Dealing with childcare before going to labour. (UK MUMS ONLY)

I would assume either an emergency baby sitter/nanny, your husband would have to look after your first lo or homebirth if this is possible/something you'd be comfortable doing. Hopefully someone else can help a bit more though 😊

I'm not in this position as we are fortunate that my parents can have him. However I have heard people plan for a home birth (but obviously this is only suitable if you are lower risk and you probably would still need a back up plan if you need to go to hospital). I also do know somebody who hired a doula to support her with the birth so her husband could stay at home with the older child.

Not completely stuck as my parents can travel but if it's during the night it'll be tricky. I mentioned it to my husband recently and he was so chilled like ohhh we will just sort it out when we need to 🤦🏻‍♀️ so praying our little boy is at nursery and then my parents have time to travel through. I'm high risk so a home birth isn't an option.

Not in this position but seen several posts in which the father would stay home and look after the first child whilst you go give birth and have a friend or doula support you if you were comfortable

Don't you or your husband have a close friend you could have on standby to come over and stay in your home when its time to go to hospital?

We have no village here or family in the country so I’ve elected for a Caesarian so someone can be here. I’m also having baby Christmas week so can’t really get daycare or babysitters on bank holidays. My mum has arranged to be here for that week and has emergency plans if I go early. My manager has also offered to take our toddler for the night until Grannie can arrive if I go early again (first baby came 10 days earlier than her section date).

If you don't have anyone at all, then your husband will have to stay home with your 1st born, it's the only way. Do you not even have a friend that you can ask?

We had my mother in law come over from abroad to take him and she rented a little cabin nearby for a month. I had a homebirth and wanted her for in case we needed to transfer to hospital but we didn’t really need her in the end

I'm currently stuck, I'm having my 5th baby in January and have no babysitter/anyone i can rely on, I won't have a home birth im to at risk with previous hemorrhage in labour

I think about this all the time and even more so now that I’m pregnant with number 2. Like what happens if it happens in the middle of the night? Both our sets of parents also live abroad but I’m very lucky that I have a lot of amazing friends who I know would take my daughter. My labour was very fast with my first baby so it’s just that I hope my friends would be able to get here quickly to take her.

I’m worried about this too - only 3 months with baby number 2 but I was in hospital a full week with number 1 after a very slow induction/labour. The actual labour was 3 full days… We do have family but that feels like a long potential time to shake up routine and my mum still works - she wouldn’t be able to get that long off last minute. I think we’ll be hoping for some evening favours just so my husband can come and see me each evening if I’m there a long time again, and when labour gets more established hopefully someone can help. We’re not relying on it though and I’m happy to do it myself if that’s what’s needed, I’ve learned from number 1 you can’t really overly plan the labour 🤦‍♀️ A friend in a similar situation scheduled a c-section and she said that really helped - the exact day was decided. I want to avoid a c-section if I can but that’s an option.

If you really have no one, put a chunk of money aside (make sure it’s way over what you’ll need just incase) downloaded the bubble apps and look through some sitters and maybe meet one beforehand and then you can book an emergency nanny. Which they have on the app.theyll all be dbs checked and most likely work in the industry with qualifications for things like first aid. So generally safer than anyone you know averagely. Prices range per hour but this is what I would do. U can also read reviews and contact any other families they care for

Plan ahead and hire a babysitter for the days you are in the hospital.

@Suzie unfortunately no. We moved to a rural location, because of my husbands work, just a year ago. So we don't know anyone here well enough.

I had my husband look after my son at home then I called my friend last minute to come in for emergency c-section with me.

I was in that position. I booked elective C-section. Took my 19months old daughter to a friend house early in the morning as my procedure was booked for 7:30am. Had my baby born at 11am. And by 1pm, my husband had to go pick my daughter up and brought her to the hospital. They stayed with me until evening and they had to leave so I stayed with my new born over night. Hopefully you get someone x

Some friends left their toddler with us. If you really don't have anyone close by or who could fly in, start looking for childminders or sitters who would be happy to step in even if it is in the middle of the night. Check credentials and references. We know of other couples who decided the mum would give birth alone or with a doula at the hospital while the dad stayed at home with the toddler. Having a doula with you at the hospital is more helpful than having your husband.

My mom came to stay with us a week before my due date. My plan for if baby came before this were to drop off my daughter at my friends house on the way to the hospital if there was time, if there wasn’t time we would have brought her to the hospital and my husband would have had to sit with her in the waiting room and miss the delivery

Thanks everyone, you guys are amazing. Loved your opinions and ideas. 💕❤️