there will be able to address any potential complications so that your baby can arrive happy and healthy without issue.


It’s never too soon to start coming up with a plan of action for when the due date arrives. Make sure you know how best to get to your hospital of choice, and make sure you know where the emergency department is located. Knowing these things now can make it much, much easier for you in the future.