When did you tell people you were in labour?

[bleachblondemom]

I don’t necessarily mean announce to the whole world, just tell like family members or whoever you felt was important. I don’t want to keep it from my parents or my husbands parents and then just be like surprise I had the baby but I don’t want to tell them too early and then keep getting harassed for updates. Especially as I’m going to try and stay at home for as long as possible in early labour, I know for a fact my mom will be constantly ringing me or trying to come round if she knows I’ve started having contractions. So I want to try to keep it quiet until I’m actually in the hospital, but she will definitely be ringing me every day around my due date... so I’ll have to answer the phone like ‘yeah I’m fine no news yet’ whilst contracting 😂

What if it turns out to be a false alarm? Like extra strong Braxton Hicks. It happens.

Didn't tell anyone, just enjoyed phoning my DPs after the birth to let them know they had a DGS and my DH phoned his DM ... really no reason to tell anyone (unless you need childcare for older DC) ... I wouldn't expect my DS to tell me if his DW/DP was in labour.

We didn’t tell anyone. It seems weird to tell people.

@StrippedFridge that’s why I wouldn’t tell anyone while I was still at home in early stages

@daisypond I find it weird to not tell people, when I say people I mean my parents and OH’s parents, not everyone we know. It seems, I dunno, sneaky somehow.

I didn’t tell anyone until DD was born, and with DS only my mum, as she had DD.

I felt it was a private thing, but I also kept pregnancy secret until after the scan both times.

Remember, if you tell your mum she will really worry, and probably not sleep. Possibly for 36 hours or more.

@bleachblondemom Cobgratulations on your pregnancy! I had on and off contractions for days and my parents knew because I told them the next day. When contractions started the last thing I wanted to be on the phone, I felt overwhelmed and needed to be in the zone and having DH with me the whole time not looking at his phone either. You can plan to tell your parents but in reality you may not have a chance to.

After I had my children!

I rather like the excitement of the group chats oooh, has anyone heard from Melissa in the last few hours / No?/ Maybe she's in labour/ exciting

It is fun.

@Viletta thank you :) yeah while I’m in labour I don’t want me or my OH to be concerned with answering calls/texts. I want to be able to tell our parents I’m in labour but then ask them not to keep bothering us 😆

My waters broke at 1am. Went to hospital about 7am. Told parents about 8am, but they were also told not to come to the hospital until ds was born and I was ready to receive visitors.

I didn’t tell anyone but my labour started in the middle of the night and DD was born by the morning. Might have been different if we’d been there longer or during the day but I liked it - nobody was fretting or messaging for updates and we told everyone she’d arrived right afterwards.

I dont think ill be telling anyone this time if i go into labour. With my last baby i was in labour and my husband getting texts from his sisters asking for 'updates' i was very tempted to grab his phone and throw it across the room. So next time i go into labour i will probably switch off phones and announce it once baby is here... And threaten dh not to tell anyone lol

@ToffeeAppleCaramel oh yeah if it all happened in the night then I wouldn’t bother. But there’s no way I can disappear off the radar for a day or two as I speak to my mom like every other day. At least if I told her I was in labour she would know I’m not available to chat lol

I didn't tell anyone. First phone call they got was baby is here. If you don't want people asking for updates then the only option is not to say. Labour can take forever and with all the best intentions in the world, after 20+ hours (in my case) they will be going mad overthinking it and try and find out.

The surprise phone call is amazing too.

I told my mum I was in labour straight away with both my ds’s, but she was my birthing partner so kinda obv. Think she told the majority of my siblings and kept them updated when we were at hospital.

I have a massive, close-knit family though so I didn’t mind

"I want to be able to tell our parents I’m in labour but then ask them not to keep bothering us"

Massively selfish. As soon as you tell them you're in labour they'll be thinking of you and worrying. If you're going to tell them, the least you can do is keep them updated. If you don't want to do that, don't say anything until baby is born.

"At least if I told her I was in labour she would know I’m not available to chat lol"
Well if she contacts you and you don't respond she will work out that you're not available to chat.
Lol.

Honestly I think it's the weirdest thing to tell people you're in labour, unless you need their help with childcare or something, or you had plans to see them that you now have to cancel.

You're assuming that you'll be in labour for ages, too, in which case I suppose you might end up having to tell some people, but if it's not a ridiculously long process just wait until baby has arrived.

Why would you tell someone you're in labour and then moan when the contact you wanting updates

Eww why are some people so negative!!

Anyway, I understand how you feel. My mum is such a worrier and I'd absolutely love to get through the whole thing without telling her then send a 'surpriseeeeee' message at the end!! I know the guilt would be too much though and I'd have to cave in and tell her, she would want to know but at the same time I want to avoid her being anxious and worried. I defo won't be telling anyone else until afterwards though!

@NameChange30 thanks for that, I’ll try to remember how massively selfish I am when I’m trying to give birth and don’t want to keep answering the phone every ten minutes

If you don't want to provide updates what's the point in telling them and having everyone sitting at home wondering how you're doing?

Sarcasm, lovely.
I'm saying it's selfish to tell them and make them worry if you're not prepared to update them.
It you don't want to update when in labour (which is absolutely fair enough) then don't tell them you're in labour in the first place.
Labour is not some kind of sport that needs to be broadcast with commentary.

I’m a few weeks away from giving birth, I came here for advice on something I’m obviously worrying about, not to be insulted for something I’m thinking about doing. Your whole tone in your first post was patronising, completely unnecessary way to talk to someone who is just trying to decide what is best to do.

I was induced on 7th April. Didn’t tell anyone labour had started. Phone my husband to come to hospital once he was allowed when I was 4cm dilated so laboured alone for a few hours. Then FaceTimed my mum with my babe on my chest the following day ❤️

I didn't! Just told people when the baby arrived.

Only my mam knew as she had to look after the older 2, I was only in labour for 3 hours and had him at 3am so everyone would have been asleep anyway. It was lovely ringing people to tell them we had him :)