to not tell anyone when I'm in labour?

[lisloom]

When you went in to labour, who did you tell?

Part of me just doesn't want to tell anyone until after baby is born. My family are full on. I don't want a circus...

@AGirlinLondon

You don't need to stop them, the midwives will.

My DSis told immediate family ie, parents me and DBro, when her waters broke. My parents were with her and her DP while she was at home but as she kept ringing me at work just to chat and update me, I went to hers too. She liked the distraction but none of us would have been there unless she wanted us to be.

DBro had to tell me SIL was in labour as I looked after his dog. The labour ended up being quite traumatic for them all so I think DBro liked the emotional support of having me and DSis to talk to.

We told no-one! It was about midnight when my waters went and ds was born at 8am. I didn't want to wake anyone and assumed it would take longer than it did. I obviously wasn't going to phone anyone once it got to the morning and I was very very well into pushing! They all found out about an hour after he was born, once ds had been resuscitated. I was glad it happened that way really as I didn't want to have the pressure of people knowing I was in labour.

The first one people knew as she was over due and induced but we didn't give or were asked for updates. 2nd one in-laws knew as they had to look after number one child no one else needed to know or wanted to know

Totally up to you. I wanted to tell family so they could join in with the excitement. Few friends made me promise to tell them too, which I did both times, so I was quite gutted when none of them told me when they went into labour.

My Brother & SIL told no-one with their first. The fact that SIL had a very short labour helped. With their second only my parents & I knew, my parents because they were needed for child care & me because I was due to go to theirs after work. Having said that SIL labour was so short that time they could I was still at work when the baby arrived.

None of my friends have ever told me.

Though a FB acquaintance literally gave a running commentary. We had the initial posts then photos from the delivery room during labour. Unbelievable

I didn't realise it was a thing to tell everyone you were in labour.
I told everyone when my 1st was born.... Well morning after as he was born around midnight.
My 2nd I told my mum as she was babysitting ds. Though she didn't believe when we called soon after to say dd had been born as it was so quick!!

Ahhhhhhh it's funny looking back and remembering all this stuff. Seems so long ago now. Good luck OP.

I don't think I told anyone either time; it was just a "baby's here" call once they'd arrived safely.

DS2 timed his arrival so beautifully that I took DS1 to school in the morning, went straight to delivery suite as I'd been having contractions since 4am, phoned his best friends Mum to ask if she'd collect him from school then was home for 7pm to tuck him into bed and snuggle his new baby brother.

Friends of mine have told me when they've gone into labour and it's an odd feeling, like being on high alert and one about took almost 70 hours; I can't imagine what she went through because I was exhausted just from the WhatsApp updates.

I didn't tell anyone and it was the best decision as I had had interfering family who were on my case about being overdue and I just didn't want the stress of them messaging constantly expecting a response or turning up at the hospital.

I had a cousin who gave a blow-by-blow live account of his wife's first labour. Pics included. As a midwife myself I felt I could have completed all the necessary paperwork and delivery notes.
Twas graphic!

Via Facebook! Forgot to mention that bit!

DH told both sets of parents and kept them updated throughout. I’d asked him to, as I know my parents would have been worried about me if there was radio-silence.

Both sets of parents have normal boundaries though, so I knew they wouldn’t be broadcasting the updates or pestering DH. If we had one set who would have been likely to turn up to the hospital and demand to be let in, then it would have been a different story!

First child I told my husband obviously lol (and 4 of my best friends via whatsapp). I didn't tell any parents etc etc. I didn't want my husband being badgered or him updating them on how my cervix was!

Second baby we just told my parents (they were babysitting our other child). I didn't tell them the first time to save them the worry rather than worry about them interfering. My mum didn't sleep all night (knew she wouldn't!) second time so I only told them as we were setting out for their house at 1am. I'd been in labour all evening and they'd been round about 6 hours earlier, I had to keep hiding in the kitchen having contractions 😆. When my husband rang to say we were coming my mum said "I knew something was up, she was acting very odd".

