Overdue - What to do about Christmas dinner? Trivial I know!!

[Lala83]

Right. 40+3 now and I'm starting to get a tad concerned about the Christmas dinner situation! It's just me and my DH together but I've hoped we'd be all done and dusted by then and with baby in arms travel down to my parents. As that's not looking likely I wondered what other people are doing on Sunday if the baby's not out?

Thinking either a mad dash round M&S tomorrow, a pub (but all booked and too expensive so we might not be able to go) or cry! Is anyone planning to cook? I can't really be bothered to do too much but it will be so sad to do nothing and be on our own without family and not even food to distract us!

Can your parents come up to you? Even better if they can bring a turkey etc and just cook it in your house.

Glad to see I am not the only one having mad worries about x-mas day and babies arriving : ) My mind was racing at 4.30am today about it all.

I am due on Friday 23rd but it is DC4 for me so I have a almost 6, just turned 4 and nearly 2 year old all eagerly waiting on Santa. DC3 was born at 39 weeks so was half expecting this one to arrive last weekend! If it was only DS we could move x-mas to another day and he would never know but the two oldest are hyper and counting the sleeps.....I really don't want to miss from 7- mid morning on x-mas day as they are opening their presents and playing with their new toys. Thankfully I did x-mas lunch last year so it is sister-in-laws turn this year, as there are 18 of us, and she is only down the road so the kids can go for x-mas lunch without us if absolutely necessary and we are in hospital. Now to work on how to avoid being in hospital on x-mas day morning.........

In your position I would ask your parents to come to you and send DH to M&S first thing in the morning to grab as much ready made or ready cut x-mas dinner items as he can.

I'd love my parents to come up but the problem is my brother has three kids too and they live close to my mum and dad (2.5 hrs away) so if my mum and dad came up here it would mean they missed out on seeing their other grandkids who are all at the age of Christmas excitement. So I think we're just stuck being separate this year. I'm almost tempted to chance it and drive down but scared of being stuck there if I went into labour. Oh well, Christmas is cancelled I guess :-(

Is it irresponsible of me to say I'd still go? Do you know what their local hospital is like/where it is? The worst case scenario is that you give birth in a different hospital, surely? That's why you carry your notes with you...

I was in the same position as you 3 years ago....my DS arrived on xmas day and was exactly a week late!

So our plan was that we bought everything, turkey etc etc...then my DH cooked the turkey on boxing day (I went into labour xmas eve night so turkey not cooked yet!) and bought me turkey sandwiches to the hospital, then he reheated when i got home, made the veg and we had our xmas dinner 5 days late...

Was perfect

Ah, tricky that your brother is involved too. I wouldn't be able to sit comfortably in a car for 2.5 hours each way at the moment. As MissRee says you can take your notes and hospital bag in the boot and go to their local hospital if you did go into labour but not sure I would be game for that option.

Can you plan a family meal around/just after New Year with your parents and brother etc so that although x-mas day may be quiet you can have something to look forward to soon after, apart from meeting your new baby?

personally i'd stay home if baby isn't yet out as i wouldnt want to risk going into labour in unfamiliar hospital. I would either go to M&S and get something really easy but special or a cheaper option, if its just the two of you then just a roast chicken dinner. You can always pick some trimmings up to make it more festive , sainsburys have sausages rolled in bacon and I have bought ready made bread sauce and gravy. I'm very early stages of pregnancy and can't face cooking much this year!

We're in the same situation, I'm now 40+9, and booked for an induction on christmas eve, so expecting baby on christmas day or boxing day :( We hadn't expected it to take so long, so were planning to cook a proper christmas dinner just the two of us with turkey, bread sauce, roast potatoes etc. Not exactly sure what to do now as I might not be out of hospital for several days...

Our baby is due on Christmas eve and if the baby hasn't arrived we're planning to have Christmas dinner for two. At least with Christmas dinner you don't have to think about what to cook - and you can get so much pre-prepared veg that it can be quite easy. Even if your DH isn't a big cook, I'm sure he can follow your directions as you shout them from the sofa!

I'm due tomorrow, and this is the reason I'm having a homebirth! We also have a 5yr old dd and I can't imagine how upset she'd be if dh and I had to go to hospital Christmas Eve/Day.....

So it's just the three (maybe 4!) of us for Christmas Day, which I'm relishing actually as it's the first time for ages there's no pressure on us to visit relatives. Dh is cooking, actually he's at the supermarket now with dd while I put my feet up after a sweep this afternoon. I have bad spd and consultant said I could be induced, but I don't want to, so I got a sweep instead.

