https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:06:26 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this/page/2#post-1956100 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 13:17:25 +0000 pinkcupcake 1956100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Purpledaisy: agree, this feels very exaggerated to me. Newborn days were tough , but not like this woman described. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this/page/2#post-1956097 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 13:13:39 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 1956097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think a lot of first time moms feel like this, especially around the 4-6 week mark. I know I did and most of my IRL friends did. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this/page/2#post-1956040 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 12:08:45 +0000 Amelieisme 1956040@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh my goodness, YES!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this/page/2#post-1956014 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:44:35 +0000 coopsmama 1956014@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Agreed, showering at night is helpful.</p> <p>I have never ever not gotten a shower because of my kids. With #1 I was a little bit nervous so I did what Looch suggested and had my husband hold and watch him while I showered. Now with #2 I'm a lot more laid back so I will bring her into the bathroom with me and set her up in her Rock n Play or bouncer seat while my one year old gets in the shower with me. I can easily watch her while showering and my toddler plays on the floor with a few bath toys. </p> <p>I honestly think a lot of the times days get that crazy (as the blog post suggests) because we're letting our kids control our lives instead of taking care of our kids within the parameters of our lives. Now, when teething, sickness, or growth spurts hit that's a whole different story! And when you're in the first month home with a newborn and are getting used to breastfeeding, taking care of them, and healing from birth it's best to rest, enjoy them, and have take out on speed dial! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1956008 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:35:19 +0000 winniebee 1956008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some days were like this especially in the VERY beginning when I hadn't a clue how to care for my son. We always got out of the house though even for a walk or to run an errand or meet up with a friend. That definitely helps. And I never made dinner on maternity leave. Maybe a few times ever, LOL. Take out FTW. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955999 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:24:37 +0000 snowjewelz 1955999@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Totally making DH read this :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955871 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 09:13:15 +0000 smores 1955871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hmmm...I think my hormones played a big role in how difficult I perceived certain days to be. I had some ppd so the first month was rough even though now I think back to how easily he would fall asleep for naps then. We were also struggling with breastfeeding so the first two weeks I would dread his feeding times. </p> <p>Then we hit the peak of fussiness at about 4-6 weeks and it seemed all he wanted to do was nurse. Then between 2-3 months he stopped falling asleep on his own for naps and rookie mom that I was thought if he didn't fall asleep after nursing (like he had always done) meant he wasn't tired. So I had a very fussy baby on my hands. Plus he was still waking every 2-3 hours at night. By the time he was around 3.5 months things got much easier but then I had to go back to work!!</p> <p> My advice would be to read one book about sleep and routines now (Baby Whisperer, Moms on Call...whatever you want) to get an idea of what might work for your family and try and stick with it once baby comes. I did no research about that before hand and was scrambling to read after he came and implement some sort of routine to our lives! Even little things like putting the baby down drowsy but awake when they are newborns can help, IMO! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955845 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 08:36:48 +0000 looch 1955845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, not so much of a sh*tshow, I would shower at night, when my husband was home. I get this is exaggerated for entertainment value, but not every day is this bad. Maybe if you looked at a week, yeah, but daily, haha no. Even with no help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955805 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 07:28:40 +0000 pmrlady 1955805@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for all the replies and the tips. It seems scary to think about how tough it's gonna be but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Also it will be different for me because DH works night shifts and is home during the day so I'm curious how that will change things.</p> <p>So far some of the helpful advice I gather from you guys is:<br /> It's ok to let baby cry a little.<br /> Wearing baby when doing errands.<br /> Using a bib all the time to catch the spit up<br /> Eat as soon as baby goes to sleep before doing any errands<br /> Structuring/scheduling the day better<br /> Showering when DH is still at home </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955788 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 06:50:02 +0000 meredithNYC 1955788@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: Agree that a lot of these things are first time mom issues. I remember one of my friends whose child was older asked me (when LO was about a month old) why I always ran to pick her up at the first sound of (potential) distress and I was floored like, huh? Can I NOT do that? Isn't that cruel to let baby fuss? But I soon learned that not only is it not cruel, but it isn't the end of the world if baby experiences the slightest discomfort at times. I think my daughter is actually an easier child since I stopped endlessly hovering. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955769 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 03:08:16 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1955769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't read the article, but I found this blog post very accurate: <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2012/05/10/a-day-with-a-newborn/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2012/05/10/a-day-with-a-newborn/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955761 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 02:36:46 +0000 Corduroy 1955761@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Somewhat accurate for 8am - 4pm. Wishful thinking that the day begins as 8 though. And the witching hour at the end of the day. DH never came home to a sleeping baby and he would have done backflips if he was asked to go to Chipotle. My texts looked more like "Get home now! Vacuum is on, bouncing on the ball, nothing is working. Your turn. I'll go get Chipotle." It also seemed like baby didn't eat very frequently.</p> <p>Baby waking when you sit down to eat was spot on for us. I'm convinced the smell woke LO up. I started eating only cold food and found that I got many more meals in. Carriers help a ton as does getting baby out of the house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955746 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:36:38 +0000 Mama Bird 1955746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yikes, I forgot about newborns' sixth sense of "mommy's about to eat, it must not happen!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955742 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:29:53 +0000 coopsmama 1955742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This was not accurate to my experiences with either of my babies and one was a tough baby and one has been a lot easier. @ShootingStar: has it right that there are a lot of tricks of the trade this mom hasn't picked up on yet which would have made things easier. I think too that infusing your day with structure and a schedule, even with a newborn, helps. I say this as a mom to a 17 month old and a 4 month old - routine is so so helpful.