Best time to get family help?

Question.

I'm in Dunedin, pregnant with our first baby, and my family is in Auckland. My parents want to come down to help out around the house etc but are leaving it up to me to decide when the timing would be best for me. So.. Since they can only leave work for brief periods of time, should I ask them to come down just before my due date, around the time I'm due, or after? And if before/after, how long?

Thanks for any help! I want to get flights booked asap because I'm due early Dec and Christmas always inflates prices!

I am assuming you have a DH... so after bubs is born and your DH has to go back to work, depending on how much time he will be taking as paternity leave etc.

It is good to have a few days/weeks just the three of you to be your own wee family unit, and to get used to the way life is now.

Once you are alone in the house with a newborn you suddenly find that it is hard cooking dinner with a baby that wants to be fed/held continuously from 4pm to 8pm... that is the time you are grateful for any useful help at all.

As Maya22 said - once your DH/DP has gone back to work that is the best time but that is hard to work out for flights (in advance) so maybe if you book them in 3 or 4 weeks after bubs is due then you can be sure that bubs will be here and you would have had some time yourself with bubs.

But in saying that whenever they are with you will be great relief, if they come before I am sure they can help stock your freezer with dinners and lunches.

Hope all goes well and enjoy the time your parents visiting!

Man, now would be good for me!

I agree, after your DH goes back to work. Make sure they come to help too, not just hold and look at the baby.... that's not help.

I'm in the "once DH is back at work" camp too. With my DS1 Mum was booked to come 2 weeks after my EDD (we live outside NZ) .. DS had other ideas though and arrived 8 weeks early Mum couldn't change her flights so we were on our own till he was 2 months old and TBH it was hard but not that bad. I loved having the chance to get to know him without someone else interfering.

Having said that, we did the same thing with my sister for DS2 and he was full term so my sister arrived when he was 2 weeks old and it was so nice to have someone here making me cups of tea and keeping me company while I was getting to grips with BF again (lots of hours on the couch) and also help with meals. It was great!