What are you planning on doing with your other child/children when you go into labor? I really want L to go with my parents for a couple days while I'm in the hospital. They will bring her up to visit & see the new baby of course too.
I know I will have a huge issue though with my MIL because of this. She always complains that she doesn't get to see L the same amount that my parents do, etc, etc, etc. She has asked a few times what our plans are when I go into labor & we have just sort of avoided the issue. My mom's job however is a little bit more flexible and to be honest I just feel more comfortable with L being at my parents. DH & I talked about it (again) tonight & he is totally fine with L staying with my parents while I/we are in the hospital.
I was just wondering what you were all planning on doing with your other kids during labor? I'm 99% sure of what we are going to do...just not sure how to break the news to my MIL.
Re: ? for moms who already have little ones at home...
We live about 4 hours away from our parents, so close friends of ours are watching DS when I go in to labor (if I ever do...). Then my parents are driving down ASAP to watch DS during the hospital stay.
Really, don't worry about making MIL feel bad. It's your kid. Do what will make you feel most comfortable. You're MIL will get over it.
In-laws are camping near by 2 weeks before my due date for a week. Then MIL is staying with us the week before my EDD. She is a stay at home mom to 11 yr old BIL so it works out nicely, besides I trust her to know what to do with DS much more than anyone else (including my mom)
I would "blame" it on the flexability of your mom's job and act like you don't want to inconvience MIL, but be sure to make her feel welcomed after the new baby is born and express how much help she will be to be a second set of hands. At least then you can be there to supervise.
Rachel and Jeff Married 5.29.05
Jason is 8
Elizabeth is 6
Katherine is 18 months
Clomid M/C 8 weeks 2/08 *IVF #1-DD born 3/09
*Surprise BFP-T18 baby lost at 13w 1/10 *FET #1-DS born 2/11
We're going to call DH's parents, then mine and hope like hell one of them can come up in time.
I don't think my parents will mind (they'll come up to the hospital and they are busier). Let your husband handle it.
Our families live 2 hours away. One of my friends (also DD's sitter during the day) will be watching her if we have to head to the hospital while she has DD or anytime before she goes to bed. If we have to go in the middle of the night another friend is "on call" and will come over and stay here with her.
My parents wil pick her up once they get here and stay at our house with her if needed.
(c) Holly Aprecio Photography - Oct 2011
Wow! This is almost verbatim how it went down when my second was born. Same situation, with my parents having much more flexible schedules and MIL being very difficult about it, and even writing me a very nasty email after I broke the news!
Don't know if your MIL would feel like this is a constellation prize, but we had my MIL in the waiting room during labor (she was the only one) so she was the first grandparent to see and hold DS moments after he was born. She got to be there for the first pictures, feeding, etc. I think that helped a little. But I think no matter what we do, she always feels shafted b/c my mom and I are so close.
Good luck!
My MIL is going to be staying at our house while we are in the hospital. She will watch DS and take care of our cat while we are there.
I would have had my mother watch DS, since she is our primary child care taker, but her job (mine as well) requires her to be on call a lot, so it wouldn't work out if I went into labor and she was at work.