</p> <p>That said, the one thing that was dead on and completely NOT an exaggeration is that the baby will always, without fail, wake up if you're sitting down to dinner or getting down to business ;) with your SO. At least in my experience, it's just inevitable! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955739 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:08:40 +0000 jedeve 1955739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There are definitely days like this. But when you have a second there is more structure and routine to the days and baby is just going to fuss sometimes. Like, I physically can't feed them both. </p> <p>The last line is dead on. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955729 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 00:41:59 +0000 blackbird 1955729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Huh, I don't remember it being this much of a shit show lol. I remember the reflux screaming but I always managed to shower and eat and whatnot. Maybe I blocked it </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955714 Sat, 22 Nov 2014 00:20:53 +0000 lemondrop 1955714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sure, some days. It just kinda depends how the moon and the stars align- some days are better than others. Heck, we still have them sometimes with an 8 month old and a 3 year old. </p> <p>I guess with the second I'm less worried about some of the stuff- crying when I'm stepping into the shower? He can cry for a few minutes, it's not the end of the world. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955675 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 23:18:45 +0000 mrskc 1955675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For my son, yes! I barely brushed my teeth and ate the first 6-8 weeks. My dd has been so much easier so I feel more put together this time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955665 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 23:05:23 +0000 Purpledaisy 1955665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Meh, seems kind of exaggerated in my opinion. I would read things like this when I was pregnant and they would scare me. For me, the newborn days weren't that bad. But every baby is different and everyone handles parenthood differently. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955652 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:53:12 +0000 ShootingStar 1955652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was pretty accurate, but she's got a lot of new mommy fails. For one, if baby's asleep always eat first. Especially if you're nursing. And I managed to eat all the time while nursing. Laundry is secondary to food. And don't dress baby in over the head things. If baby spits up a lot, use a bib. We used to have a million burp cloths around to wipe us up. </p> <p>In the moment it's so hard to see around this stuff though. And you feel like you're living an endless groundhog day of no sleep and crying/eating baby. But one day you realize they no longer have a witching hour. Or that you can a finally sit and eat a normal breakfast (instead of scarfing down pop tarts because they could be eaten in 30 seconds like I used to do). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955610 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:17:50 +0000 Adira 1955610@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>hahaha, pretty spot on! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955604 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:11:13 +0000 erinpye 1955604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds about right! Except it was way more difficult the second time, with a 22 month old at home, too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955595 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:02:54 +0000 MCD919 1955595@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pretty accurate, in my experience, for at least the first 2 months!! But now that DS is 10 months I kinda miss it..? Uh oh </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955586 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:59:38 +0000 cyndistar3 1955586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have mixed feelings about it, it is somewhat accurate but since I have a toddler to deal with too these things don't seem like a big deal to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955562 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:46:11 +0000 Grace 1955562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes and no. LO was up every 90 min all night, so we coslept from 6AM on which kept her asleep until around 10 AM. She also didn't spit up, so didn't have the multiple clothes changes and crazy laundry. Shower was important to me, so I took it during the first nap, which was always her best one and there weren't many times that she was crying before I got out. The eating thing was true though. I ate a lot of sandwiches because I could do it with low mess. And my LO freaked when DH came home - that was her worst time of day. But she is right about calling people and making appointments. I was supposed to call the cable person and it never happened. The supper thing is true too, but I never felt guilty. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955506 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:16:00 +0000 yoursilverlining 1955506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@meredithNYC: totally agree. It's ok to let a baby fuss for a few minutes while you get clean. No need to be a stinky mommy martyr!</p> <p>ETA: I also definitely never felt like a failure as a wife for not having dinner ready when caring for a newborn, or ever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955487 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:05:27 +0000 Beehive 1955487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, very true. I remember that whenever I had my lunch all ready to eat, and was just about to tuck in, DS would wake up from his nap. Every time. </p> <p>The only thing I would add is that when DH got home from work, the witching "hour" was just beginning, so actually DS would be the most fussy then and would need to be walked around the apartment and sung to by DH. </p> <p>Thankfully it's a short-lived phase!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955485 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:04:59 +0000 jape14 1955485@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, and the part about baby falling asleep right before the husband comes home is so dead on! I guilted my husband into coming home early the other night because my LO was so fussy for no reason from like 3:30pm on (wonder week! I hate you). He fell asleep on my chest right as I received the "leaving work, be home in 15 minutes" text from my DH! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955481 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:01:16 +0000 jape14 1955481@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Super accurate! I sent this to my DH the other day so he could have an idea of what my days on maternity leave are like. The only way I reliably get a shower is if I get up early(ish) and shower before my husband leaves for work. It usually works out but there are still probably 2 days during the week I don't shower for various reasons (would rather sleep more, or guarantee that I can eat breakfast, or the baby decides he'd like to eat during my shower window). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-day-at-home-with-a-newborn-how-accurate-is-this#post-1955471 Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:52:17 +0000 MapleMoose 1955471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep, add in the sleep deprivation plus all the nighttime wakeups/explosions and you get the picture. The only way I got ANYTHING done was to wear LO all the time. Also shower before hubby went to work. </p>