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2nd Trimester
If you were to give birth in the middle of the night...
Would you call immediate family members right away to tell them, or would you wait until a reasonable hour in the morning? When DH's sister gave birth to her second child two years ago, it was on a weeknight not long after midnight (12:30-ish, I believe). DH's BIL called us around 1:30am to share the news. DH gets up for work at 5am and I get up around 6am (although now that I think about it, I think DH - who's a teacher - was still on summer break at the time). Regardless, I remember feeling a little irked and thinking that it was news that could've waited until morning, especially considering it was a second child. I mean, we didn't even know she'd gone into labor at the time - nobody bothered to call and tell us that. So that 1:30am phone call was clear out of the blue. For one thing, *I* still had to get up early, even if DH didn't. And secondly, anytime the phone rings in the middle of the night, I automatically think someone has died. Anyway, I remember expressing my grumpiness about it to some co-workers the next day and one of them told me that "when I was the one giving birth, I would understand." (Which I found unbelievably patronizing, but that's a whole other gripe.)
So, now I am the one who'll be giving birth and, well, my opinion really hasn't changed. If I should bear this child in the wee hours of the morning, I still don't think I'll be calling my brother or DH's sister or my grandmother or any other immediate family members until dawn has broken the following day. Is this strange?
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Re: If you were to give birth in the middle of the night...
I was just thinking about this the other day. I was planning on making up a list of people that need to be called and asking them if they would rather us call immediately regarless of the time (which I think will be the case for our parents) or if they would rather us wait until morning.
I have 6 neices and nephews and they were all born during the day with the exception on the second oldest who was born around 10:30PM so we got the call at 11PM. I will probably end up breaking that tradition!
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
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DH is going to call/text when i go into labor... all of our family lives a few hours away so it'll give them time to make it to the hospital(if they choose to come). our family wants to know when it happens
See, this is how I feel. Depending on when I go into labor, I could see calling some immediate family members to let them know. And then if they tell me to call them once the baby's born, no matter what time, then I would know it's OK. But in DH's sister's case, nobody even bothered to let us know she was in labor, so the middle-of-the-night call came clear out of the blue. We weren't expecting it and at first it scared the bejeesus out of us. I can't see doing this to someone else.
The exception would be my parents, since they'll be making the 2-1/2 hour drive to meet us at the hospital when I go into labor. So they'll be on alert 24/7 once I'm full-term. I'm sure DH's parents will be on alert as well, even though they live in Florida and won't be present at the birth.
First time around we had cleared this with people prior to going into labor. Our parents wanted to know when we went into labor, no matter the hour. They were the only ones we were calling then anyway, everyone else we'd call afterward. After DS was born we waited maybe an hour (8:30a at that point) we called everyone back.
If DS was born in the middle of the night we would have called the grandparents and waited to call everyone else until morning, unless anyone had specifically asked to be called right away. In my family calling after 9p or middle of the night is for emergencies only, unless otherwise requested. I am prone to have an immediate heart attack anytime the phone rings after 9p
If I go into labor in the middle of the night, I would be calling 2 people. MIL because she is going to be in the room, and SIL because she is going to watch my 2 other boys.
My dad and everyone else can wait until the morning. I mean honestly, what can they do but say a half-asleep Congrats. They can't come to the hospital or anything. They can receive a text message or chain reaction phone call in the morning.
This time round we need someone to come get Logan while I give birth. I said look if its in the middle of the night we wait til we get to the hospital and see how I am progressing. If there is enough time DH can leave the hospital to bring DS to his mom's house so she can take him to day care the next day. But if there isn't we will figure out who has to work the next day and who doesn't. MIL and SIL drive buses so waking them at 130 when they have to get up at 4 is just wrong.
Unless my parents or DH's parents want us to call regardless of the time, I wouldn't call them until at least 6 or 7 am.
My step sister, who lives out of state, just had a baby a couple weeks ago and she called her dad at 2 or so am to say her water broke and they were going to the hospital. Well, since she lives a plane ride away, they wouldn't be going to see her and I don't understand why she would call in the middle of the night to inform them. She didn't have the baby until almost 11am our time so it was pointless to call at an ungodly hour.
So I'm with you on this!
I'm with you--any time the phone rings late anytime between 11pm-7am, I am almost frozen in terror that someone has died. If I hadn't been informed she was in labor (and agreed to a late night call) I would have been irked (but not pissed).
If I wasn't able to give a heads up and get an okay on a late night call, I'd probably just wait until morning.
I am going to call my immediate family since they will be coming to the hospital regardless of the time. I will also be calling my best friend who will be coming. I won't call the rest of friends and family until morning unless I text a few people (which is less disruptive).
I think you should only call them if they are going to the hospital OR if they ask to be called. If you would like to call them and they haven't asked and aren't going to the hospital I would ask first.
(m/c 1.17.07, m/c 5.15.07)
DS - 03.15.08
DD2 - 12.03.09
DD3 - 3.28.11
I guess you should have told them not to call you in the middle of the night! Since a second child isn't nearly as important as the 1st!
When we had DD. No matter what time of day, we were only calling my mom/dad, sister (if she wasn't at home), my aunt and a close friend. Then the rest of the people would be called after we were settled in our recovery room. My mom then was going to let the word out to the rest of the fam. We did call them at 3 in the AM when DD was born. They were all waiting to hear from us...I am guessing this birth will be a little different. With a possiblity of a C-section - we will know closer to when the babe will be arriving. But we will probably stick to the orginal plan of having my mom tell mostly everyone.