to avoid my MIL if she has a cold and I am over a week overdue

[bambipie]

They have (uninvited) come to stay in a cottage near us and seem to think they are going to eat every meal with us. I'm overdue and booked in for induction on MOn 28th, so really keen to avoid lurgies! DD is only 22 months and catches everything + worry of new baby being really ill if catches cold as soon as born.
DH thinks 'as they've come this far we should see them'

I think 'what kind of person would even consider visiting us atm with a cold?'.

YANBU!

I wouldn't want a pg friend or relative to catch a bad cold when they are just about to drop, who the heck would? Makes me realise how selfish some people are because I would feel dreadful about it. Maybe I'm too considerate. If it's a stinking cold then OP has every right not to want to come near one.

As for catching one elsewhere ie shop assistants etc - well that's unavoidable. Having someone with you all day with a stinking cold is avoidable, that's the difference!!

I have a colleague who coughs and splutters dramatically without putting hand over mouth when she has a cold, leaves used tissues lying around the photocopier, washes snotty hands under the kitchen sink full of pots at work and stands a bit to close breathing over you when showing you something on the computer etc. I was heavily pg last year and caught a terrible cold from her, so know how OP feels.

I think seeing them is inevitable, however, I would tell them you really don't want to catch the cold so could they hang on until the worst is over (at least until after infectious bit, when it's just clearing up snot ). Then stock up on plenty of tissues, hand sanitizer, hand soap & towels etc and hopefully they can lend a hand with your DD so make themselves useful

NB Bruffin I didn;t say the baby wouldn;t catch it, just that she'd get maternal antibodies in milk

Well I am going with YANBU. Ok so its just a cold yes. However I would not want to give birth with a streaming nose, feeling grotty and sneezing everywhere. Worse still I would worry that being ill would mean I wouldnt go into labour and end up being induced. I also wouldnt want to have my sleep disturbed even more with an ill toddler.

ARGH no, I have just realised the worst reason - I couldnt bear my DH to get it! Can you imagine? He'd be whinging all the way through labour about his man flu

It is an awkward one though isnt it. How long are they here for? Surely she will be a bit better in a few days? Either that or make sure she keeps her distance, you use anti bac stuff. Personaly I think she is being unreasonable making things more difficult for you.

Stop cooking, put your feet up! When they arrive send them to the kitchen and give them a list of jobs. Send them shopping. Send dd and dh round to the cottage for the day, then off to see Santa the next day. With any luck you wont get it and you'll be so chilled out!

"Well I am going with YANBU. Ok so its just a cold yes. However I would not want to give birth with a streaming nose, feeling grotty and sneezing everywhere. Worse still I would worry that being ill would mean I wouldnt go into labour and end up being induced. I also wouldnt want to have my sleep disturbed even more with an ill toddler."

To be honest that was what happened to me, had a temperature and everything. You really don't notice the cold symptoms because of everything else going.
DD was 3 weeks early and someone told me it was probably because I wasn't well it bought on the labour. DS (just had his 2nd birthday a few days before) didn't get it but DH got manflu(grin) same day as DD got her cold.

I still think the currative powers of bm are very overated and shouldn't be depended upon.

LOL at Bruffin blithely sweeping away hundreds of research papers and, let's face it, universally accepted scientific FACT into (a) the presence of maternal antibodies in breast milk, (b) the presence and role of antibodies in the immune system and (c) the role of naturally acquired active and passive immunity alongside artificially acquired equivalents. The scientific and medical communities have been put right in their place on here this morning.

Any alternative equivalent-standard studies to show us? No? Oh.

Sorry. As you were.

OP I understand where you're coming from. I think there's probably a middle ground of seeing them but no kissing, lots of antibac hand gel on hand, etc, that will keep you well and everyone happy this Christmas. Best of luck with everything.

My breastfed newborn caught a cold from my MIL and it turned into bronchiolitis and a nine day hospital stay, so imo YANBU.

Casserole - I agree with Bruffin in the sense that nobody can afford to be complacement with a newborn just because of the presence of breastmilk.

As Ladyofshallots's story shows, for example.

FFS. The world does'nt revolve around you just because you are pregnant. There is life outside of your little bubble!

Yes LWC. That's what everyone's saying here - be complacent with a newborn

Woah... where did that come from?

OP, as I said before, given the time of year and the fact that they are family, I don't think you can avoid them completely, but I can well understand why you'd want to.

Perhaps you could explain why you're concerned to them and ask them to minimise vists with you until they're better.

I can understand your concern but I couldn't bring myself to exclude them for a cold. Lots of handwashing and no kissing!

Agree with Littlewhiskers, both times i gave birth i was very glad i didn't have a cold