Hi y’all, I need some advice. First a little background: I am due January 19 with my second. I live in Montana, and my mother lives in North Carolina. I am planning my second home birth.

I want my mother to come out to Montana to help with our three-year-old before, during, and after labor. She is retired, so she definitely has the time. The issue is cost. She wants to buy her ticket ahead of time rather than waiting until I’m closer to giving birth so that it’s not quite as expensive, and she doesn’t want to get a one-way ticket for the same reason. She is afraid that the return flight may end up being exorbitant on short notice. Our first daughter was born eight days before her due date.

I guess my question is how would you handle buying tickets? I’m fine with my mom being here for a couple of weeks but I don’t think either of us would want to live in such close proximity for longer than that. Has anyone dealt with anything similar? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!