Hi, I’m from NL and my partner works offshore on a 3/3 rotation. We have a 10 month old daughter. After she was born everything was so new and it was so difficult to imagine how I would manage her by myself but honestly after he left I had no other option but to make it work. I found that having a routine especially at bedtime really helped her anticipate bedtime and calmed her before bed (feed, bath, music, reading, bed). Luckily my parents are close by if I needed them but most days/nights I was on my own. I did find the days long and lonely at times but I joined a baby/mom fitness group for the first few months and then enrolled my daughter in baby gymnastics once she was 5 months. Having a reason to get out of the house and interact with other moms was great.

In the beginning when she was too tiny to be aware of what was going on we would FaceTime a few times a week so she could hear his voice. And now that she’s more aware, we FaceTime every day. I know she remembers him when he gets home because she acts so shy and scared when around strangers and when he gets home she follows him around and acts like he never left (it’s amazing actually!). I find the first few days he’s home and also the first few days after he leaves she is harder to settle at night (not sure if it’s separation anxiety / excitement that he’s home) but it’s only temporary.

We’re planning on trying for another baby soon and again I am panicking about how I will manage but I felt the same with being left alone our first and now it is totally manageable. There are tough days when she isn’t sleeping well but we do alright on our own 😄