Do I need to hire newborn nanny ?

Expedia Group / Eng
Nomod

Go to company page Expedia Group Eng

BIO
Getting better at what I do
Nomod
Apr 4 24 Comments

We are expecting baby this month and have no family here to help us. Husband will be taking 5weeks off initially and I get about 5 months maternity leave. We are first time parents. Im thinking we can handle it by ourselves with no one’s help. Husband wants to be ready with all the help we can get. Can someone share your experience?

Plan is it get food delivered for first month or so.

I know it’s long shot but If you have any nanny contacts i’d really appreciate it. Btw we are in greater Seattle area.

Household income: $350k
#parenting #workingparent #seattle

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TOP 24 Comments
  • Juniper / Other
    SundarJobs

    Go to company page Juniper Other

    SundarJobs
    It’s difficult but doable. We managed without a nanny too since we simply did not like the idea of outsiders handling our child. We had a similar situation as yours. I had 6 weeks of parental leave with the employer that I was with at that time - and wife had about 6 months.

    The way we set up our routine was that my wife would stay awake during the day to take care of the baby while I would sleep. In the nights, she’d sleep for a good 9-10 hours while I stayed awake and took care of the baby. We got our baby accustomed to bottle feeding as soon as we could. This way none of us was sleep deprived. We were both always well rested. I slept in the day and she slept in the night. At all costs, avoid staying awake together and wasting time. Maximize your sleep duration.

    For the first few days after we got back home from the hospital, I wanted my wife to recover from the delivery and get as much rest as possible. So even during the day, I used to stay up for a few hours for her to take naps.

    We didn’t cook at home. We ordered food delivery from healthy places (salads, soups etc). House cleaning was completely outsourced to a maid.

    It is an absolute must that your husband should know every aspect of how to handle a baby. He should know it as well as you do so that he doesn’t wake you up to ask questions when you are sleeping.

    I had attended all the pre-birth and baby care classes provided by our hospital and was as good as my wife in handling the baby independently.

    Things got significantly easy after the first 3 months or so. The kid started waking up less frequently at night. By 5 months or so, we were both able to get a good night’s sleep since the child started sleeping for 6-7 hour stretches.
    Apr 4 2
    • Expedia Group / Eng
      Nomod

      Go to company page Expedia Group Eng

      BIO
      Getting better at what I do
      Nomod
      OP
      I’m very private person and having someone else to care for our baby makes me little uncomfortable. But at the same time don’t want to burden my husband.
      Apr 4
    • Juniper / Other
      SundarJobs

      Go to company page Juniper Other

      SundarJobs
      We didn’t want outsiders taking care of our child too. The husband is supposed to be an equal partner in childcare. Asking him to do his part is not burdening him. That is your right. Both of you are equals and unless you truly believe that in your own mind, you won’t get the help you need from him. At least I personally believe I am equally responsible for childcare - and I should be as good at it as my wife. Also, moms have an uphill task even physically in recovering from the delivery. So be clear in your mind that resting yourself a bit while you recover from your delivery is not something to be guilty about.
      Apr 4
  • Meta
    123098abc

    Go to company page Meta

    123098abc
    It's possible without nanny help, but it's definitely hard. One middle ground you can do is have a night doula come for a few nights early on so you can be sure you're doing the right thing and catch up on sleep after labor. The first week is the hardest, after you figure out a routine it's doable
    Apr 4 2
  • Cook your own food. Your health is also important for baby. Nothing can replace home cooked food. If one person is staying home no need of external help.
    Apr 5 6
  • It’s hard without a nanny but possible. Hopefully you don’t have a shitty sleeper like my kid, but just in case read all the books about kids sleeping. If you’re breast feeding, you should get them used to the bottle early so you’re not always on call. Regardless of what help you have, the first three months are HARD. It’ll get easier after that. Get a cleaner, order groceries and pre-made meals as You aren’t getting much done in that time.
    Apr 4 1
    • Once you have the kid, you should join evergreen for new moms. It’s a popular group that meets weekly for people who have newborns to 3 month olds. Lots of moms I know have loved it. You’ll get a lot of support and resource ideas that are local. Also join your local moms group on fb. Lots of advice there as well.
      Apr 4
  • Twitter
    potteryarn

    Go to company page Twitter

    potteryarn
    You can likely handle it by yourselves. It’s going to be hard no matter what you do. But your love for your child will force you to push through the challenges.
    Apr 4 0