I think it's all personal preference. I'm a private person so the fewest people I can tell is what we'll do. FIL has the easiest work schedule to get away from so he'll be getting a call to watch DD, which means MIL will also know, but she's awesome and waited for an ok call to come visit the first time and has said she'll do the same this time. Not sure when I'll tell my parents as I know they want to come stay with us and that feels like a lot to me right now (mostly because of holiday drama crap) so I may ask them to switch to hotel. They will get a call once DS is born as they live 4 hours away.
My mom is going to be in the room with us during labor so we're planning to call all of the parents once I'm admitted. My in laws live right across the street (yep, right across the street) so it would be hard to get away with sneaking off. Everyone (other than my Mom) know they are more than welcome to wait in the waiting room but NO ONE other than my DH and Mom are to be there when I go into active labor.
My mother lives with us, she is disabled and pretty needy (moreso emotionally than physically). I feel like it's pretty certain that she's going to want to be there - and I'm not sure how to tell her that I just want it to be DH and me in the delivery room since she still wants her nose in EVERY bit of my business. My brother and nephew live pretty nearby, so I'm thinking that I'll call them when I go into active labor and tell them to come and distract my mom for me. As for my best friend, I may tell her when I head to the hospital - but also follow it with "I'll let you know when she's here" - so that DH and I can have that bonding time. Everyone else can wait until she has arrived.
I have a scheduled csection this time, so we know when it will be unless I happen to go into labor before that date. My husband is one who wouldn't want to be at the hospital by himself and needs the support of others (my parents/his mom). I understand it. I wouldn't want him to be there by himself if something happened to go wrong. So, people will know and be in the waiting room.
We will be telling both moms, as my mother will be dogsitting and MIL will be driving us to the hospital. However, she needs to leave after dropping us off and not come back with my mother until we are ready. I get to hold my baby for maybe a minute before he goes off to NICU for a check up for at least a few hours. I will notify our parents of the fact that the baby is born, but we wont know any more than they do. After we have had a chance to bond with him, then it is ok for them to come over, but those two people are the only ones I want there the first day to see the baby. Sister-in-law and borther-in-law can wait, as well as friends.
My family lives an hour away and DH family lives over 4 hours away. We will tell our parents when we are admitted to the hospital, but the way our hospital is set up the left side of the building is for labor and delivery and the right side is for recovery. Visitors are only allowed in the recovery side and we are not moved over there for 2 hours post delivery. L&D rooms are also only allowed 2 people including DH- so my parents can wait in the waiting room and if I want my mom I can call her into the room. I figure this is one of those times in a girls life that she may really need her mom- so I'd like to have the option to have her there- but also to send her away if when she starts to irritate me. I like the idea of letting our extended family and friends either know that we are in the hospital but are turning our phones off or waiting to tell them after we deliver. I don't feel like I'll be swarmed with visitors until after we are home (and even then I feel like it will be more of a light trickle than a full on swarm of people) but as I was reading your responses/ ideas I started to realize how annoying the constant texts will be while at the hospital. I never announced I was pregnant- maybe I can skip announcing labor and delivery too.
My parents and in-laws both live a couple of hours away from the hospital but all four of them want to be at the hospital when I go into labor. They don't want to be in the delivery room, but they want to be in the waiting room and to be the first people to meet him after we do. I don't mind as long as they don't mind waiting around in the hospital because who knows how long or short it'll be? My mom did the same with my sister's first, she just wants to be as close by but without actually being in the delivery room but there just in case.
My mom is watching DD so we will tell her when I am sure I'm in labor so she can drive the 2 hours to our house. The rest of the parents and siblings will be told when we go to the hospital and when the baby is born. No one camped out at the hospital last time, which I appreciated. DD was born at 430am though so they were all sleeping peacefully through most of my.labor and delivery lol.
My parents will be watching my kids so they will know when I am headed to the hospital but probably will only be given updates as needed depending on the time of day. If it is overnight, they will get a "I've been admitted, baby is on the way" update and we won't text again until she is here. I don't really plan on telling anyone else but that is just because I don't think it is necessary with this being my 5th baby. My SIL/BFF and my brothers are the only other immediate family that lives close enough to visit while I am in the hospital.
There has been some drama with my ILs (DHs side) so I don't really want to tell them at all and DH already told them they can't come visit right away after she is born but they will get a "she's here!" text message once LO arrives. I will probably ask DH not to text them in the meantime because his mom is really pushy and would be messaging every few minutes asking for updates.
Everyone else will get a facebook status update whenever I feel like it, whether it is the day she is born, or a few days later.
Re: When will you tell family you're in labor?
My brother and nephew live pretty nearby, so I'm thinking that I'll call them when I go into active labor and tell them to come and distract my mom for me.
As for my best friend, I may tell her when I head to the hospital - but also follow it with "I'll let you know when she's here" - so that DH and I can have that bonding time.
Everyone else can wait until she has arrived.
BFP#4- 9/26 edd 6/5/18
There has been some drama with my ILs (DHs side) so I don't really want to tell them at all and DH already told them they can't come visit right away after she is born but they will get a "she's here!" text message once LO arrives. I will probably ask DH not to text them in the meantime because his mom is really pushy and would be messaging every few minutes asking for updates.
Everyone else will get a facebook status update whenever I feel like it, whether it is the day she is born, or a few days later.
BFP#5 5/22/17 EDD:1/27/17 It's a GIRL!!!!