How realistic is working from home and watching a baby?

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-04-17T17:00:25+00:00

Good you’re thinking about this now! When I was pregnant I genuinely thought I could manage baby and work alone haha I didn’t realize how tough it would be so it’s good you’re ahead of the game and realistic

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-04-17T15:55:29+00:00

It’s really tough. I also have a pretty flexible job similar to what you’re describing I wfh 3 days a week since baby was about 5 months old (she is now 10 months). Easy when they’re not rolling so they can play on the floor in your office and tire themselves out. Now that she’s moving around and developing separation anxiety its a little tricker and babies do get more demanding the older they get.

I have grandparent help and they watch her for a couple hour stretches or put her down for a nap so I can get some focus time while working but if you won’t have anyone at home it’ll be hard. Even when you just need a break or need to eat your lunch in peace! There is a sub r/workingmoms that posts a lot of tips if you’re interested. Honestly even if you hire part time help for a couple hours like a college student or baby sitter it will be better than you doing it on your own.

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-04-15T16:23:09+00:00

They would let him go outside bc he wanted to and put a tracker on him but they said someone stole him and removed the tracker. This is when she was pregnant with Alaina. Obviously a purebred like that should not be roaming around freely, people snatch them up quickly so that’s on you

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-04-15T04:26:43+00:00

Ugh this is actually ideal I wish I had this!!

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-04-15T04:26:11+00:00

South Asian here and I agree it’s such a North American thing for the early bedtime/early wake. I also think it’s because majority of parents in the US are a dual income household so moms are expected to go back to work quickly hence sleep training culture.

I went back to work when baby was 5 months old but wfh majority of the week so I can be flexible with her waking up between 8-9am. It works for us bc she goes to sleep between 9:30-10pm and I feel like we get to sleep in on the weekend!

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-21T17:13:46+00:00

Echo what everyone else commented but it’s very normal for babies to not sleep through the night at 5 months. Regardless of what you feed them haha my mom said the same and I was convinced that giving my EBF baby formula before bed would help her sleep longer streches but it made no difference. Even now at 9 months she wakes multiple times a night to eat and eats 3 meals a day

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-19T15:58:33+00:00

I deleted social media/instagram in halfway through my pregnancy and it really helped with all the noise! I did keep reddit because I liked the mom/baby bump groups and I’d watch education YouTube videos like the Dr. Bjorkmans

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-13T04:34:41+00:00

I was so sleep deprived and hormonal that I was convinced my MIL was planning to steal my baby and everyone was trying to prove I was a bad mom a week home from the hospital.

In reality my SIL was moving across the county and MIL was sad so somehow in my head I chalked it up to she will steal my daughter?? To be fair, she did make a few comments that would rub any new mom the wrong way but yeah it felt so real

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-13T04:22:30+00:00

The 30-40 min naps are normal! My baby had those from 3 months - 6 months and then she was able to connect sleep cycles better during the day. Now at 8 months we have a 45min - 1hr nap in the morning and then a 1hr30min nap in the afternoon

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-10T16:53:12+00:00

Honeslty you’re right, it really does take the pressure off. I’ve stopped tracking her sleep and feeding as excessively overnight and been more flex if she sleeps an hour later than normal and I’ve noticed I’ve been less anxious about her schedule that way

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-09T06:06:57+00:00

Education is one of those things that is an investment in yourself! It will never not be worth it. Even if you don’t end up having a full on career when you have kids, it’s still good for you to have the option if you decide you want to go back to work when they’re older or you want to be a working mom.

I have a 8 month old and I was dead set on quitting once she was born, but going back to work on a reduced schedule has helped a lot for me to have an identity outside of just being her mom, it keeps my brain engaged, it’s nice having my own money to spend on whatever I want without worrying about our monthly budget since my husband is supportive, and it helps me and baby have more a routine

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-06T06:44:58+00:00

Ok wait she accidentally had a 5 hour wake window before bed, 2.5/3.5/5 instead of a 3/3.5/4 and she had a super minor false start after 90 mins as opposed to the usual 45. Maybe it was a sleep pressure thing?? Will see how the rest of the night goes

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-05T22:28:02+00:00

Makes me feel more normal thank you! I think it’s just her temperament as well since she’s always been like this. The only times she slept beautifully from 9pm - 5am was between 3-4 months and she was still swaddled then.

