Hellobee Boards

I live 2.5 hrs away from my hometown.
1. For DS, he was due at the end of January and I had my shower Thanksgiving weekend. I drove.
2. For DS, my parents came as soon as I told them I was in labor, which took forrreverrrr. They showed up late Sunday evening and he was born late Monday - i was admitted to the hospital early Monday. For DD, we called as soon as they scheduled the c-section. My dad couldn't come and he was bummed. My mom stayed over to help with our son while I was in the hospital. She left when I came home.

3. I think the first time I came home for a visit for both was Easter. so just under 3 months for my son and 2 months for my daughter.

Our family is all in the same city 3 hours away.

My shower was there at 29 weeks. We had a pick up truck so brought most back after the shower but some big items we left and my mom brought them up when she came to visit a few weeks later.

When I went into labour my husband called my mom and she came up to be at the house to watch the dogs. That was a Sunday. We got home Tuesday and she left Friday.

We went home for Easter when my son was 5 weeks old. It was fine other then I was really sore and the car ride hurt. He slept great though!

I did not have a baby shower back at home. Some people at our church threw one for us locally and relatives bought/sent things off our Amazon registry.

My mother flew in when I went into labor at her insistence, even though I was clear I wanted no one at the hospital but DH and I. She just sat at my house cleaning and fretting for 2 days. My brother and Dad drove up once they heard DS was born and everyone (my mom, dad, and brother) met DS at the hospital the day after he was born for about an hour. My brother and dad went home soon after that and my mother stayed with us for 3 weeks.

My in-laws came to visit for 4 days when DS was 6 weeks old.

We live in Houston and both DH and my families live in the east coast (4 hour flight).

1. We went back for a baby shower when I was 35 weeks pregnant, and it was a pain trying to bring back the gifts. We flew southwest so thankfully we each had 2 checked bags for free. We filled those up best we could but it was a hassle and there are still random items at my in-laws house that we couldn't bring (same kind of thing happened at Christmas)

2. My mom came the day before my due date and planned to stay until the baby came (DS came 4 days late). Then my in-laws came the next week.

3. We took the 4 hour flight back for Christmas when DS was 7 weeks old. He got his 2-month shots a little early. He was great on the flight. I just on-demand nursed him and he basically slept the whole time. We are flying again for a wedding (he is now 4 months) and I'm more nervous for this flight because he is much more alert/talkative so I don't think he will sleep the whole time.

I am sort of half and half. I live within 1.5 hours of my mom and my dad lives a 6 hour plane ride away. So, more related to my dad and your second and third points. My dad waited until DS was about 6 weeks old to come visit. DS was 4 months when we flew to see him - for Thanksgiving.

1. I live halfway across the country from my family and a couple of hours from DH's family. My mom wanted to give me a shower complete with games and all the awkwardness that it involves, and which I hate. I said I'd fly home for it as long as it was before a certain date. She procrastinated and the date came and went. I ended up having one at DH's aunts house that was more my style: food and cake, but no games. My mom flew up for it and stayed a couple of weeks, since DH had to travel when I was 35 weeks.

2. She came again a few days before my due date, and my dad came the day after my due date, since he had to work. DS came 4 days late, so it worked out. They left when he was 7 days old.

3. I brought DS home for 3 weeks when he was 4 mo. But when he was just over 2 mo, DH had to travel out west where some of my dad's family now lives, so we went with him and DS (and DH) got to meet that side of the family.

I'm in SoCal, hometown in Wisconsin. In-laws lives in Colorado, with all my DH's extended family in Minnesota.
1.) No baby shower in my hometown, close relatives sent gifts
2.)My parents came 4 weeks after baby was born for a week. In laws came 3 weeks after baby was born for a week. They stayed with us. My parents offered to come whenever I wanted them, I wanted to get into a rhythm before anyone stayed with us. I loved it, same schedule with both babies
3.) Visited WI between 2 months and 12 weeks. We had a "welcome baby" party. My in-laws live in a separate place than all of the rest of my DH's family. We went to a family wedding around 4 months with J where he met everyone. If not for the wedding we wouldn't have made the trip, never visited with L.

