Hospital Visitors - Hubby and I not seeing eye to eye

LaLa Michelle

Ok, so I've been cruising some of the other posts and I know the best answer is, "This is my birth experience and MY comfort is paramount because baby needs me to be happy and healthy", however, that is not the way things seem to work here in my world.

My husband is a wonderful man, but he often does not fully understand my wants and needs and often disregards my requests. His family, namely his sisters, are really pushing to be in my room visiting with the baby as soon as humanly possible after I pop him out. I have already expressed to my husband several times during this pregnancy that I want to be a little bit "selfish" and do NOT want any visitors, family or not, until a few hours after I deliver. I want to have a few precious hours to rest and for him and me to bond with our baby because I know once we allow visitors they'll never stop coming! He wants his family there soon after and both of his best friends because he got to hold his friend's sister's baby the day he was born and wants his best friends to be able to hold our baby the day he is born.

I am at the point where I feel like I need to go behind his back and either write it in my birth plan or let the nurses know I do NOT want visitors for X amount of time, no exceptions, even if hubby says it's okay. I know for a fact he will disregard my wishes, because he does it all the time with much more trivial things, but this is one issue I am not willing to budge on. As a matter of fact the last time I brought it up and told him I'm going to want a little time to rest and bond with our baby he told me, "Well my family is going to want to see him, they're going to be at the hospital the minute he gets here". Ummm, not if you don't call anyone to tell them he has been born yet! He doesn't get it though.

BTW, we were going to have a c-section due to placenta previa, but in my 34th week that has resolved and baby will be coming naturally. His sister thought we were still having a c-section and said, "I want to be right there the second they wheel you out of recovery". He did not bother to say anything to the effect of, "We want time to ourselves and we'll call you when we're ready to accept visitors", instead he said, "We're not having a c-section now, so you'll know as soon as he's born".

Basically, what might be my best way of letting the staff know that my wishes trump his without saying it to his face (again)? I'm the one pushing this kid out and deserve to rest and bond with my baby as long as I want.