'Blown away': Pregnant woman told parking fine issued during painful contractions would stand

A woman who pulled over after suffering from false labour pains while 39 weeks pregnant was slapped with a $306 parking fine which authorities refused to cancel.

Abby Kernahan, 37, started getting painful Braxton-Hicks contractions while close to her home in Randwick, Sydney, on December 20 last year.

So she thought the safest thing to do was to pull her car over, and put her hazard lights on until they passed.

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She said she wasn't blocking the street, which was a new road near her apartment complex.

She spent less than ten minutes there and got out of the car briefly to sit down nearby until the contractions passed, she said.

"It wasn't unsafe," she said.

Braxton-Hicks contractions "are sometimes called 'false labour'", according to Health Direct.

"This is because they can be strong and may feel uncomfortable, but don't lead to labour and birth."

Weeks later, Kernahan received the fine in the post, along with photos of her car taken on the day in question.

When she contested it, explaining she was pregnant and was suffering from the painful condition, she was told by Revenue NSW the fine would stand.

"We can only consider leniency for a fine based on a medical emergency if the driver or passenger is at risk of serious harm and required urgent medical attention," the letter said.

"You cannot stop or wait in a no stopping zone unless it is a medical or similar emergency."

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Kernahan said she was "blown away" by the response.

Visual merchandiser Kernahan, who gave birth to baby Isla eight days later, said she would be pursuing an overturning of the fine through the courts.

"I've never been one of these feminist people but there's so many things that are normal in pregnancy that if it happened outside of pregnancy it would be a medical emergency," she said.

"For me, it was like Revenue NSW is saying, 'Sorry, we can say that you gave birth eight days later but contractions which are said the be one of the most painful things you can have, that's not a medical emergency.'"

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NSW Revenue's Review Assist Guide on its website says there are circumstances it will "consider for leniency".

That includes "a medical emergency, an illness, including mental ill health, personal hardship or trauma."

Kernahan said pregnancy issues should be included in that.

"I feel like some man who's written it up and no one has ever gone, 'Hey, what about pregnancy?'" she said.

When contacted by 9news.com.au, Revenue NSW contacted Kernahan and apologised.

"She said once she reviewed the case she was very disappointed they didn't take into consideration the circumstances," Kernahan said.

The fine was overturned and Kernahan was instead given a caution.

"After consideration of the customer's circumstances and the evidence provided, this fine should have been cautioned in the first instance," a Revenue NSW spokesman said.

"Revenue NSW has now contacted the customer and apologised.

"Revenue NSW has cautioned the fine and the customer is no longer required to attend court."