Will Irma’s Air Pressure Induce Labor? Pregnant Women Ride Out Hurricane In Florida Hospitals
Hundreds of expecting women, and who are 34-weeks or more along in their pregnancy, are hunkering down in the hallways of Florida hospitals riding out Hurricane Irma. As they said on Fox News today, women who are 34-weeks pregnant or more were urged to ride out Hurricane Irma at the nearest hospital just in case they go into labor during the storm. There’s always a chance labor may come early due to the low air pressure that Irma carries with her. It seems the air pressure with this storm may be enough to make you pop, as in your water breaking, or at least that’s what some studies suggest.
According to the New York Post, hospitals across Florida have pregnant women taking the extra precaution of camping out inside the halls of the hospital. Many are bringing their partners and their other children along with them.
A hurricane inducing labor isn’t just an old wives tale anymore, according to Live Science.
“Several studies have suggested that drops in barometric pressure can trigger either the onset of labor, or the rupture of the fluid-filled amniotic sac membrane, which is the technical term for a woman’s water breaking or starting to leak.”
The last thing that an expectant mother wants is to go into labor with a category 4 hurricane raging outside her door. Chances are they won’t be able to make the trip in the height of the hurricane with reports of the wind Irma is packing.
Two studies have suggested that the weather can actually make a pregnant woman’s water break. A category 4 hurricane battling your home and neighborhood is scary enough, but can you imagine going into labor in the middle of all this? Most of the pregnant women who showed up at the hospital won’t get great accommodations for sleeping. They will be riding out Hurricane Irma in the hallways and on the floor.
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— Kristy (@luchadora41) August 30, 2017
There’s not enough room in the hospital to give all the pregnant women a bed. They have been asked to bring their own bedding, lawn chairs, and pillows. The hospitals in Florida that have opened their doors to pregnant women have emphasized to the women that they won’t be getting beds.
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At least if they go into labor, they are in the right place. This alone has to take some of the stress off the moms-to-be during the hurricane. One expectant mother, who knows she is having a girl, spoke with reporters and was quick to add that she will not name her baby Irma, even if her daughter is born at the height of the hurricane.
The New York Post reports they spoke to Jennifer Connelly, 33, who is hunkering down in a Florida hospital despite her baby not being due until Oct. 18. The baby’s low weight and a thyroid problem that Jennifer is dealing with have prompted her doctor to suggest she ride out Irma in the hospital hallway.
Connelly and her husband do not know the gender of their baby, but they too assure reporters if they have a baby girl, Irma is not in the running for her name.
[Featured Image by Lopolo/Shutterstock]
