Childbirth Cubby Hot Topic - Delivering Around the Holidays

[Maribeth]

For those of you who have delivered around the holidays (or who are currently due), how did you prepare for the holidays around your delivery/due date/newborn? Were you very organized? Did you keep the holidays low-key? Tell us your secrets and tips to help next year's holiday-due-date moms be ready!

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[Lisa_K]

My son was due January 31st 1993, but I was starting to get uncomfortable. In November we began buying presents for our nieces and nephews and I wrapped and labeled as I went. We had put up our Christmas tree early (I like to have the tree up as long as possible) and then I was hospitalized for pre-term labor. Nothing else got done as DH was working 2 jobs and coming to see me in the hospital. Christmas baking did not get done, we missed all the parties, but it was suddenly not as important as we thought it was. We finally were able to finish our Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve (I was discharged from the hospital with a newborn at 11 am, stores closed by 5 pm - Grandma got to babysit right away!). Rather than several small gifts, everyone we hadn't shopped for got one or two things that we could purchase (of course this was 1993, prior to online shopping)

So my advice to those expecting is as follows:
-shop online, in the comfort of your home
-start early
-wrap as you go
-take time to relax
-don't do everything, you don't need to go to 10 Christmas parties this year

[missing]

Baby is due in mid-December here.

We got our shopping done last weekend (last weekend in November), and put our tree up.

We let both our families know very early on that we are absolutely NOT traveling for the holidays at all - they can wait until spring, or come see us. So far, nobody has complained about that one - they understand not wanting to do much driving with a newborn, let alone 3 kids under 5 !

[annalauren]

Accept "helping" visitors only if you know they will truly *help* and not add stress to you - even if it means not letting certain family members visit at first. There is so much to adjust to with a new baby and having support is a must.
If anyone offers to help run to the store or bring a meal, don't turn it down. If you don't need the meal right away, freeze it. You'll be thankful for it after a hectic day.
Don't make any assumptions about what you'll be up to after the baby arrives. Depending on how your delivery goes and depending on your baby's temperament, you may be able to get back to normal activies quickly, or you may take MUCH longer than you expected. Make sure friends and family understand that and don't make assumptions either.

[yep_theyre_twins]

I tried to get most of my holiday shopping done in October and wrapped by the first of November. That way I didn't have to risk taking a newborn out into the mall with a bunch of sick coughing and sneezing people around him.

It also worked out well b/c then you didn't feel like you had to take such a big sum of money out of your paycheck and you could spread it throughout the months before Christmas.

[Gayesy]

I am pretty over-the-top about being prepared! Even though Thomas wasn't due until March of 1997, I had the previous Christmas well and truly organised in advance. I wasn't expecting to actually arrive before Christmas of course, but I knew that the bigger I got, the less I was going to enjoy present shopping etc, so I got it all done very early, presents wrapped, the whole thing. I wasn't cooking Christmas dinner that year, so there were no worries there!

When I was due with Katelyn, the fact that Thomas had arrived four weeks early did factor in to me wanting Christmas and Thomas's fifth birthday all looked after in advance. By late November, I had all the Christmas presents bought and wrapped, and even Thomas's birthday things bought and wrapped, safely hidden away (and I told his father where they were, just in case!). On Thomas's actual birthday, I was 39 weeks pregnant, so I didn't plan a party for him that year. LOL. (My kids don't get parties every year anyway.) We did keep things pretty low key, just in case I went into labour.

[eastertwingles]

I had my first the day after Thanksgiving. She was 10 day early. I knew being so close I wasn't up to a big meal so we just went out. I did cook a turkey breast so we could have sandwiches. I never did get to have any by the time we came home from the hospital DH had eaten it all.

Now the twins were born on easter sunday. Thankfully my sister(and her ex IL's) took Amanda in and included her in their easter activities.

I think if I had known I was going to have them on easter I would have done easter for Amanda a couple days ahead. Unfortunatly I didn't.

[Maribeth]

From Saralinda via email:

Almost 31 years ago, I expected my eldest on Christmas Eve. If she were born either the 24th or the 25th, her name would have been Angela Noel. Now she tells me the reason she was a week late was that that name would have traumatized her.

To prepare, I quit work on Oct 31. All November I did Christmas baking and froze cookies. I had all my Christmas shopping done by Dec.1st. Christmas Eve we went to Midnight Mass. I told everyone we would not be going anywhere for Christmas so everyone came to our house in the the afternoon knowing there would be no Christmas Dinner.

As I said in the beginning, Elizabeth Ann was born December 31 which was her Dad's 30th birthday as well as her Great Grandma's.

I have told her dad ever since not to expect quite such a big birthday present again.

[Maribeth]

From Lori via email:

My due date was January 10, but by December 9, my Ob/Gyn told me I could go any day. I started my Christmas shopping in November and did the majority of my shopping on-line. Wrapping the gifts at 35 weeks was a bit of a challenge!

[Maribeth]

From Marilyn via Facebook:

I had twins born on Christmas morning, 44 years ago. I didn't think the babies would come at Christmas. They were due on January 18. I was a very organized person...then, so I had everything ready, including the food for Christmas dinner when my contractions started on Christmas eve. I don't remember that I cut back on the holiday preparation at all. I do remember; however, that my mom got to be with my kids on Christmas morning because I was in the hospital enjoying my twin boys.