watch the mother in law thing.when i had my first child i was 20.living at my inlaws.i was very close to my mother inlaw.afterv the baby was born she took over.telling me what to do.gave my son his first bath while i wasnt there.when i changed him for the first time she bumped me with her hips and told me she got it.we got into a bad fight over everything that stressed my wife and i to a point we almost broke up.not saying its going to happen to you but i will sit her down and get the ground rules out of the way so there is no tension.trust me it can happen
My mother-in-law made plans of staying with us with out even telling my wife and I. When she said it at dinner I almost choked. I didnt even think twice before telling her that she was not welcomed. I could easily see her doing what Duke62's MIL did. Im not a deadbeat dad. I want to be there for everything I can. Im actually looking forward to having to get up to take care of my child. Regardless of whether I get enough sleep or not.
The sign they taught us at the class we took was to pay attention to the 5-1-1. That is: Contractions that are spaced out 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute long and take place over the course of 1 hour. When that happens it is time to go to the hospital.
My baby is due December 8th but I have a feeling it will be sooner than later.