Next month it looks as though Dh is going to have to travel abroad for work for 5 days, leaving me alone with S. She will be 8wks old. I know if I asked him to stay home, he would, but that's not the right thing to do, so I'm going to have to suck it up.
Any tips for flying solo for this long? I don't have anyone else local to depend on, so it literally would just be me. Tell me I can do this!!
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
8 weeks is when he had to take his first trip for work. Then he was home again till 12 weeks and I have been solo since then, give or take a month or so. It is hard. But you find your groove.
Are you SAHM? Make sure you have something to do to get out of the house every day and find someone to interact with. Do as much meal prep as you can the night before he leaves. Don't worry about laundry or cleaning the house!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I think C was about 8 weeks old when Dh had to travel. I was really anxious about it! My mom came up for the weekend so I was alone for one full day and night, then my mom came for the weekend. Dh got back Sunday then left again on tues for two days when I was totally on my own.
Definitely have very easy meal things ready, and make plans- I brought c to visit my office and went for extra walks with my friend in the neighborhood. The hardest part for me was that I had to walk our dog around C's schedule and the evening walks were tough. I also would usually just eat dinner after she was down for the night instead of stressing about doing t while she was awake. It was tiring but not as bad as I feared. When he got back I was like- ok here you go- you take her now!!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
4 weeks with LO and 6 weeks with 2 LOs.
You can do it!
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
She was 10 weeks old when DH had 2 weeks of training. It was tough feeding myself--so make some stuff ahead of time! Otherwise it wasn't so bad. I invited a girlfriend over one night and I made us dinner and handed her the baby and got a nice long, hot shower in. She was MORE than happy to help me out 
5 days is not bad at all! Get some food prepped and load up your DVR
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Just last week for 4 days. It was a lot worse in my mind that it turned out to be - you can do it and you'll feel so proud once you've done it!
persimmon / 1427 posts
LO was 7ish weeks when DH traveled for work for the first time post baby. He was gone 4-5 days.
Before DH left, I made sure:
- all laundry was done (LO's, my clothes, linens, etc). I did not want to worry about running out of clean anything
- we went to the grocery store and I had lots of healthy, but quick food to eat
- I had a couple of "playdates" scheduled with friends so I could get out of the house and talk to adults
You can totally do it! Good luck!
pomelo / 5093 posts
Well, you can totally do it. That being said, is there ANYONE you can try to call on? Church, friend, babysitter? If not, maybe this would be a good time to find a babysitter, try them out a time or two, and then have them over while he's gone.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
DH usually travels once a week and I solo with 2!
You can do it!! Try to stock the fridge before your DH leaves and rest or get things done when the baby's asleep.
kiwi / 614 posts
Every single week since dd turned 3 weeks. DH travels 4 days a week for work. It sucks, there's no other way to put it.
pear / 1718 posts
You can do it!!
I think DH left for the first time when LO was 8 weeks old but I did have my parents nearby to help.
I found the hardest part to be the lack of adult company. Is there a friend you can schedule for a visit or phone chat once a day so that you can still have some adult interaction?
grapefruit / 4291 posts
Plan something to do each day, even if it's just a trip to the grocery store
Make the most of nap times, have a shower during one nap, do some housework / prepare dinner in another and just relax during the third!
Just go with it and do what you need to do to get through!
You'll be fine and you can do this!!
coconut / 8861 posts
At 12 months. DH had to go to his hometown for his grandfather's funeral during Labor Day weekend. It was exhausting doing all of the routines morning and night. I'm glad that I worked from home for part of it just to keep my head above water.
coconut / 8475 posts
Stock the fridge. Rent some movies and get through this!!!
If you have any doctor, dentist, hair, eye appointmentsd cancel them.
The worst thing ever is having to take baby along.
I have been solo for up to 3 days, so I just usually stay inside the whole time (aside from going to the park or on a walk).
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
I don't think it was th first time, but my husband had a two week business trip to Italy when c was 6 or 7 months old. He'd been gone for a day or two before that, but this was the first big trip.
It was tough! We didn't get to talk much and it was kind of lonely. I visited with my parents a lot so that helped.
I'm used to it now. He was gone a few weeks ago for three days & was gone for 2 weeks over the summer. It gets easier!
grapefruit / 4441 posts
You can totally do it! My husband has been home for the most part, but he's been having major mental/physical health issues, so I have been solo parenting the vast majority of the time since LO was born. My family lives across the country, so I can also relate to not having family around. It is challenging but completely doable. Try to get out every day if you can, maybe have a friend visit, and nap when the baby is napping if you are tired - everything is easier when you're well rested (or at least not horribly sleep deprived)!
pomegranate / 3768 posts
You can do it!! DH traveled abroad for two weeks for work for the first time when DD was 8 weeks old as well. I ain't gonna lie...it was hard but we all survived! Have some easy meals planned or better yet, do take out so you don't have to cook! Going out for walks breaks up the day and having friends visit helps a lot!
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
He left for almost 2 weeks when LO was 6 months old.
DH works 12+ hours day most of the week so the only real difference for me was not having him here for backup on the weekends. It was over Easter, and I spent a few days down with my ILs. When we were home we just kept to our normal routine. The only really bad part for me was that one of my nephews got me sick, and I was barely not bedridden over the last stretch.
clementine / 878 posts
When DD was 8 weeks old DH had a biz trip for maybe 3 or 4 days. This scared me because DD was waking up almost once every 1-2 hours all night. His trip was what scared me into sleep training. And it worked so I got to sleep while he was away. It kind of turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I'm not sure I would have sleep trained so early otherwise.
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
You have great timing! My DH is going on a business trip next week. LO will be 6.5 weeks old and I need the pep talk too!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
DH had a work trip 8 weeks after our birth. I did 2 nights solo, and then my mom came and stayed 2 nights with me (we were battling acid reflux and I needed a break.)
apricot / 444 posts
My husband had to go to conference when she was 3 weeks old--two days, one night. I second everyone else's ideas--you MUST arrange for social interaction with grownups, and meal prepping/figuring out what you'll eat is key. I invited girlfriends over for visits both the days. On one day they stayed for dinner and the other day I got my sister to invite me over for dinner.
It was better than I thought it would be. And I was SO proud of myself. That said, I didn't manage to give her a bath--that's his territory--and she got her first diaper rash. Oops. But she totally survived.
pomegranate / 3160 posts
This is interesting to read! DH travels for work--he'll be home for 3-4 weeks after babygirl is born (depending on when she decides to show up!), but then has a week long (M-F) trip booked for the first week of December!
pomelo / 5469 posts
@Grace: I'm sure you'll do just fine. I feel more confident after reading all of these replies! Ok, the house might be a complete mess by the time he gets home, but we'll survive! After next week you'll be giving me pointers!
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