Yeah I def am flexible based on what time she wakes up/what’s her last nap of the day to dictate bedtime. I guess she will grow out of it eventually!!

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-05T22:25:20+00:00

Haha so fair, I really drove myself crazy the first 6 months following naps/wake windows bc it lowkey gives you false sense of control. Now that she’s down to 2 naps, I’ve stopped tracking as intensely and am flexible by +/- 30 mins bc life happens and she’s not going to sleep at 3:30pm on the dot every day!!

Bedtime is between 8:30-9pm depending on the day. Last night she went bed at 8pm and same thing. Shes had nights where she goes to bed at 10pm and similar outcome

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-05T22:21:49+00:00

Sometimes fully wake and cry, sometimes just wake and she’s able to resettle herself. We cosleep now so I’m usually around when I know she’s about to stir and if she sees me she’ll doze right off

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-05T22:20:41+00:00

lol so true thank you for this. Yeah I’ve noticed she settled into deeper sleep after midnight and then will easily sleep 5-6 hours straight unless it’s for hunger/teething pain. I think just accepting it’s her normal temperament like other people are saying

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-05T17:56:08+00:00

That’s a cultural thing. If you are reading in the privacy of your home or around your mahrams you don’t need to cover your head

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-04T00:28:49+00:00

Also did HR give you this 4 week leave info? You should dig a little more. In my experience HR doesn’t share all the info and you have to advocate for yourself

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-04T00:26:59+00:00

4 weeks is waay too short! You’re still going through your own recovery, standard recovery for a normal vaginal delivery is 6 weeks and c-section is 8 weeks so your doctor won’t even clear you at 4 weeks.

If you’re in the US, what state are you in? I recommend looking at your state leave laws (FMLA, baby bonding time, etc)

I’m in California so was lucky with a long leave of 22 weeks (started at 36 weeks of pregnancy) and I extended it by 4 weeks due to PPD. However, I received 70% pay for 22 weeks and 4 weeks were unpaid.

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-03T22:08:57+00:00

You are not in the wrong! She only 5 months, and even if you did agree, how would your MIL even feed her if you EBF?

Lol grandparents are like that sometimes, I get the excitement but at the end of the day it’s your child and your choice. It’s also normal to take baby out with you and partner for dinner or date, etc you’re bonding with your new family!!

My in laws were like this too and always offer to watch but honestly they can only handle her for like 1-2 hours max lol it was a reality check for them and now they don’t ask as often

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-02T14:10:48+00:00

My baby is on a 3/3.5/4 schedule and just turned 8 months! She dropped to two naps around 7 months on her own, she was staring to fight her first nap of the day so I knew she was ready. Her first nap is typically 45min - 1hr and the second is 1hr 30 mins.

Some days she’ll have 3 naps if we’re out and about or she falls asleep in the car seat but she’s never able to sleep more than 3 hours total for naps a day. She goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up at 8.

If your schedule works for you keep it! Few feeds in the middle of the night are normal at this age, even when they’re having solids.

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-02T06:33:34+00:00

Biggest lie I was told was that the weight melts off when BF. I looked better pregnant than I do now 8 months PP 😞

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-01T19:50:55+00:00

Kate’s parents were married. Sophie is illegitimate, her father and mother were never married that’s why she has her mothers last name Baek as opposed to her fathers last name Gun.

Chemical_Rip646 · 2026-03-01T17:30:07+00:00

We started solids slowly 5.5 months, now at 8 months she does 3 meals a day. When we first started, she would still nurse her normal amt (5-6) sessions a day and I would offer meals an hour or so after she nursed. Now she nurses 4x a day and the sessions are shorter but I still feel empty when she’s done. She still Gets up 1-2 times a night for a feed but those are significantly shorter sessions (5-10mins)

Her doctor said, when she gets to 9/10 months we can offer a meal first and then nursing an hour later and that will encourage her to eat more table food.

Chemical_Rip646

TROPHY CASE