What will you do with your older child while you are in the hospital/after?
My mom has agreed to take DS for a week once the new baby gets here. She lives very close to his daycare and she is a school nurse so she works similar hours to my regular ones. Is a week too much? I will visit most days (if I have a vaginal birth...if I have a repeat C I will be on driving restriction so I don't know.)
Just looking to see what others are planning :-)
Re: If you are having baby #2+ come in
While I am actually delivering my FIL will be watching DS. After delivery my mom will watch DS during the day and DH will be with him at night.
Once I am out of the hospital (hopefully only 24 hours and no more than 48) DS will be back at home with us. I don't want to throw off his routine too much by having him at his grandparents for more than a day or two and I would like to get started learning the ropes with two as soon as possible.
I know my dh's parents are planning to be here...(yippee....*insert sarcastic tone here*...I like them, don't get me wrong, but they are so lazy sometimes - I am going to need help around the house and they will just sit there and do nothing...they aren't older either...mid 50's).
My mom already volunteered to take care of Isabelle, so we will probably take advantage of that - at least while we are in the hospital, etc. We are having a scheduled c-section, so at least we will know when we have to be there, etc.
Other than that, I don't know for sure as I know my dh will want Isabelle around when his parents are here (they live 12.5-13.5 hours away).
The Mouse ~ 06.12.08 | The Froggy ~ 02.23.11
Let me add if I have another c/s my hospital makes you stay for 4 days so there goes most of his week at G-mas!
I would be pissed as hell if my IL's came and expected me to work to serve them after just having a baby. I hope they surprise you!
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
My parents will be coming up to watch DS here at our house when I go into labor until we come home from the hospital. They live a few hours away but luckily my mom owns her own business and my dad is a teacher so they have pretty flexible schedules. 2-3 days away from Matthew will be hard enough for both of us, I definitely wouldn't have him stay with someone else any longer than I was in the hospital. He doesn't go to daycare or anything so things will be a little hectic once the baby and I come home from the hospital but we have to get used to it sometime! DH should be able to take off a week or so, then work from home part time for a while so that will be helpful.
We don't have any concrete plans yet either. All of our family is in the area, so depending on the day/time I go into labor, DD will spend the day(s) with one of them.
I don't plan to have DH sleep at the hospital with me, so he'll be home with her in the evenings. Last time, he was so uncomfortable and didn't sleep well and I think at least one of us should be rested. He will hopefully have a week off from work, so DD will be home with us when I come home from the hospital.
I plan to have my mom and grandma on standby in case having 2 at home is just too overwhelming the first week.
Yikes! Guess that's something else I need to start thinking about! Not too worried though since both sets of grandparents live close by and will be eager to help.
we haven't talked about this AT ALL. Hopefully DH will take vacation days. I'm sure Grand MIL will offer to help. MIL and Grand MIL will be moving over by us...they live an hour away right now. If they get over here by May I can see them helping a lot.
I'd love to start sending DS to daycare but I'm having some money/work issues right now and can't send him f/t.
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When DS was born, my mom was here to watch DD1. She had come out a week before my due date to help.
With DD2 and this baby we have friend lined up to take the kids. With each of the kids after DD1 I was only in the hospital for about 24 hours so it was minimal care needed.
As for after, I would do whatever you feel most comfortable with. I had the kids with me, but I didn't have a csection. My recovery was much, much faster with DS and DD2 than it was with DD1.
(m/c 1.17.07, m/c 5.15.07)
DS - 03.15.08
DD2 - 12.03.09
DD3 - 3.28.11
When we had #2 my FIL watched my oldest son while I was in labor and then DH was with him while I recovered. The soonest the hospital would release me was 24 hours after the birth and I was miserable the whole time - missing my son and husband. It's the main reason I am having a homebirth this time. I want to be with my entire family while I am recovering.
DH has 2 days off of work, so one day after I was released from the hospital I was back at home alone with both kids. Both moms were out of town, so I didn't really have options. This time I am hoping DH can take a little more time off, because I'm going to need more help now that there will be 3 of them.
I have no idea and I'm stressing out about it! MIL would come watch him in a heartbeat, but she's got dogs and can't leave them home for too long (she's single). If I have the baby during the day, then she'll just need to come over in the evening maybe, and then DH will go home to be with DS. I don't want to throw his schedule off too much and he's never slept over anyone else's house. If I was to go into labor in the middle of the night, or later in the evening, then I have a friend I might be able to ask to come over and stay with him. I'm such a planner and I hate not knowing what to plan for!
As for after I'm home though, DS will be here at home with us. He's in daycare, so he'll continue to go as usual!
Make a pregnancy ticker
Unrelated question for you: I see you are nursing DD, so when the baby comes will you completely stop nursing DD and switch to only LO, or will they be sharing for a while??
MIL will watch DS during delivery and then bring DS to meet DD. DS will go home with MIL. I plan to have DH go home that night to be with DS. If all goes according to plan DH and DS will come pick me up from the hospital. My family lives close so everyone with be in and out of our house the few days after that. I'd like to get use to us being a family of four pretty quick without tons of people around all the time.
Braydon 1.23.09