Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Watching Show in London day before due date

50 replies

BouncyTigger85 · 30/06/2019 08:47

Hi all, I’ve posted this in pregnancy, but only got one response, and would like more opinions.

In March we booked tickets for a show in London for February 2020, earlier this month I found out I’m Pregnant and my due date is the day after the show.

We have really good seats and all shows now don’t have any of similar placed seats left (show is only running December 2019 - March 2020), so if we sold our tickets, we’d want to wait until we get the money back before re-ordering and then even more seats will have been sold.

I live on the Somerset/Wiltshire border and it’s about 110 miles to London, we can afford to stay overnight or drive back after the show.

Obviously I’m presuming everything will be ok (waiting anxiously for my scan after TTC for over a year after my mmc) so won’t make any decisions until the scan and realise no one will know how I will feel at 40 weeks, But would you go/have gone to a show the day before your due date?

OP posts:
Oysterbabe · 30/06/2019 08:49

If I'd done that I'd have been taking a 5 week old with me.

It would be insane to do this IMO.

newcupcake · 30/06/2019 08:50

I personally would not because I wouldn't want the potential stress of going into labour miles from home and theatre seats are tiny and uncomfortable. If you're more laid back about where you give birth and take your hospital bag and the baby car seat with you then go for it !

Cornettoninja · 30/06/2019 08:52

It’s a risk simply because it’s completely unpredictable.

I went ten days over and could probably have sat through the show itself but the travelling would have been awful I think.

Cookit · 30/06/2019 08:54

Well there is a decent chance (40% or so?) you’ll have had the baby by then and won’t have time to sell on or get your money back.

Then something like a nearly 10% chance you’ll have the baby on those two days of 39+6 or 40+0 (oft quoted 5% come on their due date so you’d expect 39+6 to be similar). This would not be ideal as you wouldn’t know the hospital and getting home with a newborn would not be great.

Also even if you haven’t given birth you may very well not feel great at that time and the travel (assuming train although car would be as bad) might be quite difficult.

So, no I wouldn’t do it.

Thuglife · 30/06/2019 08:57

Honestly? No I wouldn’t go- I was in the supermarket doing a massive shop on my due date with Dd but I was trying to get things moving I was so huge & fed up. My waters broke in the early hours of the next day and she arrived before lunchtime.
I think I would be anxious being any real distance away from home & hospital & you won’t know until closer to the time how you feel.
Plus- I doubt you’ll be particularly comfy wedged into a West End theatre seat at 40weeksGrin.
Good luck with the pregnancy x

Knitwit99 · 30/06/2019 08:57

Mine were all induced early so I couldn't have gone.
You can't possibly know in advance.
What's the latest you could wait and still have a good chance if getting your money back? How much would you lose?

CuppaSarah · 30/06/2019 08:58

It's totally possible, but a complete risk. You could go before your due date, my first baby was a couple days early. My third was a couple days late though. As long as the pregnancy is low risk it's entirely possible you'll be up for it and able to go. But it can be uncomfortable sitting in one position for a long time at 40weeks, then again some women are fine. It's all going to depend on how you manage the third trimester.

Is it possible to try find someone with December or January tickets who wants to swap do you think? Just so it's one less thing to worry about.

Also congratulations on your pregnancy Flowers

SavoyCabbage · 30/06/2019 09:01

I went to the cinema on my due date (because I thought if I was enjoying a film the baby was bound to come) and I was so uncomfortable.

twilightcafe · 30/06/2019 09:01

I went into labour a week before my due date on both pregnancies, so I would have had a week-old baby.

TheTrollFairy · 30/06/2019 09:03

I didn’t reach my due date so I wouldn’t. I was really ill after my c-section so even leaving DC at that point wouldn’t have been an option

user1474894224 · 30/06/2019 09:05

First baby no- as too anxious in case something happened.....and you may already have baby. Second or third baby still no as labour may be a lot quicker and you will/may end up in a hospital away from home. Any complications then you wouldn't be near friends and family for them to visit or pop up clean clothes etc. Sell the tickets and be pleased you are having a baby instead. (I couldn't go to the Olympics in London as baby was tiny etc etc and I had toddlers too to look after.....being a parent can mean we can't do all the things we want..... although mine are growing up and much more amenable and I am back going to the theatre more often....)