1. Did you go home for a baby shower? If so, did you drive so that it was easier to bring gifts back or did you fly due it being easier? Did anyone go after the baby was born and make it more a meet the baby kind of thing?

Nope. Relatives/family sent us gifts sporadically, shower was just friends.

2. After you gave birth when did your family come visit? Was anyone there before you started going into labor? I don't think I want anyone to come down until after I give birth but I'm not sure. How long did they stay? Did they stay with you?

My parents arrived four weeks after EDD which turned out to be almost exactly four weeks after I gave birth. It was great. In-laws came out right after that.

3. When did you go home for the first time with the baby?

Still have not done this. LO is 11 months. Both sets of grandparents have flown out many times to visit us, and we went on one trip to see my grandmother and assorted relatives when LO was 5 months.

1. I flew home for a baby shower. The invitation asked everyone to ship gifts since I wouldn't be able to bring them home with me. Everyone besides 1 person did that. (she bought a few onesies that were not on the registry so it wasn't a big deal) So the shower was great because everyone didn't get bored siting around watching me open gifts and I didn't have to be the center of attention!

2. My mom flew in the day I went into labor. She had bought a refundable ticket for a few days before my due date so she would be here already if I went late. Well of course I went two weeks early. I had a very long labor so she made it with time to spare! I wasn't planning on having her in the room for LO's birth but after 26 hours I broke down and got an epidural and didn't care who the f*ck was in the room! hahah. She stayed for 7 weeks. LO was/is a really bad sleeper and we had reflux issues when he was a newborn. I also struggled with PPD so she stayed longer then originally planned to help me out.

3. We went to visit my inlaws when LO was 6 months.(they are unable to travel due to health reasons) We were planning to go earlier but it just kept getting pushed back. At our 1 month check up, our pediatrician said we could go whenever but I wanted to wait until he was at least 2 months so he would have 1 round of vaccines (we are on a delayed schedule so he would have really only had minimal protection in those terms) He still ended up getting sick on our trip (croup)

1. We went home for the baby shower. We were in the process of moving across the country, so we had a truck with a uhall to store things (though we got lots of gift cards. But, for our wedding shower, I flew in. I got mostly gift cards or things were mailed to our house (we had a note that gift card/mail to house was the best option on our invite). We would of done that for our baby shower, but we didn't have a house yet.
2. It was only my husband and I when I gave birth. My mom visited a few weeks later after DH went back to work (10 days). My husband's family came about two months later for thanksgiving, and my family for Christmas.
3. The first time we went home was when DS was about 9 months. We drove there. DS's first airplane ride was around 7 months.

I drove home for the shower and took presents home in the car, which worked well.

No one came for delivery, but LO came a month early and quickly so no one could've even if they'd wanted to.

We went home 4m after he arrived.

DH and I live about 8 hours away from our mutual hometown.

1. We did have a shower at home with both of our families and hometown friends. We drove home but did the drive in one shot. I was 31 weeks pregnant at the time and it wasn't that bad, but I had a relatively easy pregnancy and didn't experience any swelling. (I think we made one more stop than usual for me to pee.)

2. No out-of-town family came until after the baby was born. I was induced at 41+1 and was pretty sure I'd be late all along, so no one had any plans or assumptions about being there for the birth. My dad and sisters drove overnight on the evening of the day we left the hospital so they could spend the next day with us and meet DS, but we could settle in a little at home first. They just stayed for the day and then drove back that night. (They are awesome! And my sister made me padsicles haha.) Then, my ILs came to stay with us for a week when DS was 3 weeks old. That was a little much for me bc my MIL can be a little high maintenance. After that, my dad came for about 1.5 weeks and my sister came for a 4-day weekend. They were really helpful and I did not want them to leave! Then, they came back for Thanksgiving (which was the week before I went back to work).

3. We went home for Christmas when DS was about 3.5 months old. We drove overnight both ways and the drive wasn't too bad. However, the actual visit was rough bc he went through the 4-month sleep regression while we were all staying in the same room at my ILs. I would highly recommend avoiding making the first trip home around the 3.5-4.5 month mark!

