Just about all of that, and more, was conveyed to her (and daddy) already, by a number of people.

Moving on...

Whether she's driving alone (or should be), or is a passenger, she needs an emergency kit in the car. And she'll need even more in the kit when she has an infant in there with her.

I'm now reminded that everyone I can think of has worked right up until the birth -- so they could take the maximum time off after the baby was born.

And some of them had long, solo commutes. One of them gave birth on September 11, 2001.

Thankfully, she had stayed home that day. Her daughter was born in the evening.

The biggest concern people had in this snow situation was that she didn't have a cell phone charger in the car and so they could not talk to her. But she was in an urban traffic jam - surrounded by drivers with cell phones -- women and men. Lots of peops to call 911 (the ambulance getting to her still being an issue).

In this snow gridlock, whether you went into labor in the car or at home, you were going to have a heck of a time getting to the hospital.

Tough business being a mom, working or not. Which is why I've stuck with dogs.

:-)

Common sense seems rare in a lot of places.

I've been about 20 miles from home when it started to snow. Given the option, I left work and drove home. When I left, the roads were semi-ok to bad. If I waited, the extra 6 hours = frozen slush, abandoned cars, in little words "the suck". However, should I have had to walk, I was ready with boots, wind pants, a small pack with necessaries, and I knew the shortest route home with shortcuts I can't drive. No shorts and sneakers for me, altho I know people who wear them year round (called dullards).

I will gladly give up cash for safety. Some people may not have that luxury, but DW and I decided a long time ago, being alive is better than being rich.

It wasn't all that long ago that Raleigh had a storm predicted for 2 inches that dropped 10. School kids never made it home, the buses turned around and went back to the schools. Smart decision I say. Not in traffic, no accidents, no running out of gas - school was warm, slept on gym mats, had food. And yet parents whined.

Being prepared, dressing for the weather and knowing when to just sit tight, all common sense

"Even taking the financial aspects out of it, careers are justifiably important to a lot of women (me included) and it’s not always possible to take time off and advance your career. And there were literally thousands stuck in that mess in the metro DC area."

And where does a dead or damaged baby fit into the emotional equation? If a woman is that desperate for her career, she should stay on reliable birth control. That way, she doesn't need to take Careful Time off, Birth Time off, or After-Birth Time off, and the baby isn't raised by a series of strangers.

SuperWoman is a myth. People need to choose their priorities.

Sue

Yes and no. Most women don't pop out a kid in 20 minutes. Now granted, it would likely be several hours of labor, and bad things happen, but it's her choice. Remember Women's Lib and all that?

Modern Hospital Technology does speed up the process though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCITMfxvEc

Hadn't occurred to me that this could turn into a thread trashing working mothers.

This turn in the conversation is disappointing and not constructive.

Working mothers raised my mom and dad and a working mother raised me, my brother and my sister. If we suffered for that I have no recollection and there is no evidence.

Advice on assembling a car survival kit to help pregnant women and women with infants in the car-- whether or not they are driving the car -- would actually be useful and relevant to Equipping to Survive.


:-/

Of course what none of know is the condition of her pregnancy, the current evaluation by her OB=GYN, etc.. Do we even know if this is her first or tenth? This would be useful information in a meaningful critique.

With my wife's first pregnancy, we were living 150 miles from the doctor and our winter residence. I was out in the field all summer. A week before the birth, we had seen the doc and he had cleared us to return home, advising us to return if labor commenced. It did - the waters broke about 3 AM and we commenced our trip in a rainstorm, making it in plenty of time for a hospital birth. We knew the location of every hospital along the way (Globe to Flagstaff, AZ) and I had received training in emergency childbirth. I kept saying "Don't drop the baby, don't drop the baby." The doctor's evaluation of the course of the pregnancy was right on and we had a normal delivery. I didn't even faint....

My favorite story concerns Geronino's band of combatants after their final surrender in Mexico, under escort and returning to the US. While on the march, one of the women (most of the group were noncombatants) veered away from the group.

What's going on? inquired one of the officers. "you'll see," answered one of the group. Thirty minutes later the woman caught up with the group, carrying a newborn. Now that is the very definition of tough....

Trying to get the thread back on the subject of a kit rather than a critique.

While this list appears to be geared toward air travel it might be helpful for a start in putting together a car kit.

http://www.essortment.com/family/checklistinfant_smjd.htm

Yes and no. Epidurals tend to slow the process if vaginal delivery is planned.