Family gathering at 38 weeks: 3 hr drive

[HenriettaTurkey]

Every year our extended family: dm, df, dgm, dgf, aunts, uncles, cousins etc meet up in the 2nd weekend of January for 'Christmas'. I will be 38 weeks pregnant, and it's a 3hr journey from our home.

It would be staying in a hotel, with pool etc & lovely food - I enjoy it and wouldn't want to miss it. But am I being daft to consider?

The hotel itself is near the hospital I was born in & my parents are quite local too. It's not in the sticks...

But I will be huge & with DS I developed PUPPS & pre-eclampsia at 39 weeks.

Sorry for the poorly constructed post: but wwyd?

I would stay at home.

Many, many years of gatherings to attend in the future.

Well as it stands I would plan to go if you would like to and don't want to miss it.
You don't know how this pregnancy will go or how you will feel so you'll have to be flexible.
If its a n
Overly relaxing time with no work for you then it might be a nice rest before the baby arrives.

I would ask if this year people would mind doing it in the second week of December instead?

Moving is non negotiable: it's already booked by the octogenarian grandparents & precedes their annual trip to the Southern Hemisphere.

I think the actual weekend will be lovely - and my 2 y o DS loves seeing the extended family, which in turn gives DH & I a bit of a break; but I would be mainly concerned about the distance from my regular hospital and being in a car for such a distance with a big bump...

I'd go but then I don't know what it's like to be at 38 weeks yet! Another thing to remember is that the weather can be quite bad in January although I don't know what it'd be like where you are. We certainly won't be going away this Christmas due to the possiblity of getting cut off.

I have a similar problem, although at 37+2 weeks and only a 2 hour drive. I'm planning on going but not staying over. I'll be sad to miss the whole weekend, but realistically I don't want to be away for too long at that point.

Ask yourself if you'd be happy to have baby there if worst came to the worst and let that be the deciding factor.
We'd booked a holiday to Dorset (three hours away) prior to my falling pregnant. I will be 37 weeks. Will lose all money if cancelled and kids would be mega disappointed so I shall take car seat and hospital bag, I know where maternity hospital is and am ok with having baby there If he came early.

Well my personal experience is that a few hours in a car was no big problem. You can always stop if necessary.
You'd be unlucky to go into labour and deliver so fast that you couldn't make it back if you need to.
Also unlikely to be in hospital for an extended period. I know it happens but...
In my experience one hospital is as good as another, in fact may be better!

What JennyBlueWren said. I'd totally go! Sounds like it would be so nice to be around big extended family. but I'm only just about 12w so have no idea how it feels to be 38w! Good luck whatever your decision

I'm going to a wedding in Wales at 36+ weeks (four hours from home) and probably to my mum and dad's in Dorset at 37 weeks (also four hours away). The way I see it is as long as you carry your notes and look up the nearest hospital there's no real issue - there's always a hospital around where they can help you. Car seems better than the train as at least you can divert off to the nearest labour ward in an emergency. I still commute to London and will do until 35 weeks - dreading labour starting on the high speed service to the city!

Can you book to go now and get a refund if you don't feel up to it on the day? We're going to wedding at 35 weeks which is 5 hours away, but we've booked a slightly more expensive room so if I'm not up to it we can get a refund but if I do go I get a nice treat to stay in a posh room before the baby comes. Win win in my opinion!

I think it sounds great (and I gave birth at 38 weeks - twice!). Plan a few stops let OH do all the driving it sounds a really nice thing to look forward to.

If you have the option to cancel later in the event you had any complications this time, I would plan to go, I think you'd all have a lovely time, and in the event everything kicked off early you know there is a hospital and family support nearby so you'd cope.

Personally I would find the drive awful as I've had back ache all pregnancy, but for same reason the often recommended idea of enjoying trips to the cinema has been off the cards for me, so I guess this isn't normal.

hi
i agree with most, and say do it too, so long as you feel ok on the day and all that. it would be lovely.

(however, i've just been to a family 'do' this weekend, at 33 weeks and wish i'd prepared myself for some of the comments... i hope your family/total strangers are nicer than some of mine who compared me to a galleon ship (!), commented on how "chubby" i was, my swollen ankles looked awful etc etc and i don't even think i'm that big and love my bump (though do feel rather cumbersome too and my ankles are swollen and painful...). it is just not necessary!!!
my OH (and nicer family members) could not believe what some of them said and stayed next to me the whole time ready to intervene! OH and I just sat inside in the end as it was easier than causing a massive family rift. the repetitive pregnancy/baby questions, whilst very well meaning, drove me insane too... maybe i'm just super sensitive/thin skinned/ tired and it was a lovely time and wouldn't have missed it, just wish i'd thought that people would have said such shocking comments so I could have prepared myself and not cried in the toilet! sorry - rant over... )

Don't forget to take a first stage car seat

Thank you all for your advice! I think the majority decision takes it: I will plan to attend & pack as though I expect to go into labour down there (unlikely: DS was 9 days late & induced - but hey!)

If my health changes and it's a bad idea, I'll pull out. We'll have a quiet Christmas at home, and save our travelling for this...

Thanks all!

Ps car seat - good call!

I went to Scotland

Oops, I went to Scotland from London on the train at 30 weeks. It nearly killed me! I still suffer from HG tho.

I would see how your pregnancy goes and decide nearer the time. I travelled from NI over to England for my DB's wedding at 37+5 (obviously went on the boat and kept a very low profile). DD2 turned up at 40+5. I felt well and didn't feel drained by the travelling.