Who watched your kids when you gave birth?

My husband and I are trying for our fourth child. I know this is early, but all I can think about is… where will my kids stay while I give birth? I’ve always had a parent to help(my stepdad because my mom is normally too busy shopping to keep them for me). They are divorcing, and both seem to overwhelm. I’m so saddened by this fact. We’ve always been a family-first family, and now it’s survival of the fittest. How many of you had your children at the hospital before the Covid? How many of your husbands stayed home with the children because of this very reason? How did you do it? What do parents of large amounts of children do while they are in the hospital?

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Who watched your kids when you gave birth? - Mamas Uncut

With my first 2, I did have a SIL to help, my last one… my own sister stayed at my house while I had my son

My husband stayed at home with my kids. He was there for the birth and would come visit but he took care of them for the most part. My grandparents helped with them when he was at the hospital for the actual delivery.

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Who watched your kids when you gave birth? - Mamas Uncut

I just had my 5th in April and my sister kept the kids during the days while my ol’man was it the hospital with me but he went home with them at night. It was hard being at the hospital alone all night but we only had to stay 1 night!

If your eldest one is a teenager, maybe a few close and trusted friends of his/her can babysit…

Any friends or family ? , or a baby sitter then , if not I’m sure your husband can stay at home until your actually pushing and then he can be called in , labour isn’t a fast process

Actually Barbara, the 4th one on are 3 or 4 pushes. My grandmother gave birth to my father in the greenbean patch. Her water broke, she felt the baby moving, took off her apron, lay down on it, gave one push and there was dad. She cut one of the tie strings off her apron to tie off the umbilical cord, rubbed her belly and passed the placenta. She wrapped dad in her apron and put him on top of the beans. She still had lunch to fix after all. The first birth I saw was a woman having her 4th baby, she had exactly 3 contractions popped out that baby and tore from her V to her A. A few minutes of sewing and it was all over. My ex and I were inside the hospital building just under 8 hours with the second one. The first one might take forever but by the 4th, chances are she’ll be checked out in the ER and her and the baby sent home because she gave birth in the car or the bathroom floor at home. I don’t mean to scare anyone but seriously, from 4 on babies hatch fast, I’d be planning on what happens if it comes too fast if I was dad in this situation. I’d also get a vasectomy, 4 is enough, it costs over a million dollars to raise one and put them through school.

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Who watched your kids when you gave birth? - Mamas Uncut

My parents watched my 4 for us.

My grandparents lived closest so our 2 yr old son stayed with his great grandparents while his baby sister was born

I have zero help from my family & my kids dads family doesn’t like me bc I am not Hispanic so he had to stay home with our oldest while I had baby #2.

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My husband was in the army. His Sgt watched my first born.

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My friend Carol Davis

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My in-laws kept our older kids when my last was born.

I don’t have family. No parents or aunt’s or uncles. But I was blessed with good friends who took my two older girls when I had my youngest.

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We are due to have our 4th in a month or so. And struggling with this same fact. We are going to try to split the kids up so it’s easier on family to help. But last resort is dad missing out and staying with our kids. If you have time which we don’t look into a baby sitter and build a relationship over this time and they could also help when the time comes.

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Your mom can’t stop shopping for a little while just to help? If you have the money I would say try a nanny

Friends? Cousins, siblings?

My hubby had someone watch them fir the couple hours it took for my c sections (weather it be my mom his mom etc.) And then they were back with us and he went home at night with them and came back in the morning I turned on cartoons and it was okay. The nurses thought they were adorable. And we brought snacks and stuff and talked to them like we would at the house. If they got to rowdy hubby took them to the park for a but then they’d eat and take a nap.

With my youngest son who was born at the end of 2019 my 11 daughter stayed the night with me my first night to help me after my C-section & she just adored her brother. My oldest stayed with her grandmother, unfortunately my son was in the NICU for two weeks after he was born though so that made everything more difficult. I was very blessed to have my mom and my kids father’s parents to help us out thankfully. Otherwise I honestly would have made him stay with the kids, it’s gotta be tough with covid though. Do you have any good friends that maybe could rotate helping? Good luck girl and congratulations!

With babies #2-5. Hubby only stayed with me until I delivered, then went home to be with our other kids. We had my parents to help watch while he was with me for delivery and my siblings helped.

I’d suggest a reliable nanny or babysitter and spend time building a relationship with them and your kids. Just let them know from the beginning that you may need them at a moments notice to watch the kids whilst you’re in labour. When I had my son my mum watched my daughter and then after he was born my hubby stayed with them.

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Who watched your kids when you gave birth? - Mamas Uncut

I had girlfriends keep my kids for one night. These friends even came to the hospital for the birth. But, I never had grands to return to.

