Woman Starts Forest Fire to Seek Rescue After Giving Birth While Stranded

I like to think I could do what I had to, but in this case I would have not been in this situation in the first place. Thisclose to labor means 1) no driving IN labor, 2) have the cars filled with gas at all times because I don't want to give birth at sheetz, 3) parents should come to me, not vice versa, and 4) no driving in labor! But if you gotta you gotta right? (Not really). In that case, have the forethought to learn the fastest routes.

Maybe I'm just a planner.

I find that woman entirely less than resourceful. I'm glad everyone is okay, but this was mighty preventable in so many ways.

i suppose from one perspective she was resourceful. i'm glad she had the baby without complications, and that everyone got rescued.
but i can't help feeling as if she's a bit of a twit. what a stupid situation to be in to start with. i hope she makes better decisions from this point on.
didn't cut the umbilical cord so the baby would continue to get nutrition? really? did she not deliver a placenta? did her breasts screech to a halt?
how did the bees get in the car?
khairete
S.

Uh not to be mean but someone too dumb to understand how the placenta and umbilical cord work after birth really shouldn't be having a child. And when in labor, why not just call 911? Who decides "hey I'm in labor, I'm going to drive to my parents' house?" Isn't "if you're in labor, DO NOT DRIVE" one of those things we hear over and over before delivery??

If I hadn't seen your name attached to this, F. B., I'd have assumed it was a troll!

I guess there's a survival instinct that kicks in, especially when you have a baby to protect. So that's terrific. And giving birth alone is pretty amazing.

But, the rest of me wants to know: "Who goes off alone to the wilderness with insufficient gasoline, few food supplies, no maps or emergency flares, all in the late stages of pregnancy?"

And the fire could easily have consumed her and her child, as well as threaten others. She's so incredibly lucky. I hope she doesn't become a media hero over this, and I hope she takes some parenting classes about minimizing risks.

Once the placenta detaches there's no more nutrition coming through the umbilical cord.
She could have cut the cord off a that point and then let the bees have it (or buried it).
A signal fire was a good idea but not containing it or controlling it meant she might have got herself and her daughter killed by it.
She got lucky - it could have gone much worse.
If I was in labor I would not have attempted to drive anywhere (she left (it doesn't say where) to take a short cut to her parents house) - I'd have stayed put and called for help where ever I started from.
I think I might have done as well or better.

Additional:
I found the article here too - it gives a few more details:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-woman-lost-fo...

It says:
"Pangborn’s mother, Dianna Williams, told the L.A. Times that her nine-months-pregnant daughter went to a casino on Wednesday to visit a friend and get a respite from the hot temperatures.".

"After visiting the casino, she decided to head home, but she turned on the wrong road and ran out of gas, her mother said. She was forced to give birth to her baby in the forest.".

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd have done a LOT better than to put myself and child into that situation in the first place.

Honestly, I doubt the validity of this story. I've read it on a few different sites, and the story keeps changing... In this one, she was on her way to her mom's house to get help in labor... In another one, she is quoted saying that she had gone to a casino to walk and hopefully induce labor, and was on her way to another casino when she got lost in the woods and ran out of gas... In one, she stayed in her car swatting at bees while waiting for help until she started the fire and in yet another she was heading for help when she was attacked by a swarm of bees.

I think there is much more to this story than what we are being told. Either way, I seriously doubt the judgement of a woman who would drive herself alone on such a low tank of gas, into an area with no cell reception, when she is either in labor or knows she is so close to going into labor. I wouldn't put myself into a situation to have to do what this mother did.

i wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place... when i was that close to labor dh was afraid to leave me alone so i would of had him there too.

but if i was alone in the wilodernedd and gave birth i think i would of built the fire and kept it contained... i am a prepper so i would of had everything i needed. (i over prepare)

"Desperate to be rescued, Pangborn started a signal fire on Saturday with a lighter and a can of hairspray, hoping that it would attract help. Unpredictably, the fire grew out of control. "

HAHAHA....like that was so unpredictable....that a fire in the forest could grow uncontrollably.

I have no idea what I would have done though......

I thought the woman would be like a 19 yr old girl pregnant for the 1st time. No, she was a 35 yr old woman with like 3 other kids. The old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" really applies here. Just a few simple precautions would have prevented the entire ordeal. That being said, she did get her and her daughter rescued so she deserves a pat on the back for that :)

I'm pretty sure I could start a signal fire and keep it contained. But then again, I never had to build a fire with an umbilical cord hanging out of my nether regions and a baby I couldn't put down becuase it was still attached to said cord. So I could be wrong.

Glad she and the littlun were found.