Travelling near due date

[YourBusyTurtle]

My BIL is potentially planning a ‘shotgun’ wedding in January about 3 weeks before my due date and over a 3 hour drive away.

AIBU not to want to travel that far? Being made to feel a bit bad about it.

You're not being unreasonable, I can't think of anything worse than a 3 hour drive at 37 weeks. 37 weeks is for pottering about, panicking about whether you have enough nappies and drinking hot cups of tea.

No, you're full term at 37 weeks and don't want to give birth on the motorway, nor be sat all day in a cramped space increasing the risk of DVT, or having to stop every half an hour for a wee. Tell whoever is trying to make you feel bad, to get stuffed.

Bil as in your husbands brother? Just send your husband. Say its because you don't want to go into labour at the wedding and upstage them!

I could easily have done it with DD1, and I would have been happy to give birth in a different hospital if needed.

DD2, no way (and I missed a family funeral a similar distance away).

Can you say you'll be there if possible? Anyone who doesn't understand isn't worth worrying about.

That's assuming that you actually want to go, of course! If you don't like the couple you have a great excuse.

My baby was born at 37 weeks so I would politely decline the invite

Neither of mine arrived till 41w although I couldn’t have known that! 3h is doable with a stop 90m in, depends whether you want to be at the wedding whether the effort is worth it for you!

We agreed that we wouldn’t travel from 4 weeks before my due date, both me and DH. I did not want to give birth away from home

Please put yourself and your baby first. The rest can wait or be missed, such as the wedding. You can also ask the GP for advice. When it comes to air travel there is a strict cut off after certain weeks, similar guideline should in theory apply to other types of travel.

I know that you probably don’t want to upset people, but your health and wellbeing is paramount. Also, it is good to be rest before sleepless nights when baby arrives ( all worth is though).

I think your gut feeling is telling you not to go…

Totally up to you! Don’t be made to feel bad about it if you don’t feel up to going. It’s entirely reasonable not to.

Personally, I really dislike waiting for the baby to arrive as I get closer to my due date, so I like to keep busy. I’m going to a hen do 3h from home just less than two weeks before I’m due, and I don’t feel too worried - it’s near a big city with a hospital in case something happens. I’m lucky to have felt fine at 38 weeks in my two previous pregnancies though, so I’m hoping that will be the same and I’ll be able to enjoy a night with friends whilst I have the chance!