Birth partner, self isolate?

[Nica85]

Hello!

Considering we are still in a pandemic, do you find it reasonable to ask your birth partner/partner to more or less self isolate when approaching the due date? If possibility to work from home etc. Especially if you have not been able to get covid vaccination for one reason or other?
Thank you!

Yes! This is 100% reasonable. My husband has been self isolating with me from the start. Going in for a ELCS next week and we are both being particularly careful as otherwise he won't be able to stay with me after the surgery and won't really get a chance to properly be with the baby. If I had not got covid vaccine we would be fully shielding. The risks are too great in the third trimestee

If this was possible for my husband to do, I definitely would. However, he is a key worker in an industry that was short staffed pre pandemic so even worse now and getting time off for self isolating wouldn't be possible and working from home is definitely impossible for him. We have both been fully vaccinated so I feel that's some comfort although I will be being extra careful once I enter the third trimester.

The plan was to have a home birth this time around (second baby born in an ambulance five minutes from my house after extremely short labour) in order for husband to be able to support me after the birth, even if he didn't make it back in time for the labour. However, unfortunately home births have all been stopped in my area again so will have to go into a hospital (that's if we make it that far though)

Yep, have done, we are doing. Undecided about DD and nursery but will probably keep her off the week before our induction date when we get it, of nothing else.

I realise we are fortunate that he can work from home- he has been back in the office for ages so not like they've just gone back in and he's coming back out again which also helps-but for anyone that can I think it's a no-brainer really.

Thank you for your responses! Its just interesting and good to hear it from others too (not that it should influence more than what feels right obviousely)
Hope you all stay safe and have good deliveries. I didnt realise they stopped homebirths in some regions

We are planning to self isolate as much as possible from January (due mid feb) as I'd be devastated if my husband caught covid & couldn't be in the hospital with me. He works predominantly from home but I'll have to organise working from home with my office ready for this.
I'm a bit nervous about the baby coming unexpectedly, I know most ftm's go over but everyone I know who's given birth in the past year has had very premature babies (9 weeks - 4 weeks early). So we want to be prepared for that too and start isolating early.

Yes especially with the various viruses and bugs going around. Since the schools have opened up my DC has brought home a bug or two and I’m expecting any day so I’ve chosen to keep DC off school.

I think it depends on circumstances. My husband is self employed and although I work his income is important to our household. We can afford for him to have time off after the baby comes however ideally need him to be working up until then.
I’m due next week. He’s working the next few days and will then be off until after the baby is born

Yep, I think so

I'm 36 weeks - have asked my Husband to generally be more careful over the next few weeks which he is totally fine with (although he is pretty careful anyway tbf), but we are pretty much going to isolate as a household the week before ELCS