I didn't want the in laws to know either time, but they did find out I was in labour first time and drove around looking for our car at my parents etc checking if we had left the hospital (I was in labour a loooong time) they only came clean a week later to say how angry they were they didn't get any updates for 24 hours and we didn't tell them the moment the baby arrived, errrr my baby was stuck and there was no phone signal so unless my husband kept leaving me he couldn't update (we only realised there was hospital wifi second time 😆). He wouldn't have updated them anyway.

Second time we lied about the due date to my in laws by 3 weeks and our little boy came a week early so a month before they expected, they were away on holiday, perfect!!

Don't tell anyone. I always advise people to keep it to themselves, you have the option with a first child, take it!

Unless you have kids and you need to tell people for childcare id say most people don't announce going into labour

Only my husband, well I didn't have to tell him, he was there at home with me so he knew. What was funny was we went to an ante-natal class about 7pm and while I was lying on floor doing 'breathing stuff' with him next to me I felt sure I had a very small contraction. I told him and he said (bit panicky), 'Can't be - too early!" - baby was due in five to six days!

Thought no more of it, went home, ate, watched telly - bit later had baby :-). Just me, him and the midwives. It was nice!

Yeah I wasn’t worried about them interfering (my parents were 2.5 hours away, IL’s a 3 hour flight away). I just didn’t want them worrying/being on high alert unnecessarily. Good job really as DD1 took 48 hours.

No one!

Ds arrived on mother's day and phoning to tell my mum was fab. I got to style out the convo with a 'happy mother's day. What you doing today?' (We don't really 'do' mother's day). When she said 'not much', I got to say 'would you like to come and meet your grandson?'. She took some convincing that I wasn't joking!

Dd - she had to whizz over in the middle of the night to look after ds. She kept it to herself despite bumping into a friend the next day coming out of Mothercare with a bag of pressies. Friend too was totally cool and though bursting to know (being due herself in a few weeks) didn't press and waited for us to break the news.

My first was breech and refused to turn so a planned section.

We didn’t tell anyone the date apart from my Mum and Dad.

Didn't tell anyone with DC1 - unfortunately though DH phoned my parents in time for them to sit in for the entire visiting session (2-7pm) that afternoon. I hadn't slept for a week three nights and had just had a baby FFS. I wanted to eat and sleep and feed the bruised poorly baby I'd finally given birth to.

Didn't tell anyone with DC2-4 until we were ready for visitors.

We have a massive family

We told everyone with DC1 (I was overdue and my dad drove us in when labour finally started)

We told my mum and dad with DC2 as mum had to come to look after DC1 and my dad drove us us in. We also messaged MIL. Everyone else woke up to a picture of the baby!!

DC3 was an induction so again everyone knew I was in.

We didn’t tell anyone and I don’t regret it at all! Was the best! I do regret not calling my mum after and texting her (she had phone issues and didn’t get the message )

We told no one at all with first baby. Second baby is coming by ELCS next week and the only people who know are my mum because she's taking care of DD for us and DHs parents because we just felt too mean with them knowing that we knew the date but weren't telling them. They won't tell a soul though, we asked them not to and I trust them. They aren't the sort to be hassling us either or I wouldn't have told them.

I have had numerous friends and relatives be really really shitty when they've asked me the date and I've nicely said we're not sharing it. Like it's a personal insult or something. God knows why they are so bothered we'll let everyone know once baby is here.

Dc1 we told nobody until the next morning (born 22.00).

Dc2 I told my friends that I had been chatting with about labour the evening before and chatted throughout most of labour on whatsapp with them. Mainly because I didn't actually have many friends before I had dc1, I've made some good ones since!

Would never tell our families, my mum kept asking to deliver dc1 despite my look of horror (midwife). I didn't trust either set of parents not to come round as they were monitoring my online status on Skype and whatsapp! DH periodically went on both apps to ensure that it looked like I was still active.