Support for pregnant sister

[Makis84]

Hi all,
I’m new here so hope I’ve got this thread right. I just need a little help/advice/ideas. My lovely sister is pregnant with her first. Actually it’s the first in the family of all us siblings too. She is due on 3rd May. With the current lockdown in enforcement none of us can see her and it’s very upsetting but what worries us even more is not being able to see the new baby when it’s born to bond with it, support my sister and her husband and generally just celebrate the little one.
We know we have to keep everyone safe and won’t be breaking any lockdown rules and therefore won’t go to see them until we are out of lockdown but it’s just all very upsetting. Particularly for my sister who is upset she won’t be able to share the experience with the grandparents.
So I’m asking for ideas. I really want to keep my sisters spirits high during this whole thing. What can I do now to cheer her up and reassure her and what could we do once the baby is born to keep her positive through this.
Any positive thoughts welcomed. 😊
Thanks.

What a lovely sister you are ❤️!

Here are a few thoughts from me:

1. A homemade scrapbook that includes pictures of you and your sister and spaces for the little one to be included.

2. Get all of your family members to create a short video for the little one and merge them together on a free video editor online.

3. If your family are creative types, get them all to write a really short story each and then pull them together in a book. You can get a book like this printed for £30.

4. Collect heartwarming news stories from online and in newspapers from the month the baby is born. It's a nice way to show you care and highlight that it's not all doom and gloom.

Hope this helps!

Do your parents know how to face toem? Do you all have Zoom or something similar? I'd make sure everyone knows how to work this now and then you can have a few get together with your sis once baby is here.
buy the baby a book and keep it at yours so you can read her a story and then hand it over when you see her?

You will bond with baby without swing her for a few months, lots of families live in different countries and still bond.

• House party or similar would enable you all to celebrate together once the baby is born and get together online with video regularly.
• use the family WhatsApp group for photos, chat, funny baby memes etc. and empathy. Coo over the photos just as you would the baby. How it’s made your morning, how gorgeous/ cute/ alert/ etc.
• send gifts online
• keep any public SM posts happy and celebratory. No “Can’t believe we can’t hold our beautiful baby boy/girl 😢” shit.
• Have a word with rest of your family about keeping references to missing out on seeing the baby proportional and as light as possible, and not to mention your not bonding fears, as she will feel hormonal and vulnerable so doesn’t need to be carrying anyone else’s woes on her shoulders. It doesn’t sound like you would, but you will know if you you have any Debbie-Downer or it’s all about ME! types in the family who could do to be reminded. Such wringing of hands could translate to her as “this baby is ruined for everyone, I’ve completely missed out and nobody is going to love or bond with him/ her properly.”

It needs to feel like the joyous event it is, even though everyone can’t be there physically. Keep any mourning for what should have been internalised, or at least not shared with your sister, unless she wants to confide her own feelings, which of course need to be acknowledged and then consoled as best you can.

Babydancer’s point 4 above is a brilliant idea.

So many great ideas! Thank you! I know it’s not all doom and gloom but I just need my sister to stay positive and focus and being happy with her little one. I appreciate all these ideas - we will be using FaceTime - so I especially will be encouraging people (my mum) to not be at all negative and just celebrate what we can (didn’t think of that one). I love the idea of collecting happy news stories! And the one where I read a book to them by video.
So many great ideas!
Okay...thanks guys...I’m on it! 😘