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WFH with a baby?

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1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  limabean 
#1 ·
Hi. My baby girl turned 1 month old this week, and I have an offer to work from home. She is my first babe and I don't know how much attention she will need in the future. Did you work from home with such a young babe? How did you manage giving her the love she needs and work and chores? How many hours of work a week do you think is realistic without neglecting babe or burning out mom?
 
#2 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noraah View Post

Hi. My baby girl turned 1 month old this week, and I have an offer to work from home. She is my first babe and I don't know how much attention she will need in the future. Did you work from home with such a young babe? How did you manage giving her the love she needs and work and chores? How many hours of work a week do you think is realistic without neglecting babe or burning out mom?
It depends on the job and depends on the baby. How flexible are your hours? Will you have lots of breaks available to take care of her? Will it involve any "phone" work (that can be difficult with a noisy baby who wants to "help" you work)? Do you babywear? Are you opposed to things like a Superyard?
 
#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noraah View Post

Hi. My baby girl turned 1 month old this week, and I have an offer to work from home. She is my first babe and I don't know how much attention she will need in the future. Did you work from home with such a young babe? How did you manage giving her the love she needs and work and chores? How many hours of work a week do you think is realistic without neglecting babe or burning out mom?
I honestly believe there's no "specific" hours needed to take care of the baby. You just take care of her whenever need arises. :)
 
#4 ·
How much support and help do you have at home -- do you have a partner who is involved and supportive? Would you be mostly trying to work while your partner is also at work, or when s/he is home and can take care of the baby?

I've worked from home since before I had kids (my kids are ages 9 and 6 now). I took 4 months off after each birth, so I never worked with a 1-month-old. Until both kids were in school (which just happened this year when DD started kindergarten), I did almost all of my work during evening and weekend hours while DH cared for the kids. It was hard because my brain was tired in the evenings after caring for the kids all day, but it was just too tough to really concentrate while they were with me (I'm an editor/analyst, so I kind of need to "get in the zone" to be really productive). The good thing about my job is that it doesn't require much in the way of phone calls or being available during particular hours -- my boss didn't care what hours I worked, as long as I made my deadlines. I couldn't have gotten through those years without my incredibly supportive DH, and all those evenings of doing 100% of the parenting has made him into a fabulous daddy who still puts the kids to bed most nights, and who has a beautiful, close connection with our kids.

I work 40 hours per week, and my daily schedule looked something like this before the kids started school -- these days I'm able to get nearly all of my work done while they're at school, which is a whole new world -- I love it!

6-8am: Work

8am-1pm: Care for kids

1-3pm: Work during naptime (or quiet time, as they got older)

3-5pm: Care for kids, prep dinner

5-6pm: Have dinner with family

6-9pm: Work

So that gave me about 7 hours a day (more like 6 most days, because inevitably someone would need me during naptime or something else would throw off our schedule), and then I would make up a few hours of work on the weekend.

So a lot will depend on what kind of job it is, your baby's sleep/wake schedule and temperament, and your partner's level of support. It can be done, and it saves zillions of dollars in childcare, but it can be pretty tough sometimes. I have a meltdown about 3 times per year where I wail that it's all too much, but then things ease up at work, or DD gets through her growth spurt and settles down, or something else shifts in a positive direction, and it all gets easier again. Good luck!
 
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