When in labour, who looked after your other kid/s?

Question

a thought just popped into my head, i haven't really got any local family/friends who i could call on to look after my son should i go into labour. of course hubby is birth partner too, so its not as if i could leave my son at home with him.

has anyone been or will anyone be in this situation? what did you do? i thought about taking my son to hospital with us but when the time comes he'll be only three, i don't think a delivery room is an ideal place for a three year old....y'know?

Answer 1

If u go to church Im  sure one of the mommies there would love to help...maybe one of your family or friends would be willing to visit and help out around your due date...make some casual friends into better ones....im sure there is lots of people in your life who would love to be part of your big day.

Answer 2

Are you new to your town?  I don't know how much time you have before delivery, but you may want to find a way to make connections with people who are similar to you.  You could try getting to know people at a local church (we had a fill-in "grandma" from our church stay with our children because our families were too far away), or you might try visiting your local library at story time and connecting with some other moms that you might trust.  Have you gotten to know your neighbors at all?  Sometimes you can find a good neighbor who would watch your children for that time.  This is a hard situation...I hope you find a solution that works for you.  I understand not wanting to have your son in delivery with you.

Answer 3

my parents...so ive never quite been in that situation. but i find it hard to believe you dont have a single person you can ask. there has to be someone in your hubbys family around or a neighbor or someone from work, someone who would be willing to step in and help out. do you work? who watches him when you are at work? just think about it harder and im sure you can come up with someone. dont be embarrassed to ask!

Answer 4

maybe you can ask one of the nurses to watch him in a waiting room with toys  

Answer 5

I left my son at home with the TV.  The next door neighbor brought him food and checked in on him.  He was older - not sure if it would work with a 3yo though.

Answer 6

i only had one child. do you have a church? in my church we take care of each other.  

Answer 7

get a good baby sitter so when the time comes, she can come for your other kid.  good luck in labor and with the new baby!!

Answer 8

You have no friends that could watch him overnight?  If not you may need to start looking for a babysitter now, have them over a couple times so your son gets used to them and they could watch over night while your in labour.

Answer 9

That's a tough one... I'd say find a person (babysitter) now so you and your son can get used to him/her before the time comes. Even if you never use a sitter, once a month or a couple of hours here and there have the person come over while you run some errands or enjoy a date night with your hubby. When d-day comes you will feel comfortable having him/her watch your little guy. That can bring a lot of relief to you.

My mother-in-law (whom I and my son adore) will be watching my son when I go in.(he is 16 months old and i'm 39 weeks along) Even though she sits for us all the time, it's different when it may be a longer period of time.  

Answer 10

Hi Minnie,

  I would go to the hospital and see if a nurse or someone who works in the office there, would be able to watch your son until you give birth to your new baby.It never hurts to ask and i am sure they will help you out.I hope you have a Health and Happy Baby My Friend. Congrats.

Your Friend,

poppy1

Answer 11

Our neighbors watched our three year old.  Even if you have a quick and uncomplicated delivery, I don't think it's a good idea to bring the three year old with no one to watch him. The last thing your husband needs is to try to coach you while making sure your son isn't playing with syringes. Plus, you'll be there at least overnight.

I'd get a babysitter lined up who knows it could be any time, day or night. Our son goes to preschool, so our neighbors could drop him off during the day.  I happened to go into labor at night, so they just came over and slept on the couch while my son stayed asleep. Maybe you've got a stay-at-home mom in the neighborhood you could offer to pay? Perhaps ask at the hospital and find out if they have childcare resources they can recommend - I imagine there are various emergencies where parents need to find childcare when they have to go to the hospital.  

We prepared him for the fact that Mommy would have to go to the hospital and Daddy would have to take her there. He knew he was going to have to be a big boy and let the neighbor know where his cereal was and stuff. He did great! They brought him for a hospital visit to meet the baby that night and we came home the next day.

Answer 12

find a babysitter tht your friend uses if they have kids

Answer 13

Call either the hospital or your ob/gyn to see what they suggest.  They may have services or know of some for just such situations