DH and MW visits....

My MW works part time hours, so most of my appts have been during the middle of weekdays, but DH works in a different town, so its been hard for him to come along to them. I know that he really wants to come, cos he's so excited about this baby and he wants to be involved with everything. Its lovely, and I feel kind of sad that he's been missing out on the appts (even though not much happens at them anyway - I mean how exciting will it be for him to sit around while I get blood pressure take, pee on a stick, answer general health questions, and get my tummy poked etc...but I know he wants to hear babys heart beat!

So this week, I'd tee'd up for him to come to an appt this morning. I got the midwife to schedule the appt for earlier than is norammly convenient for her, and asked DH to go late to work, so that he could come to this appt. But just before we were about to leave, the MW called to cancel the appt cos one of her ladies went into labour! (I guess thats the nature of being a midwife eh?) Bugger...so DH was late for work for no reason, and we have to reschedule the appt for another day anyway!

Okay, so after that long ramble, my question is this: do you feel that its important for your partner to be included in the MW appts, or is it not so necessary?

(hes come to all the scans, and will be coming to the antenatal classes...)

 I'm happy to have the appointments for just me - except hubby met our midwife at the 12-week appointment, so that he could hear baby's heartbeat and meet her, and she's asked that he's at the next appointment for a tour of the hospital.  I think it helps meeting them before the birth (and going to antenatal classes), but I haven't felt like he'd need to be at each appointment. 

Hubby came to most of my appointments when pregnant with Andrew as I didn't have my licence then. He hasn't been to any of these ones yet. He already knows the MW as same on a with Andrew so he will only come along to the scan and maybe the odd appointment later on when I cant drive.

My hubby came to them all but in a way I felt it was a waste of time for him because half the time I was in and out within 15/30 minutes so it was a lot of effort and hassle for him to get there to watch me get blood pressure done etc and hear about normal and abnormal pains and discharge etc.... still he wanted to be there so that was nice

Im sorry ladies but I disagree - I think our husbands should be there - it's such an amazing experience and why should they miss out. Our appointments are always at 5pm on a Thursday, we both work and our m/w likes to work around us.
And let's face it - our husbands will be working with the mid wife on the actual birth day - so it's great that they have a bond there aswell.

My DH stopped coming to the visits coz of work and it wasnt a biggie

My DH was at every one of Alan's appt's cause to start with they were at the hospital and cause I can't drive he had to take me . when we shifted to NP our m/w came on a monday which happened to be hubby's day off. He was a little disapointed that he could not be at the appt's for Michael cause he chaged job's. I don't think it is too impotant for them to be at all of them and to honest I enjoyed not having hubby there all the time this time cause hten I got to talk about him it was good. I do think hubby should meet the m/w before the birth tho.

My DH finds all the blood pressure etc stuff kinda boring after a couple of times, generally it's nice for him to come along for the "first heartbeat listen" and after that, I am quite happy to go on my own. Although I do like him to come along towards the end, especially when there are talks about birth plans and stuff, and it makes me feel more comfortable when I know they've met a couple of times, like it will make it easier for them to work together on the day.

In saying all of that, we're up to round 3 and he probably came to 30% of the appointments the first time around. (About 50% of the ones he could get to.)

when i was in Japan, preggers with Jake, Lewis wasn't allowed in with me...apparently his presence and men in general, might disturb the women there (given that all are pregnant, i;d say most were more than comfortable with the Male presence...but anyway), so he missed out. Although it wasn't such a big deal, i felt that it didn't allow him to bond with bubs while I was pregnant - don't get me wrong, once baby was born he was number one dad, but he once told me - at eight months preggers - that he couldn't believe I was having a baby, and thought sometimes i might have been faking it - and just retaining water.

Well Willie is such a shining example - my midwife looked after me with Maya from the day I found out I was preg until she was six weeks old, and since I have been 6 weeks pregnant with the twins, and Willie has still never even met her!

They did speak once - when I was in labour having Maya and she rang him at 2am to tell him he should have been there and that he was slack...

Oh but he came to a scan for the first time a few weeks ago. And went to sleep half way thru...