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01-08-2013 at 6:00 AM
emmylou131...
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Joined on 05-21-2012
591 Points
emmylou1313 is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 12:18 AMNewbie

me time

i love my little girl to bits but sometimes i wish my husband would take her for just a hour and let me have some alone time. i have taken on every night feeding and changing since the days he works he has to get up at 4 but every other night when i ask for some help so i can get a bit of rest he either wont wake up or makes an excuse. he wont change her diaper and i have to ask him to hold her. if she gets hungry when he is holding her i make the bottle and he gets me to feed her. i asked him to watch her for 30 minutes so i could get a shower and he told me to hurry up. i tried telling him i need to down time but it makes no difference. anyone know a way to get him more comfortable with her? is it normal for guys to be this nervous around a baby? i tried bringing it up but it come out as he is not doing anything and he gets insulted. ( sleep deprivation probably doesn't help the way i talk to him either) any advice appreciated 

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01-08-2013 at 6:19 AM
6fsn
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Joined on 04-08-2003
Ohio
10,538 Points
6fsn is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 7:45 PMGold

I found bluntness to be the best thing with my first.  "I'm tired.  I need a break to take care of myself.  I will be gone from x time to y time on z day."  Leave the house and get a pedicure, a haircut, a cup of coffee, whatever.  DH did best when he didn't have me to fall back on.

 
01-08-2013 at 6:57 AM
mejane123
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Joined on 02-03-2011
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mejane123 is not online. Last active: 03-20-2013, 2:29 PMBronze
6fsn:

I found bluntness to be the best thing with my first.  "I'm tired.  I need a break to take care of myself.  I will be gone from x time to y time on z day."  Leave the house and get a pedicure, a haircut, a cup of coffee, whatever.  DH did best when he didn't have me to fall back on.

This.  DH, even before baby, did best with short and to the point.  There came a point where, for a few months, I was going to be gone most of the week, so I needed some help with the household stuff.  At first I laid out everything I usually do and asked what he'd be able to take on, since I shouldn't have to spend the only two days I had per week at home cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, and doing laundry.  He tried to talk his way out of helping out, not because he was a douche, but because he hates all of those chores.  So finally I just said, "Ok, fine, how about this? I'm not going grocery shopping for the next x amount of weeks."  I knew that was what he hated the most, so he offered to take on laundry duty instead, which I was fine with.  

Is your H nervous around her or does he just think it's not dad's job to take part in this stuff?  There are plenty of guys out there who think all the feedings, diaper changes, and other baby stuff is left to the mom.  It isn't fair, but that's the way it is with some people.  If he truly is nervous, then definitely do as PP suggested.  If it's because he doesn't think it's his job, that's a much bigger problem that you need to address. 

 
01-08-2013 at 7:30 AM
CurlyQ284
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Joined on 09-10-2008
11,394 Points
CurlyQ284 is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 7:55 AMSilver
You need to leave the baby with DH and leave the house so he doesnt have you as an 'out'.

My DH isn't nervous, he has two girls from a previous marriage so he has been through this but when I am busy I say "DS needs to be changed and fed, and the laundry needs to be folded. Which do you want to do?". Sometimes he picks DS, sometimes he picks the other thing but either way, I get help.

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01-08-2013 at 9:13 AM
CottonGirl
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Joined on 04-13-2010
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CottonGirl is online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 10:58 AMNewbie
I agree with the others, you need to leave the house.  And explain to him how important it is for you to have some time and not be rushed.  Especially the shower!  I find that's the best alone time I have lately.  I look forward to taking a long shower and just relaxing knowing the LO is in good hands.  You definitely need to get out a bit!
 
01-08-2013 at 11:49 AM
Kemare20
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Joined on 06-15-2012
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Kemare20 is online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 11:02 AMBronze

Yep. Take away his "crutch" by leaving the house. Just leave for 30 minutes the first time, then increase it to an hour (go to the grocery store or something). That way he HAS to learn to care for her.

Just make sure that you trust that your DH will actually care for her while you are gone and won't "rebel" by just letting her cry and cry while you are gone.

When you are rested try and have an open discussion about his fears of caring for her. Does he feel uncomfortable wiping a little girl? Some dads feel "wrong" touching a baby girl. Is he afraid that she will choke when he is feeding her and he won't know what to do? He obviously has some fears and doesn't feel confident in his ability to do the job. With my DH (he had NEVER been around babies), I had him watch me do everything for awhile and then I started making him try. It was awkward for him at first and he made mistakes (like when DS started spitting up, he was more concerned about it getting on him than he was about making sure DS was leaning forward- he laid him on his back- lol)  but now he is a champ. He can change a diaper blind folded, his shirts have just as much spit up as mine do and he can make a bottle in the dark :)


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01-09-2013 at 2:26 AM
Kimbus22
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Joined on 01-07-2012
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Kimbus22 is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 6:54 AMGold
6fsn:

I found bluntness to be the best thing with my first.  "I'm tired.  I need a break to take care of myself.  I will be gone from x time to y time on z day."  Leave the house and get a pedicure, a haircut, a cup of coffee, whatever.  DH did best when he didn't have me to fall back on.

Yep. He's slacking because you're home to pick up the slack.  Don't give him that option.

If it makes you feel any better, a lot of men are just freaked out by babies in general but get much more involved as the kids hit toddler age and are moving around on their own and showing more personality.  Although I think that's a pretty crappy excuse for dumping everything on mom until that point.


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