I answered this on one of the other threads which has probably gone now. Anyway, I would not want to go away so near to the birth but my DH would think nothing of it, like yours. Men! However, first births are often late so if it is going to cause trouble between you and your DH perhaps you could go away just for a week? It's not as if there's a first child to be cared for whilst Mum is having Number 2, is it? It's really the father's job to be present at the birth, not yours. I do feel the birth of a baby is a precious time for the parents to bond with the baby and to get used to being a family, plenty of time for Grandma to get involved a little later.