My daughter had a good friend come over when it was time

You have a husband for this

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My ex husband stayed home with my oldest

My sister in law and brother in law lived 2 houses away… They never offered to keep my son while I was in the hospital… My next door neighbors had him stay with them… he had a blast .

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My sister always kept my kids. She really loved them.

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I had an in-home daycare & I kept several kiddos who got to become older siblings while mom & dad were at the hospital. My daycare kiddos were family to me & I didn’t mind keeping them for that big event so mom & dad didn’t have to worry. I didn’t charge them any more than their typical weekly fee (most gave me extra anyway) because I would have done the same for family or friends.

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Had a good friend who watched my kids. Except for #1 , I came home the next day with the other three,

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My in laws watched my kiddos when I gave birth. With number 4 my dad stayed the first night with my older kiddos(15,13,11) but my hubby went home to stay with them the other nights as my parents were in the process of moving and my dad couldn’t stay another night. We were new to town/the area and didn’t know many people. And my in laws all live half way across the country from us.

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Church family watched mine

You have enough time so save your money, call an agency and hire a bonded babysitter. That way your husband can be with you, you’re kids will be monitored by a trained professional and you don’t have to ask a family member.

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Honestly it’s way too early to worry about this. These things usually solve themselves

My husband had to stay with our older two when I was in labor with our youngest because we had no one we could leave our kids with, this was 5 years before Covid

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Plan on having your husband stay home if need be. In the meantime try and see if you can dibby them up between friends. Or Hire a nanny. Or possibly could plan a home birth.

Honestly I wouldnt plan on taking your kids to the hospital unless you know for sure they are allowed…even though covid #s are low they may still not allow kids under 18 in, yet since they go by their own rules. My mother in law watched my son while I had my daughter

You can hire a nanny or babysitter for a couple of days.

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Close family kept my kiddos. Can his parents and/or sisters or brothers not help out.??

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Ready to pop out my 4th and have no one willing to watch my other three oldest 15 boy 12 boy six girl …both parents passed they were who watched them but now we still have no plan

Can you afford a nanny?

Family watched while in labor but once born and all was ok my husband went home to be with our others. Though it’s nice to have them at hospital with you the reality is he needed to be home with the older ones. We were home within 48hrs. Oh we have 5 kids
:revolving_hearts::heartpulse::blue_heart::heartbeat:

My husband had to stay with our older two when I was in labor with our youngest because we had no one we could leave our kids with, this was 5 years before Covid

My MIL and SILs watched my oldest while I gave birth to my youngest

My sister in law watched the first kid when I had the second. They were both with when I gave birth to the third.

My 2nd Child my hubby stayed home with the 1st and my mom came to the hospital. Our 2 year old IMO needed a parent as much as the newborn.
Kadie was born at 0251, hubby took the oldest (Will) to daycare that AM and then came and saw his girls :sparkling_heart: then went and got Will and we all had a pizza dinner in the room together and met Kadie.
If I had a planned induction (common with makena) we would have asked a family friend to keep Will and hubby would have been there too. But I went into labor at mindnight.

With 3 kids maybe you could ask a friend of each to keep them one night while you are in the hospital and take them to school if needed?

When I had our daughter our sins babysitter kept him then my hubby git him and when my hubby came to pick us up from the hospital my mom and sister watched our son

My oldest was with her dad and our middle stayed with her grandma (dad’s mom) while we had our youngest.

My mom took my older kid/ kids everytime a new baby was born. They r pretty spaced out in age so technically could have been left at home alone when 4th was born my oldest was 15

My grandmother is coming to us when I have my baby

Our friends watched our first when we had his brother and then my MIL watched them long enough for me to give birth with our other 3 and then after they were born he had to leave to go get the kids. Each time I left the hospital the next day.

My parents kept my kiddos while my hubby and I were in the hospital, but we once watched a family of kids while their mom and dad were in having their youngest. It was a little odd since we didnt know each other super well, but they were in need and we could help. The oldest child was in my daughter’s class in school and we chatted at pick up time.

I had family members to watch mine.

I had a wonderful babysitter. Lived next door…she had raised 8 children. No worries.

If you belong to the Church of Jesus Christ call your Bishop and he will see that your children are well taken care of. Service is what our church is all about. Your husband should be with you.

Maybe ask your stepdad. Yes it is survival of the fittest but grandkids might be what he needs right now. I’m sure he also needs to know he is still part of the family

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Even though your mum and stepfather are parting that does not mean your relationship ends. You obviously trusted him to keep the kids before so unless something happened why change that.

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We also have 4 kids. each time a new baby was on the way the others stayed at home with my parents and came up to meet their new sibling after. depending on when you are due and ages of your older 3… id plan on having a sitter/s on call to watch the older kids, and your husband will go home a little while after the birth. with our 4th this is what we had to do. my last baby was an emergency c section, we both almost died before making it into the O.R. just be a good planner you already have 3 kids juggling them is good practice