Saturdaycartoon · 30/06/2019 09:07

OP I was at a performance yesterday in a sold out show. The seats were terrible. I randomly went down to the box office and politely enquired if there were any better seats.

'Yes', the nice man said. 'I've released some we were holding. I'm moving you now'.

And we moved to much nicer seats. Because sold out didn't mean sold out, apparently!

Would you consider calling the theatre directly and asking if there are any seats on hold for dates that might suit better?

Original poster
BouncyTigger85 · 30/06/2019 09:08

Thanks for all your opinions so far, I thought the general consensus would be no, but I’m so desperate to see the show that I was hoping I was being silly Grin

Travel would be mostly by car (and a short tube journey)

I realise I could have had the baby by then, or not be comfortable, nobody knows what’s going to happen.
I don’t know how close to the date I could easily sell them, I do have a couple of close friends in London who like to see 1-2 shows a month, I’m wondering if it’s worth seeing if they’d be happy to buy them off of us at late notice - we’d probably be ok to take a bit of a loss (I’d ask them at 12 weeks-ish though, so if we do decide to not go and they don’t want to it would still hopefully be ok timewise to sell online etc), is that cheeky?

OP posts:
Original poster
BouncyTigger85 · 30/06/2019 09:12

@Saturdaycartoon Thanks for that idea, we will be contacting the theatre after we know everything’s ok 😊

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 30/06/2019 09:14

Wait til you’re after 12 weeks then phone the box office they may well let you move your tickets six weeks earlier in the run if you was super polite and enthusiastic on the phone 😃

mummymeister · 30/06/2019 09:14

The journey will be uncomfortable as most women at this stage need to wee frequently so sitting in traffic becomes impossible. Then there is no way at 40 weeks you will be able to sit in a seat for 3 plus hours without constantly shifting about or needing to stand up and walk around. Also theatre seats are not designed for people this size. You will be wedged in. Cancel now and worry about the show later. You will look back on this post and chuckle once you have delivered. Good luck with your pregnancy and baby.

joyfullittlehippo · 30/06/2019 09:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

swisscheeseplant · 30/06/2019 09:16

I went into labour on a day out in London (40 + 4 - I don’t know what I was thinking). I didn’t want to give birth miles from home so walked for about 30 mins to where the car was parked and now ExH drove us back (40 mins drive). We had to get friends to meet us on the way to take DD. I made it to the hospital and gave birth 20mins later. It was all quite stressful as I thought I might give birth on the motorway at one point and I felt out of control.

Lweji · 30/06/2019 09:19

If at all possible I'd try to get tickets for December or March, if you really want to watch it.
And lots of things could happen anyway, and unrelated to the pregnancy.
But I'd do my best to avoid booking anything two weeks around the due date anyway.

Original poster
BouncyTigger85 · 30/06/2019 09:20

@Joyfullittlehippo It’s ‘Magic Goes Wrong’, I will definitely be contacting the theatre after I know everything’s ok with the dating scan to see what they can do, and failing that check for returns as you say 😊

OP posts:
Queenoftheashes · 30/06/2019 09:20

What’s the show?

Comefromaway · 30/06/2019 09:21

I really wouldn’t risk that. Which theatre is it & how accessible are your seats?

NinjaInFluffyPJs · 30/06/2019 09:22

Woman just gave birth during Pink concert. First song.
People were calling for the little one to have free tickets to Anfield for life😁

Original poster
BouncyTigger85 · 30/06/2019 09:23

@Comefromaway Vaudeville Theatre and it’s the very front of dress circle in the centre.

OP posts:
DramaRamaLlama · 30/06/2019 09:24

All mine were early so it wouldn't have worked for me.

However, I did go to see a show which ended up being a couple of days before DC was born and I was I agony. I'm petite and had a small bump but my god the seats were uncomfortable I couldn't settle and it was like torture.

Appreciate that doesn't help you but I can't imagine it being much fun!