Asda were advertising some v yummy looking pre-prepared bits, spuds/veg, how about that? Also a turkey crown would be ideal for the two of you rather than a huuuge bird. Or what about M & S dinner for £10?? Doesn't have to be a traditional Christmas dinner.

Go and get a hot curry tonight and have a load of sex and get the baby out tonight failing that I would chance it but bring ur hospital bag. It's not snowing this year so it's not like your going to be stuck. You'l be gutted if you miss Christmas and the baby comes a few days later!
If your waters break there will be plenty of time to get to the hospital, do it what's the worst that can happen? U give birth in your parents kitchen while they cook turkey lol
Happy Christmas xx

My estimated due date is today, DH is due to cook on xmas day for all my family (including us, 9 in total). If we're in hospital that day, I think my mum and sister will take over cooking duties (although neither has cooked a big roast dinner in years) with the assistance of my cooking timetable which I would've had to do for DH anyway (he's a good cook but his timing isn't great). TBH, I don't think baby will be here before christmas as none of my physical symptoms have changed since my last midwife appt 2 weeks ago e.g. pelvic pressure hasn't increased, braxton hicks are the same, etc. Head was fixed 2 weeks ago so starting to engage.

I'm due on tuesday with my 2nd, we've decided to stay at home. Having a fairly simple dinner - just a basic roast really, but duck instead of chicken, nice dessert and a pre-prepped starter! Plus some nice nibbly bits. Being overdue at Christmas is the time to treat yourself if there ever was one.

I've now added pineapple to the christmas shop list though!

I'm also having a homebirth (because of DD)

I'm not even due yet and feel so fed up at the thought of being pregnant for much longer. Keep having Braxton Hicks and getting my hopes up which doesn't help.

I was due yesterday and my family are all 2 hours away, just me and DH here. if baby hasn't come and i'm not in labour then we're travelling - just making sure we have notes/car seat/bag etc and if waters break or something we'll come straight back! I figured it wouldnt be the end of the world if we have our baby in a different hospital - just a bit of a pain to be 2 hours away when you come out with your new baby. either way we think we will chance it.
having said that we are buying a small bird and veg etc for the freezer so that if we miss our Xmas dinner due to being in hospital we can have it later!

I'm not due till the 30th with DC1, but babies have a habit of arriving early in my family so we've (well my mum) got several versions of Christmas dinner planned, from plan A: turkey and all the bits and bobs at mum's house, plan B: packing everything up and having dinner at my house, and ending up with Plan E: cold turkey sandwiches on the post natal ward on Christmas day evening! She likes to make a plan does my mum!

If I were you, I'd send DH out for a nice dinner that you could have together at home. 2.5 hours is a long way for a woman in labour, I find 30 mins hard enough as it is at the moment.

Try not to think of it as being separate from your family...think of it as your last Christmas as a couple, doing what you want to do, staying in bed till lunchtime and wearing your pj's all day, and next year you will be having a huge family Christmas, celebrating LO's first Christmas. And always remember that you are each other's family too, and maybe it could actually be quite a nice time to spend together x

Thanks for the replies everyone!! It's reassuring everyone has a different take on it. I caved yesterday and went to M&S. Bought a diddy little turkey, some goose fat, pigs in blankets and I'll get the rest at Asda as harassedandherbug suggested today.
It's funny, I started to feel a bit more festive now I have decided to stay home 100%! The pj's until noon idea is a good one and the hubby will love that! I think I'll talk to my mum today about settling a new Christmas day date that we can definitely do as a family so I have another real Christmas to look forward to and get to see my little nieces and nephew.
I love the fact so many people have 3 different Christmas plans depending on what the baby does. I think this is a sign of things to come...!

at all these Christmas babies on the way, how exciting and a what wonderful Christmas present for you all! (sorry, not very helpful).

Hi, I'm 40 + 9 today and we are facing the exact same problem! We've got a small turkey roast from Tesco and will buy as much ready-made as possible since who knows what will happen. The hospital are due to call me for induction on Xmas Eve but if the baby is still moving fine, I'm going to say no and put it off until Boxing Day, mainly because we can't get anyone to look after our little dog over Xmas. I may venture out for some veg later but I guess we have to accept that Xmas will be different this year! Nice idea to arrange another Xmas get together with family once baby is out!

I'd still go. And if you get anything that feels like contractions, start making your way home. It's unlikely that anything will happen in 2.5 hours with first baby... or as another poster says, end up having it at your parents local hospital.
Good luck!