MoM's w/husbands that work nights

natb22

I'm just curious if anyone's husbands work nights and how your schedule works to accomodate this with your babies. DH will be staying on nights next year, I'll likely be due sometime in April and we are both taking a few months off, but there will be at least 6 months of him working at nights and me working during the days after the babies are born.

We'll figure out daycare/in home nanny care but I was just curious how everyone else does it schedule wise. And if you think its harder/easier then DH working during the day.

 

jbl126

My DH does shift work so he is home for one week and then two weeks on night work.  When the girls were younger, I had my mom or MIL come over to help.  But then it started to get easier and I didnt mind doing nights alone. 

I know some people dont like having others around to help but for me, it was a total life saver and I took all the hlpe I could get.

Now it doesnt faze me either way.  If he is there, great, if not, no big deal.  I just do things a little different when he is working.  But they still get to bed on time and in one piece.

Good luck!

 

MaygenDL0ve

My hubby flies, so works days and nights.  He was out of town for 2 weeks when they were 2-4 weeks old, and I had my MIL help.  Honestly, I end up doing the bulk of all the work, and there are days I just get maybe a couple 30-min naps.  Somehow my body is fine w/ this.... must be a mom thing.

jalaiaa

DH is a firefighter and works 24 hours on, 48 hours off. I work shift work 2-3 days a week, and work all sorts of shifts nights, days etc (never predictable) So we have a nanny who is very flexible. She'll come at 4am for my 5am shifts and stay until DH gets home from work. Or she'll come over and let me sleep after a night shift. If we ever lose her I don't know what we'll do because I don't anticipate anyone else being so flexible. Anyhow, different from your situation but we found a nanny works best for ours. 

McKenna04

SO travels and is gone 3 or 4 days during the week.. My mom watches the boys during the day but after 3:30 pm.. its allllll me!  Tiring, but somehow I manage.

jamie217

my H leaves for work between 6:30-7pm and gets home 4am, he works M-Th and then either works Fri or Sat night.  I have only been back to work a couple weeks.  In some ways it's nice because since he's off Sunday and can go to bed early Sunday night and either has off Friday or goes in later when he does work Fridays he has the girls those days, so it saves us money. 

On the downside I feel like a majority of the time when I'm with they he's working, sleeping or getting ready for work and vice versa for him, so it feels like being a single parent at times because more often then not I'm taking care of both of them at once on my own (and the same for him, though we do have family or a babysitter who come to the house the other 3 days of the week, so he can sleep and run errands when he gets up).  Also getting up at night on my own with them at night and then getting up for the day with them for was difficult, but for awhile they had a 4:40am feeding that he would take when he got home so I could sleep.

I think it will be a big help that you will both be off for a few months though because the first few months were really the hardest.

dressmaking.dummy

My DH works 3rd shift 11 pm to 730 am and I work 2nd shift 2 pm to 9 pm so right now we don't need day care.  I'm going to be shifting my schedule around after the Holidays so I will only be working 2 days a week and we will need day care for those days. 

I do nights by myself and it hasn't been too bad.  You get into a routine and it becomes easier.  In the beginning it was a sleep when they sleep sort of thing.  I used to sleep in until 9 or 10 in the morning, but now that they are almost sleeping through the night *squee* I'm up by 8.  The nights that my husband is home I don't get up, which is really nice.  I still hear what is going on, but I get to stay in my nice warm bed.