As of today, my son will be exactly 2 weeks old. It has been a very emotional journey so far and I hope this little one brings a lot of joy and happiness in our lives. I am currently taking some time off from work to make sure both the mom and baby get the attention and help they need getting accustomed to the new environment and relationship. But I am sure I will need to get back to work soon.
I would like to know from anyone here in my situation on how to deal with a new born at home trying to get all my attention and still focus on my work. Any advice will be really valuable.
Thanks.
Top comments (1)
Congratulation on your journey for being a parent :)
I keep asking this same question to myself, even now that my "new born" is 1.5 years old.
Some may continue their work as if nothing has changed, but you're obviously not of that kind.
How to handle a profesional and private life along with baby's arrival is still a mystery to me.
In my case, I took an extreme decision, to take one year off, without salary.
The baby's arrival was only a trigger in that decision though.
I was already thinking of puting my daily job aside, traveling the world, and possibly making money on my own.
I wanted to see my baby growing. My work was eating my whole day (8am to 7pm), and my whole mind with job related problems howling subconsciously during spare time and week-ends.
I remember the first few months were particularly tough, juggling with concerns like breast-feeding, pump breast, artificial milk, weighing the baby, waking up every two hours at night...
For a few weeks that I was still working, I used to sleep in a seperate room to be as fresh as possible.
As much as possible, try to rest when your baby rest, or else you'll miss plenty of sleep and won't be efficient. Parents needs to be in a good shape, as baby caring requires lots of energy.
Try to alternate: while mummy take care of the baby, daddy can do something else, and vice versa. (Instead of taking care of the baby simultaneously, which we all do at first, out of curiosity and excitement)
If you're lucky enough to have close family to give an hand, then go for it. However it seems everyone's quite busy in today's society.
In the end, it's all a matter of balance: you can't spend your whole time with your newborn, and you can't ignore him/her either. Taking care of the baby exclusively even for one day can turn into an heroic task. Try to alternate some tasks so that both parents realize what it takes, and keep being sane.
Free time will be more precious than ever, which can actually helps to prioritize what's important.