Making arrangements for childcare during labour

[mrsalwaysawake]

Right, I need help getting my head round what we're supposed to do here.

Dc2 is due when DS will be 19 mo.
My mum is retired, and lives 3 hours away by train, and doesn't drive. My dad (and his wife) lives about the same distance away, isn't fully retired, is not a big part of our lives. MIL is ill and might not even be alive by then. FIL (and wife) is about half an hour away, works shifts. BIL (and fiance) also half an hour away, both work ft, no experience with children.
DS really likes FIL.
DS attends nursery 3 days a week (v local to us).
Hospital is about 30 - 40 mins away.
DS has never spent time apart from us with anyone other than the nursery ladies. He has never stayed away overnight. DS finds it hard to settle to sleep away from home.

My ideal scenario would be to have someone we can phone in the middle of the night to come and look after DS, but we don't have anyone who fits the bill. DH won't even ask his dad to come and stay over, he thinks I am utterly unreasonable to want this

I wouldn't bank on your toddler being allowed onto labour ward. I know at our hospital it is a big no go and you'd be told at the door that DP would have to take toddler away and go on your own.
I was going to suggest nursery staff too. How well do you know your neighbours? Maybe ask your mum to come for a week and ask FIL to be on standby another week? I actually think most people are delighted to be asked and happy to help over this special time. You may be surprised.
Probably worth checking out which local taxi firms will take a woman in labour thugh, just in case.
Best of luck.

Mrsalways..,
My DH didn't like the idea of me asking FIL To pick up our DD from nursery one evening when we both had important planned meetings we couldn't get out of because 'he won't change a nappy'. He was also about 30 mins away. I rang him and asked him myself and although he was a bit nervous he agreed. I told the nursery staff to double check she was clean before handing her over and told him not to bother changing her as DH should be back within the hour. Of course she did an enormous poo everywhere and he had to change her. All was fine. He loved it and has done it many times since. They have a lovely bond and my MIL is really ! All I'm saying is even my DH agrees that he was too cautious

No, I was thinking that toddler on a labour ward would.not be allowed. DH thinks we could take him with us, but I said No, we can't do that, I'll have to go on my own.

Don't think we'll be discussing it again for a while, we have had a rubbish day today, and he's gone round to his mum's. Think he's sulking cos I glared at him and hurried back to the car when he said DS had been 'naughty'. He's 13mo ffs, and was cold, hungry and a bit wriggly.

Not due til March, so we've got a while.