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Is going camping the week the baby is due completely crazy?


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Lol, that's a bit like telling someone who's missing the Mardi Gras in Brazil to stay home and play musical chairs with masks bought from the $2 shop. It just doesn't hit the spot.

 

:)

Rosie

 

If they were planning on going to Brazil the week their baby is due, I would tell them exactly that. :D My idea was to give her dd something to enjoy instead - I'm not renaissance savvy. Can you tell? :lol:

 

BTW - has inflation hit the dollar stores and now they're $2 stores??? :tongue_smilie: That might be accounting for the higher prices for importing down under. :)

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As a mom who has done UC, I wouldn't do it unless the baby has already come and I was back on my feet. The situation with your hub is the absolute deal breaker for me. :)
:iagree:I'm completely shocked by the number of UCers on here!:001_smile: I'm due to have my 3rd UC in 6-7wks (all HBs) and I'd be worried about DH not being there. For you, Ravin, I'd worry about Rivka's thoughts:
I know that advocates of unassisted birth believe that it is very safe, but most other people don't believe that - so they would think there was something incredibly dangerous was happening on site. It seems unfair to put your community in the situation of either trying to ignore what's going on in the next tent or trying to decide whether or how to intervene.
This is your first natural birth...it might be a bit more than you've planned for, so staying there wouldn't be smart. Camping just with family, maybe. Then again, I wouldn't do it just because of afterward...how will we get clean?? I water birth. A land birth in the woods just seems so...dirty.:D

 

Anyway, if home is close and you won't mind the discomfort of sleeping in the woods till the end and traveling home during contractions, go for it. I'd forgo the responsibilities while there beyond helping set up and train your replacement.

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Estrella War, a week long SCA (medieval re-enactment) event, is Feb 14-21, 2011. Baby is due Feb 22, 2011. I'm on the staff for the event, as the youth center coordinator. All the youth activities except for youth combat are my responsibility, and no replacement has been (or is likely to be) found for me. We haven't missed the event but once since DD was born, and she'll be very disappointed if we can't go.

 

Is it completely insane to plan to go, with a willingness to revise plans as the event approaches? Most of my SCA friends think so, though DH doesn't think so (he probably won't be able to go because of his school schedule) and neither does at least 1 fellow homeschooling mom I know who has daytripped to the event.

 

Most of the group I usually camp with are undecided about going this year, too. Many of them want to take a trip to Europe or else go to Pennsic (a larger summer event back East) next year. That means finding people to camp with.

 

Since you're asking for opinions, I find your prospective actions to be ethically insupportable.

 

As an adult, it's up to you if you choose to risk your own body in whatever manner affects only you. Bungee-jump, skydive, wear no helmet, do whatever you wish.

 

However, childbirth is not only about you. It's about the child.

 

In what way would this decision actually benefit the child more than going through with your original plan? In what way would this decision be safer for the child than your original plan?

 

It's not fair in any sense of the word to risk putting others (the Estrella doctor, for example) at risk for liability should any assistance he provides be inadequate. It is not fair to do so without letting that doctor, medical personnel, or organizers of the SCA even choose or know about this in advance, or to put the insurance of the landowner at risk, and so on.

 

Most of all is the risk to your child.

 

It strikes me that you are not doing this for your child, but for your own reluctance to miss Estrella. Can you genuinely say this is an ethically valid choice? Really?

 

I strongly hope you make a different decision.

Edited by Charles Wallace
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I thought I should clarify that I have no intention of actually having the baby at the event. If I go into labor while there, I'll go home. It's about an hour and a half drive home; there are hospitals closer to the event than that if it comes to it.

 

I'm thinking I'll go if:

-I can find supportive people to camp with (not setting up a wall tent with just a 7 yo to help)

-I can arrange a person willing to help me get home mid-event if needed, and a person willing to pack out our gear should we have to leave mid-week. The ride wouldn't be fun, but we have a conversion van with a back seat that can flatten into a bed, so I can make it as comfortable as possible.

 

This isn't some remote site in the woods, it's actually an alfalfa farm that rents out the fields for large events. There are contingencies on site for emergencies, as I have mentioned. The more I think about it, the less it seems irresponsible to trust in them, just as I trust the hospital in the event something goes wrong with the birth.

 

Not going to deliberately have the baby in a tent, though.:tongue_smilie:

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  • 2 weeks later...

but this seems simple, commonsensical. If you go, then go home when you feel anything approaching labor signs, lose your plug....plan to NOT go, if you have dilated much or have any risk factors come up. Find a nurse, midwife or other trained buddy to drive you home. (We live in the country and each drive to the hospital was an hour trek.) Going about your everyday life, stay on your feet, and all, seems reasonable, healthy.....but use that deputy if you need to.

 

Personally, I would not go anywhere, that close to a due date, as I like to nest, and want all my familiar stuff and people near my nest, but that's just my preference. I totally focussed on the arrival of the new person, and wanted to make the "old" babies meeting with the "new" baby be gentle, quiet, special. Just my style and not saying yours is not wonderful. Oh, my 2nd and 3rd came so quickly, though, and 3rd was 3 weeks early, so I'm not giving good advice at all....just remembering my own experiences.

 

I like the suggestion to take your dd to other neat events of this type, if possible, so she does not get upset about missing all or part of the Feb. event, and possibly link missing it to the new sib's arrival.

 

Good luck, LBS

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If it's only an hour and a half drive through civilization, I think you'll be fine. I'd leave at the first sign of labor to be home in plenty of time, but that's close enough for me to feel comfortable. I wouldn't volunteer this year, I'd opt to just be a resource person for the person who will be in charge. And, I'd let both that person and your dd know that you might have to cancel completely if you're not feeling well or if #2 puts in an early appearance.

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Are you in my brother's barony? My brother is the Baron of Erud Sul: Baron Christopher Fitzarthur and Baroness Miana ni Chonnagain. If you are, call them and see what they think. Knowing Chris, he'd tell you to stay home. Knowing Mo, she say to stay and they'll help you with the birth. LOL! Would be an educational experience for all.

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I remember way back in the dark ages where you could go to the "Five and Dime" store. And they really did have things for only five and ten cents! But that dates me. . .

 

Jean me too! I loved the 5 & 10 stores!!! The fabric department was unmatched for great sales. :)

 

Melissa we also have some dollar stores where few things are actually a dollar, and others where everything is a dollar. Sometimes the dollar items are a bargain, and other times you're paying too much. :lol:

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One major issue for me was why did you have a c-section the first time. After having a c-section it is easier for things to go wrong. An hour and a half may be a short time to you but it wouldn't be if something goes wrong with the labor. I know you said the Dr has ER training but that won't help if he needs the specialized equipment that it takes to handle an emergency situation. Although you really want to go to this event I think it is just putting your baby at too much risk and as such I think it would be a very selfish thing to do. I know most of us want and have great experiences with birthing our children but there is always a chance things won't go the way we want. Having a baby at home is great but the hospital is usually only a few minutes away if something does go wrong. In this case you're talking an hour and a half. That is a long time for a baby in distress. As a nurse I've seen things go wrong in labor and minutes make a difference. I just think it's too dangerous and risky and wouldn't do it.

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