What would you do?

Question

We’re invited to a wedding the week before my due date. It’s about an hour flight away. I’m DEFINITELY not going. 
But do you think my husband could fly down and back the same day? He would get a refundable ticket in case I go into labor or have the baby already. And I’d have my mom come over in case I started having contractions. 
It’s one of his closest friends. What do you think?

Answer

I wouldn't. It's an hour flight, sure, but if you go into labor when he's there, he needs to get to the airport, actually get a seat on a different flight (huge unknown), wait for flight, fly, get to you from airport.... You'd be very legitimately risking him missing the birth if you have a fairly short labor or circumstances that require an emergency c-section. If both of you decide it's worth it on the likelihood that baby won't come that day, then that's fine, but you should both be realistic about what the stakes are.

Answer

I’d send him. You could go early. Or late. So if he gets trip insurance he’ll be fine. Absolute worst case, he could always rent a car and drive back if he can’t get on a reasonable flight home. (Assuming it’s about a 4-5 hour drive). But if he plans same day flights, with the times all set at least you’ll know he has the option of going. 
I’m sure most people would say no. But many people go past their due date and are just hanging out waiting for baby to come.

Answer

I think others have raised good points and ultimately it’s your call. I personally would let my husband go but I also think it’s entirely reasonable to not want him to.

Answer

How upset would you/he be if he wasn't there for the birth? Like, do you need him actually in the room? Or would your mom be able to be your support system should there not be a flight available, or there's a delay, or traffic from the airport is bad? Basically, figure out worst case scenario and if you're all fine with it, he should absolutely be there for his friend. But if either you or he has reservations, it's not worth it.

Answer

Flights get delayed all the time too, so there is no guarantee he’d be there for the birth. I wouldn’t risk it personally but if you think you’d be ok with him not being there, then it’s probably fine.

Answer

I had all of my babies a week early, so if it were me, no I wouldn't want my husband going. One of my children I only labored 3.5 hours so even with being just an hour flight away, there could be a good chance he would miss it. I also have 4 other children at home, so we would need to make arrangements for them.

Answer

First baby I wouldn’t just because you don’t know if you’ll go early or late, but it’s up to you both whether you both can be ok with him missing it if he does.

Answer

Hm... that’s a tough one. Because even if the flight is only an hour - he’d still have to get to the airport and through security and hope there was a flight leaving when he needed if anything happened. He could miss the birth... I mean, labor and delivery can take a while but it can also go really fast. I knew someone who was only in labor for two and a half hours with her first.

Answer

1st baby?

What would you do?

Let's Glow!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey