FI/FO hubbie - will I know when I'm getting close?

[deni]

Hey gals,

not sure if there's really a clear answer to this one. I'm currently 32 weeks so a way off yet, but as my hubbie works fly in/fly out I'm trying to work out when I should get him to stop and stay put. By 36 weeks I'll probably be on weekly checkups with my obstetrician, can they at some point predict how close I'll be or is it still deciding on when bub is ready?

Hubbies rosters are 9 days away / 5 days back, BUT he's not contactable at night (no mobile service), so by the time he gets a message in the morning it will take him half a day to get home again (assuming he can get a seat on the plane).. I dont want him to finish too early but I dont really want to risk him not being there for me if I can help it!
This is our first baby so I'm hoping i can safely assume bub won't come before 39 weeks... but there's no guarantee I guess I'm hoping my ob can give me some clues as we get closer..

Has anyone else had a similar story? How did it work out in the end?
I guess i better have a backup support person just in case!

[Cricket]

Unfortunately, there isn't always a lot of warning before labour, and the pre-labour signs that do come, can take a couple hours or a couple of weeks. You can read up on the usual pre-labour signs in the articles section here on BB. They'll give you a bit of a clue if anything is happening. But the time frame is really indefinite. That's the tricky part.
I'd definitely line up a back-up coach - maybe get a doula? Would there be any way for you to keep closer contact with your DH during the last weeks of your pregnancy, just for peace of mind for both of you? I'm sure he doesn't want to miss his baby's birth either!
All the best for a lovely birth, WITH your DH at your side.

[bon]

With my last pg DH was working FIFO, only he was 4 weeks on, 1 off. We decided that he would come home when I was around 39 weeks and stay until the baby was born and at least 1 week after. My thinking was, I would rather have him home for the birth and the coming home part - there was no point in him being home before that with us just sitting around waiting for something to happen. In the end, he got a new job at home so it wasn't an issue as he was close by. But I would recommend you do a similar thing. There is basically no 100% sure way of knowing when you will go into labour. There are signs, but they can be ambiguous. If you go into labour naturally, it is unlikely to happen before 39 weeks, and may not even happen until 41-42 weeks, although that is not a given as you would know.

[deni]

Thanks for the tips girls. I'll check up on that article too.
Given that this was is an IVF bub, at least I can be sure of the dates, so long as my body doesn't decide to do something weird! DH and I will sit down and work it out a plan when he's next down.

[Alyssas_Mum]

I would get him to stay close at 36wks, I was at the hospital 4hrs before i went into labour and they told me i wasnt having a baby anytime soon (i was 2 days overdue), then of course 4 hrs later my contractions started so to be honest, they can never tell, labour is unpredictable and can start at anytime. Good luck and i hope all goes well.