When DP is working nights

[Lauraelizabeth26]

Hello,

I was just wondering if I could get some advise please. I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant with my first baby and eagerly counting down these last 12 weeks!

My partner works a continental shift pattern so works between 2 and 3 nights a week. With his type of work he could be busy for several hours without his phone on him and during night shifts the main office is closed. My mother suggested a few weeks ago that I start to stay in her house whilst DP is nights just to be on the safe side (she notoriously sleeps through her phone ringing) .

I’m happy to do this but I was wondering at what point or week would you say I should start sleeping there? I don’t want to go too early but also don’t want to leave it too late as I don’t drive and we don’t have any 24 hour taxi service where we live.

Also, what week did you all pack your hospital bag?

Thanks in advance

Assuming a straightforward pregnancy then I’d start at between 37 and 38 weeks. I’d have your bag ready but perhaps open so you can use/ wear things from it from about 36 weeks.

Can your dh ask his work what they normally do in this situation for expectant parents? Most of the time you’ll have plenty of warning and time for him to come home. Of my friends the fastest first time labour was 5 hours.

For my second labour I think I packed between contractions. Everyone goes on about the bag but it’s not that big a deal.

I was in a similar position. but dh was worried, not me. he took holiday from 37 weeks. I went two weeks over. so he had to use up all holiday and a weeks unpaid. doh!

there must be someone at his work who is contactable?

The likelihood is with your first that you will have plenty of notice that the baby is coming. Its rarely like the films where your waters break and there is a rush to the hospital. You can often spend days in labour and you only go in at the last minute.

I've had two relatively fast labours (the second was officially 45 mins) and even then in your scenario I would still have had plenty of time/warning to let your DP know that he needed to be on alert that day for the baby coming.

I would say don't worry about setting a date to go and sleep there, when you start getting early labour signs (e.g. mucus plug going, contractions starting) go and stay that night and take it from there.

To be honest I probably wouldn't bother.... mega quick labours for the first time are pretty rare! If it reassures you and you particularly want to, go for it, but I personally wouldn't until at least 37 weeks.

It’s hard to say. I went into labour (had a show) at 7am, contractions started at 8:10am ish, got into hospital at 8:30am, and baby born at 9:50am. I was 37 weeks. So 3 hours from show to baby. Others I know went 2 weeks over and laboured over 2 days. I was fratically packing my bag as I wasn’t about to go in. Baby number 2 I had my bag packed from 33 weeks, just in case! Went into labour at 37 +2, and I went from show to baby in 1 hour 40 mins.

Oh and my waters were broken by the midwife just before ds1’s head came out, and ds2s waters broke as I pushed him out.