Tegan - I think it is perfectly fine! I am lucky that our phone has an option for "do not disturb" which means it goes straight to the machine (which plays silently so we don't hear it) and we just get a flashing light to indicate we have a message.

I love the email idea! I've already decided I am changing my voicemail in January to say "If you are calling to find out if I've gone into labour or have had the baby - calling ten times a day won't make it come any quicker! We will call YOU when we have news. If you just want to chat - leave a message and we'll call you back when we're able to. If it's urgent, please SMS the issue and I will call you as soon as I can". Mean and heartless but I don't want a million calls either! And our family and friends will understand (or blame pregnancy hormones!)

MG