brother's wedding 3 weeks after due date

[isskira]

I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant and trying to get as prepared as possible in advance (while I'm still full of energy, so I can relax later). money is tight so picking up a lot of bargains on ebay.

My brother and parents live 3 hours away from us by car. Brother is getting married just over three weeks after my due date. Can anyone give me any advice on what essentials I should buy for the weekend at my parents house and for the wedding?

This is my first child and I have no idea how I will be feeling then and obviously I don't know when our boy will actually appear which makes things tricky with the wedding so close. but I really want to make it to my brother's wedding if at all possible.

Hi Isskira

I was in a very similar situation to you a few years ago. My cousin's wedding was 2 weeks after my due date. DD was 2 weeks early so DH and I went to their wedding with a 4 week old.

The good news is that new born babies are very portable - especially if you are breastfeeding. The baby will still be in a moses basket which I assume you can fit in the car and if there is room I would also take a pram for him/her to sleep in at the wedding. As it is a family wedding I am sure you will have lots of volunteers to hold the baby - just take lots of muslins so you don't ruin their best outfits! I would also pack lots of changes of clothes for the baby and you, nappies, changing mat etc.

The worst thing for me was that DD was quite small and feeding every 3 hours and wasn't the best feeder in the world. I am sure I missed lots of the wedding sitting in a room trying to feed her! Is there a separate room at the wedding where you can breastfeed if you need to.

I hope you are not going to ask advice on what to wear - I remember shopping while heavily pregnant looking for an outfit I could breastfeed in that was smart enough for a wedding!! It wasn't my best shopping experience!

Good luck and I am sure you will all have a great day!

I went to my cousin's wedding with a 3 week old. I agree with everything supersaint suggests! Also, plenty of breastpads if you are BF and have a couple of spare outfits.

Thank you supersaint and shouldersback. Very reasuring. I'll start looking for a Moses basket, and not fret about the outfit - if I'm there and in clean(ish) clothes they should be happy.

I'll make a list to remind me what to pack so I don't have to stress about it at the time.

My brother did exactly the same to me! And he's a plane ride away! Went on the plane with a 2 week old baby! You're right to say that you don't know what to expect because you just won't until he's here. My first fed all the time and it was hard work, but the wedding turned out to be a really great thing for me. I just had to do it because I am very close to my bro, wouldn't have missed it for the world and my DH was his best man!

It made me feel really impowered at an otherwise difficult time. I had a sling and strode out into an unfamiliar city with my new baby whilst DH prepared for his "duties". I felt proud of myself and my family thought I was amazing for managing so well. It also meant that all my family met my DD at just a few weeks old. I think some of them wouldn't have met her for years if it weren't for the wedding.

I actually BF in the church during the ceremony! Asked the vicar because my dad said I should, luckily he was fine with that. A pashmina is great for BF at a wedding. I remember my lovely beautician giving me a manicure whilst I BF! Did one hand, then I swopped DD to other side so she could do the other hand! I got my dress after DD was born so I couldn't be too fussy, just went into the first shop and bought one that fitted, looked ok and wasn't difficult to feed in! If you think you're likely to lose weight afterwards, sell it immediately on Ebay as "this season", you'll get loads back on it.

I reckon the journey will be ok as babies sleep loads! Just as long as you give yourself enough time to make feeding stops. Could you ask your parents to buy a big pack of nappies so you don't have to take loads up? Would save you a few quid too!

Bloody hell, it seems I've written you an essay!

Good luck!

Hi Jezabelle,

Thanks for the advice and support. I'm glad you were able to make it to your brother's wedding, and like you say, it was good that everyone got to see your DD when she was young. It is hard to make the time to meet up with family as often as we would like, and kids grow up so fast.

I love the idea of a pashmina for BF. I'll have a look out for some in nice colours, and not worry about a dress, as long as it fits and I can BF in it :)

Just remembered I should give an update. Went to the wedding and had a lovely time.

Travelling with the little one was relatively easy, although he did get through a lot of outfits so glad a took loads, and also plenty of cloths to keep the clothes of all those who wanted to cuddle him clean.

Wore him in a wrap sling (sleepy wrap) during the wedding, so he could sleep happily as much as he wanted (he sleeps very well in the sling). Also it was good for feeding him discreetly in it - plenty of people asked if they could have a look and were quite embarrassed when I said he was feeding!

I am actually really glad now that my brother had the wedding at that time. It was good that lots of my relatives were able to meet ds when he was so young with minimum of difficulty on our part.

Thank you all for the tips and support.

Well done you! Congrats on your baby :-)

Congratulations on your lovely new baby . It's really nice to read a wedding thread where everyone has been nice to each other and had a good time, too! Glad you enjoyed the wedding.