What do you do with DD1 when in labour?

[supergreenuk]

eeeeek
We have 16 weeks and need to make a plan. The longest DD has been away from us is 2.5 hours with a friend who she knows really well.

DD get terrible separation anxiety when I leave her in Sunday school. She is 19 months.

DH is keen that his parents look after her. I feel she would be well looked after but they are elderly and could they cope if she got really upset and inconsolable.

DH sisters would be my ideal choice but has anyone ever expected family to drop work to come to our aid? DH feels this is too much to ask.

I could ask my friend but if it's like 2am I couldn't expect her to leave her children to come and look after mine. She has a new baby herself.

My family are too far away.
WWUD?

i would talk to his sisters if that's what you would feel happiest with...

i don't think it's too much to ask, i'd certainly do it if it were me!

I phoned my parents at 6 am and they drove from Cheshire to Glasgow with my Dad taking the day off work. They arrived at 1030 and we went to hospital. DD1 had complicated matters though by getting chicken pox and throwing all our other arrangements out the door! I really appreciated my parents that day! (I always do, but even more so that day!)

just gave birth at home and the plan was for mum to look after her at my house as she had never been away from me.. sadly I went into labour around about her bedtime and she refused to settle and my labour stalled. She eventually went to sleep in my bed at 11.30pm and my labour improved. She then slept through the whole thing including emergency transfer to hosp! And she didn't miss me the next day. So overall it worked out but in retrospect I wish I'd got her used to sleepovers elsewhere!!

Somehow I don't think DH would like that idea.

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I have a lot of thinking to do.

I think I would ask dh's parents but have his sister on standby to help out if it gets too much for them.

DD would always panic if she was in someone elses arms and I was there but a soon as I wasn't in the room she was fine. DH's parents and your dd may find it more settling if they look after her in your home, but I would suggest getting them to pop round lots between now and the birth to really get her used to them - maybe you could go and have a nap upstairs while they're there and talk openly with dd about the birth and what will happen so it's not a surprise - it's amazing what they take in. Make it an exciting treat for her to spend time on her own with them.

My mum is coming to look after dd at ours but lives an hour and a half away - dd1 was born in 2hours 5 minutes so I have a good friend on stand-by for night, and she works in the hospital in the day so dd could go to her office and play while my mum drives to collect her. Fingers crossed it'll work out - I'd hate dh to miss our twins birth and I know he'd hate it too.