1. My mom didn't throw me a shower but for my wedding shower I flew to it. DHs parents had driven up and drove some gifts back, others my mom stored, and we got the rest when we drove up one time at a later date.

2. By choice I waited to tell my mom I was in labor when I knew it was too late for her to get there in time. She came the next day and stayed in a hotel for 10 days. My dad and sister came towards the end of her stay. It was fine since they had a hotel, but a little long. They weren't helpful and I felt I had to host but that's just how they are. I would never allow anyone to stay in my home after giving birth.

3. I flew solo to visit (90 min flight) when DD was 6 weeks old.

I'm 11 hours away from my parent's primary home (and my extended family). My parents also have a vacation/retirement home 5.5 hours away from us.

1. I flew home for a baby shower when I was around 30 weeks.

2. My parents went down to their vacation home about a month prior to my due date, planning to stay until DD was born. I was induced three weeks early and called them to head up my way as soon as we started the induction. My labor ended up being over 36 hours before my C-section so they were there for much of my labor and were able to meet DD right away!

They stayed at my house while we were in the hospital and took care of our dog. My mom also stayed for 4 days after we came home from the hospital. She was planning to stay a week but left early because she said that we had everything under control and didn't need her.

3. Our first trip back home (where all my extended family is) was when DD was 3.5 months old.

My family are all in the same city, which is about a 3.5 hour drive away from here.

1. I did go back for a baby shower, at about 35 weeks. My doctor was OK with it, and there are good hospitals there, should I have needed it.

2. My parents were going to come up when I went into labor, but they decided against it when I actually did go into labor. We were fine with it either way, and I know for sure they would have come had I asked them. I went into labor around 2:00 p.m., and baby was born at 8:10 a.m. the next morning. I don't think they had any concrete ideas about when they would come up after she was born, but by 3:00 p.m. on the day she was born, my mom was on the phone asking if I minded if they came that night. My dad was SO anxious to meet the baby. So, they drove 3 hours, stayed for 2, and then drove 3 hours back that night just because they couldn't stand to wait to meet her. It was both insane and very cute. My mother-in-law (~7 hours away) came the day I got home from the hospital, and my mom came back the following week). Both my MIL and my mom stayed with us, which was helpful.

3. We went down to see my parents about 2 weeks after she was born. We decided not to go down for Easter (~10 days later), but by the following weekend, we were ready for my sisters and grandmothers to meet her. It was very low key and a good time to go.

1. I had a baby shower local to me, at my house my mom and aunt came and threw it for me. They live about 5 hours away.
2. I was induced so I called my mom when I was about to check in and told her to come the next morning. She did. I didn't have DD until 36 hours after my mom got there. Then she stayed with us for one week.
3. First trip to visit them was when DD was 7 months.

I live in Arizona and the vast majority of my huge family lives in Connecticut. By huge I mean 22 aunts and uncles & 27 cousins.

I did go home for a baby shower for three reasons. 1, I have a large family all centrally located in one place, so I knew pretty much they would all be able to attend. 2, this baby took a long time getting here and so I really wanted to celebrate. 3, it was the first baby of this generation so I knew people would be really excited too.

2) I asked my mom to come for the birth and about 2 weeks postpartum, and she did. It was a huge blessing and she was amazing support during labor and postpartum recovery. My dad and in laws have more specific work schedules, so is very much up to them when to visit. My dad is the same one little one is 7 weeks old, and my in laws are visiting when he is 8-9 weeks old. My darlin inlaws are you coming for a week. My mom and my dad stayed with us, because we have a guest bed for one. My inlaws will not stay with us, because we don't have enough space and they love staying in hotels.

3) I don't know when our first trip back home will be. My husband I are both teachers, so our schedule is predetermined by the school schedule, because we can't really take any other time off. We talked about a trip in the summer when he is 4-5 month old, or a trip around Christmas when he is 11 months old. But really there's no other options in terms of schedule anyway.