Forum home Archived Birth Clubs My baby was born in Mar 09

What are your days like?

Just wondering how productive everyone is during the day? I had all these ideas about what things would be like with a baby and how much we would get out and about but the reality is soooo different!

My lo wakes every 1.5hours for a feed, takes up to 40 min to get back off to sleep at night time then is awake from about 7.30am til about 11am when he might have a nap for an hour. When he is awake he often cries if he isn't being held (although for some reason he isn't like that at night). So when he is awake I can hardly do anything, I haven't mastered making breakfast and holding him at the same time so I just feel like most days I don't even get dressed, eat or do anything productive unless my hubby is at home and can help out. LO sleeps in the afternoon which is the only time I can do anything but by that point I just want to sleep!

I haven't been out with him on my own yet, and while I don't mind too much as I lost a lot of blood during the birth and am now anemic and struggling with double vision and dizzyness (not helped by lack of sleep!) I just feel like its not what I imagined it to be like. I feel like I should be meeting up with people and going to mother and baby groups, walks in the park, doing the cooking and cleaning on days when hubby is working and generally being more productive then I am!!!!

What's everyone elses experience of motherhood? Is it what you expected? And are you all fabulously productive and I'm just being really crap??!!!!!

xxx

Replies

  • Im exactly the same except my hubbie gets home from work at lunchtime so we do manage to do something together. My mornings are spent getting dressed and eating brekfast!

    I think i expected too much too soon-we will get out and about more but it'll take time plus they're so small still, they wouldn't get anything out of it anyway-all they want is to eat , sleep and be cuddled!xx
  • I feel like I've got it easy now compared to you!

    Riley usually feeds every 2-3 hours which I thought was often enough! He is pretty good at night he'll wake me up then I feed change and put back in his basket and he usually goes straight back to sleep (hope I don't jinx it now!)

    When I've fed him in the morning I'll put him back in his basket while I get dresses and he'll just lay there. Then when we go downstairs I put him in his swing whilst I get my breakfast. He doesn't really feel the full benefit of the swing yet as he's so tiny he doesn't really fit in it properly he just sits there staring at the side of him lol.

    He'll sleep most of the day so I just get things done in between feeds like sterilising, expressing, cleaning and washing etc.

    I haven't been out on my own with him either as we only got the push chair a couple days ago and I feel I need a bit more practice of putting it up and down before I embarass myself in public!

    xxx
  • Nope I am completly useless and my husband is currently home (he goes back to work tomorrow).

    My lo usually wants feeding every 3-4 hours so I do the middle of the night feeds and my OH does the early morning feeds (usually around 8am) and he lets me sleep in. I then get up, wash all the bottles, sterilise and make up the days feeds. OH watches lo while I dress, then the day is spent feeding, changing and cuddling lo - unfortunately she has gotten into the habit of wanting to fall asleep on me not in her basket so is a bit of a pain but I do enjoy the cuddles.

    Quite often its gotten to 3pm before I remember that I havent eaten yet, OH will make me some food but you can guarantee as soon as I get it near my mouth for the first bite my LO starts crying, its like she knows i'm about to eat !

    I'm sure all this will change as of tomorrow when hubby is back at work, no more lie ins for me anyway !! image
  • I started taking Peter out to mother and baby groups at 2.5 weeks and got a lot of comments about how impressed people were that I was getting out with him so early. One happens to meet at the end of my road, which makes life easier. The other has had an Easter break, so I've only actually been twice.

    On a good day, I will get a nap while Peter sleeps and may even have time to hoover. I usually get the washing up done and my husband is doing all the laundry. On a bad day I eat all meals one-handed and don't even get to take a bath. Every day is different, but I am determined to get more exercise and Peter does tend to sleep when he is in his pram, so more walks are my plan, although sleep is currently the priority.

    Libby Purves has an interesting comment about looking after young babies to the effect that we need to lean on other people at the moment, because the baby is leaning on us. Hard. So I am not worrying about housework more than absolutely necessary. That will slot back in when we have a routine established and a slightly better sleeping pattern - I hope!
  • Well as i have a 2 1/2 yr old, ive had no choice but to get back to normal. My oh is fab and does the cooking the majority of the time anyway, so i dont have to worry about getting dinner sorted. But I do everything else, and have so far manged to keep on top of it all since having Laila. I Cant stand being at home all day so go out most days otherwise James goes nuts being cooped up indoors all day. This morning i was up about 8am with James and Laila (lie in for me james norm wakes at 7), fed Laila then did brekkie for me and james. Got us all washed and dressed and went to soft play area to meet some friends and there kids about 10am, stayed there for about an hour and half. We then came home and had some lunch, Laila was still asleep in her car seat still, had to phone tax credits so james was playing. The went out about 1 to see my mum and grandparents who are visiting at the mo, Laila was still asleep in her car seat. she woke when i got to mums for a feed. stayed there for few hours then came home. Fed her again when we got in, then James and I had a bath, while she was asleep in chair. Then from about 5pm she has been quite grizzly wanting constant feeding. so fed on and off form 5 till about 9. tried putting her down about 9, but she wouldnt go off, so got her up, she fed for about 5 mins, then i put her back down awake. shes was grizzling for about 20mins then she went off to sleep. havent had much chance to do anything round the house today, as been out all day. Think i managed a bit of washing up this morning and cleaned the loo!!
    I thinks its alot harder with your first though, so dont be too hard on yourselves. I have no choice to get on and do things as i have a toddler. also helps that Laila is a very very good baby, and norm goes at least 6hours at night between feeds, even went 11 hours a few nights ago. So i dont have the added stress of being tired.
    xx
  • I seem to be constantly feeding and changing nappies, thats it really!
  • Its interesting to read about everyones days. I have been trying to enforce some sort of routine so that lo and I know where we stand!!
    When lo wakes up approx 7-8am I feed him. I then place him in his crib under his mobile and I shower/dress/ makeup. I then change him and then have play time on his playmat. I then bottle feed him and take him for a walk. Sometimes he sleeps other times he is wide awake but settled. I then feed again about 1pm. After this he sleeps til 5-6pm so I try and go out to friends/shopping. At 6pm I start the bath time routine with bath/change/play/ feed and he is then sleeping in his crib by 7:45pm. I wake him about 11pm for a feed and he wakes abut 3am for a feed and then sleeps through.
    Its really hard but i found doing the same thing everyday helps us both. The gina ford book is really good but fairly strict. Her principles are great so just adapt them to you! My best tip is to let the baby cry if that means you get a sandwich made and to get as many feeds in during the day so that the bbay does not wake so often in the night wnating to catch up on calories!
    Its hard though. I prefer it when my DH is at home to help!!!x
  • Littlep- agree with u about gina ford- good but strict. Finally found my copy yesterday so have been having a good read, and plan to try and start the routine this week. Not going to do it exactly as far too strictb especially when i have a toddler that i have to take out and entertain.
    xx
Sign In or Register to comment.