Homebirth- what did you do with your preschooler?

[Gingerbreadlatte]

An due DC2 soon via homebirth. My PFB is 3.5 and we've not really got clear plans re what to do with her during the birth. I know we should have one but there is no clear solution ie family 5mins away. Nearest is sister 25mins away and she can ony really cover weekends due to work. We have nursery cover during working hours should we need it but I'm thinking about what to do if im in labour when she wakes in the morning or around 5-7pm before her bedtime.

I know the part of the point of doing HB means its easier re childcare but is it? What did you do? You can't really leave a 3.5 yo alone upstairs unless asleep- I know Dh can sit with her in worst case but I might need him too! ( she is priority tho!)

Interested to hear your stories :)

My 2 went to a nieghbours. Although, looking back, they would have probably been fine staying downstairs. DH wasn't with me the whole time anyway (Tesco delivery arrived, postman had a parcel etc, tea making). Can't DH deal with bedtime/morning if you're in labour?

However, you need to get something in place in case you end up going to the hospital.

Mine was 3.3 at my home birth. I arranged for my mum to come round to be on DD duty. She lives 20 mins away & works, I suppose if it had happened during the day she would have left work/DD would have gone to play with a friend down the road. I think you have to keep it flexible & line up a couple of options!

As it was I went into established labour after I had put DD to bed on Saturday night & she slept through the birth. My mum stayed overnight so she was there to entertain & be busy with DD in the morning. Worked perfectly.

First hb, MIL took 21 mo ds down to town to "buy some flowers". Second one, we had friends staying over to help with DS and DD, but in the event it was 11:30pm and they were asleep (I had time to read them a bedtime story before going into full-blown labour). DS had wanted to be there but DH woke him up and brought him in to meet his mew sister about 10mn after she was born and he was happy with that.

due my third hb anytime and have 2 dcs 3.5 and 2.5. we have booked a doula so i have someone if it's night time and the boys need dh. in the day we plan to use similar arrangements to you and have a list of pals who could entertain the boys for a bit.

i do understand! it is one of my most significant labour concerns! i have also packed the boys a bag of spare clothes have toys, books snacks and magnadoodles so even if they are suddenly somewhere unfamiliar they will have some familiar stuff.

all the best :)

This is one of the reasons we had a doula- so that I had someone if DD1 needed DH. Beyond that, I'm not sure what people with no nearby family do.

If she is reasonably confident and secure, tea and playdates at friends' houses maybe? But breakfast time, etc is hard.

Even though I ended up being transferred in for a forceps delivery shudders, I conveniently started having contractions just after DP had dropped DD off at nursery and was on the post natal ward waiting to introduce baby sister by the time nursery finished for the day.

If timing hadn't been so convenient, I would have got the grandparents to pick her up.

we had no-one here apart from dp and midwives- in the end, dd1 slept through the whole thing (dd2 born just after 4am) and woke up to a sister. My labour didn't seem to really get established until dd1 went to bed and I could concentrate on it.