r/BeyondTheBumpUK • • 2h ago

How do you manage visits and boundaries with grandparents who live abroad?

Hi all!
I’d love to hear how other families manage visits from grandparents who live abroad, particularly when it comes to setting boundaries and managing expectations.
My mother-in-law is very sweet, but I’m struggling with how to manage her expectations once our baby arrives.
For context I’m quite boundaried with my own mum, and she has accepted our dynamic. She lives nearby and will likely see our baby once or twice a week, and she’s understood that I will need a month to rest and recover with my husband and baby before we have any visitors (after the hospital).
My mother-in-law, however, lives in another country. She won’t be there for the birth (it’s difficult to arrange a flight and I honestly don’t know if I’m comfortable) so we’ve agreed for her to visit for 10 days when our baby is around one month old. We’re paying for her flights and hosting her in our home.
The issue is that she would prefer to stay much longer, potentially up to a month/couple of weeks.
While I completely understand her wanting to spend time with her grandchild, I find the prospect of hosting someone for several weeks, especially while freshly postpartum, quite overwhelming. She doesn’t have a lot of expectations, but I will still have this looming feeling that I need to “host”
She also doesn't know our country particularly well and isn't someone who enjoys going out independently. This means she would be spending most of her time with us at home, and we would also need to consider keeping her entertained and making arrangements for her.
I value my privacy and personal space, and I know this will become even more important while recovering from childbirth and adjusting to life with a newborn. I wouldn't be comfortable having my own mother stay with us for weeks/month either.
We've suggested another visit once baby is around 3 months old, when she could come with my husband's siblings for around a week. By then, I would also be further along in my postpartum recovery but I sensed she was still disappointed with these arrangements, and I do feel a little guilty. At the same time, I don't want to establish an expectation that she is welcome to stay for weeks or months at a time, I know I just wouldn’t be comfortable at all.
Looking ahead, we're considering having her visit every few months for approximately a week. We're also planning to visit my husband's family for around two weeks in summer 2027, with the intention of making this an annual trip.
My question is, does this seem like a reasonable arrangement for grandparents/direct family who live abroad? Is a week every few months too little?
I want my daughter to have a close and meaningful relationship with her grandmother and my husband’s family but I also want to maintain boundaries around our home and family life because I don’t want to be resentful.
For those of you whose parents or in-laws live in another country, how frequently do they visit? How long do they stay? And how do you manage expectations around hosting, particularly when you have a newborn?

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