How To Cope If You Are Due To Give Birth Around Christmas

Christmas is nearly there, and most families who celebrate this holiday are busy preparing - preparing presents, preparing for Christmas dinner, and preparing to get together with relatives or friends. If you are in your ninth month of pregnancy and due around the 25^th, your Christmas may be a little different.

To Celebrate Or Not To Celebrate, That Is The Question

The average pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks. The window in which you are most likely to go into labor lasts quite a bit longer than that, however. You could give birth any time between 38 and 42 weeks of pregnancy, and then there is the chance that you will go into labor prematurely.

My son was born on December 31, so I know a little bit about the dilemmas that a holiday due date bring up. We wanted to celebrate the holidays, and my husband suggested that we invite his mother (!!!) over for Christmas. She lives in another city, we were planning a homebirth, and we were living in a small apartment at the time.

The thought of my mother in law seeing my in labor totally freaked me out, so that one went out the window. All our friends and the relatives we actually enjoy spending time with went away for the holidays, so we ended up celebrating all alone. It was wonderful — the best Christmas I ever had!

You may wonder if it would be safe to travel for a day or two to spend Christmas elsewhere, whether you should invite people over for the holiday, and who may take care of any older children when everyone has other things on their mind. The ultimate decision is very personal, but here are some things to consider:

• Would traveling elsewhere still allow you to get to the hospital or birth center you chose? If you are planning to give birth at home, would you be able to get there? Keep possible harsh winter weather in mind when you discuss this one.

• If you are considering hosting a Christmas dinner in your home, would your guests mind packing up in the middle of it if you go into labor? Or would the party be able to continue without you (and your partner, if he is going to be at the birth)?

• Are you at all stressed by the idea of celebrating Christmas with lots of other people when you have a baby due so soon? If your answer is yes, simply celebrate the holiday alone this year.

• Those families who already have an older child or more may like to “ship them off” to their grandparents' house, or to another relative. This could give your child(ren) a wonderful, relaxed Christmas and could eliminate worries about childcare while you are giving birth. This doesn't work for every family, of course.

What To Expect From Your Christmas Labor And Delivery

Have you chosen to give birth in a hospital? Expectant mothers due around Christmas may be worried that there will be fewer doctors and nurses on staff during the holiday period and that there may be some problems if you need any emergency procedures like a cesarean section.

I have spoken to a few labor and delivery nurses about this, working in different hospitals in the United States. All said that there are just as many people working in labor delivery (and on other floors) during Christmas as there are on other days of the year. In fact, many nurses love to work during Christmas because of the overtime pay.

The hospital will always have plenty of people on call in case they are needed, and Christmas is no different. There may be fewer administrative staff working, but that will not affect your labor and birth in any way.

The staff at your hospital may work extra hard to make your baby's birthday/Christmas special for you if you are in labor during Christmas. Some hospitals have full-blown Christmas parties, but those that do not are bound to have cookies or special meals. It's still Christmas for those hospital employees that observe the holiday, even if they're working. If you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on your views) they may sing Christmas carols!

Those mothers to-be who have decided to give birth at a free-standing birth center or at home with a homebirth midwife may have have a few more complications. Some homebirth midwives will be going away for Christmas, and the same may be true for those working at free-standing birth centers. This is something you and your midwife should have discussed by now, along with any back-up options.

If there is bad weather as well when you go into labor, your midwife may take longer to get to you. This means that you will have to agree on when to call her — probably right when you notice that you are experiencing regular contractions or when your water breaks. Keep in mind that subsequent labors are usually shorter than first labors.

Your baby's birthday will be special, whether or not you go into labor during Christmas. You have nothing to worry about if you are going to give birth around Christmas this year, though your child may complain about having to have a two-in-one birthday and Christmas party in the future!