Thanks everyone for your support! It's both comforting and a little sad to know that so many women have to put up with this kind of pointless drama when they give birth.

The women's center of our hospital does not have visiting hours when it comes to family--as long as the patient allows it, family is permitted to visit at all times. They do allow you to create a visitor's list and will bar anyone not on the list from entering the ward. I'm seriously considering doing this "just in case"!

Thankfully, hubby has been supportive of me in regards to this, but I know it's hard for him. His mother is one stubborn, selfish b**** and will no doubt call him several more times in an effort to get her way. He told me he's at the point where he just doesn't want to call her until we're home and ready to accept visitors. He's already told me he won't tell her if my doctors schedule an induction (which they're talking about), because he said he just doesn't want to deal with her drama. It's sad, but I don't blame him one bit.

The danger, of course, is that she'll call him while I'm in labor. He's planning to turn his cell phone off, but since when has that ever stopped her?

Put your foot down honeybun, this is YOUR time.

Hugs!!

You said your hubby isn't planning on answering his cell phone, but that's never stopped her. Not sure about the hospital your going to, but at ours the nurses asked as soon as we checked in if we wanted them to release any info about the labor to people that called. If your hospital has that, make sure you tell them not to tell people. That way she won't be able to come and camp out in the waiting room.

A pp said that her baby wasn't allowed very far, neither was ours. My LO actually had a security band on her ankle that would lock down the ward if anyone tried to take her or got too close to the doors. I wasn't really worried about my MIL wandering off with her, but was it ever nice to know that there was NO way in hell my LO would be going anywhere until we were both released.

Sounds like you've got a great OH to share this experience with

whats she planning to do if you have the baby at 3 in the morning. surely the hospital cant allow people waiting arround like that. if every single mom on the ward had their family in the waiting room the place would be crowded!
tell her to back off and thell the familly the same remind them that your family are fine with it so why should it be different for them. i think the only preson who should be able to offer to be in there with you appart form your OH is your own mother but only because she may be worried about her daughter but even your own mother has understood (and rightly so) that she isnt needed
dont ruin your birth experience for selfish people

Stick to your guns. It got worse for me when ds was born. It's your child, you make the calls. No place for politeness here!

Thank you for the great advice! I didn't think about that, but I'm sure the hospital has a privacy policy. I'll just tell them not to give out my information to anyone who calls.

I'm not sure if the babies are fitted with ankle monitors or not, but my guess is they probably are. The family visiting area is just inside the locked doors of the ward, at the other end of the hall from the delivery rooms. In order to take the baby there, you have to pass the nurse's station. It never occurred to me to ask on the tour what the visiting room policies are; I wasn't planning for anyone to be in there. I'm still not, no matter what MIL says.

My OH is just about as near perfect as I can ask for. He's been so sweet and supportive through everything, and now that we're getting close to the birth he's becoming incredibly excited. If only his mother wasn't psychotic, everything would be great!