Working from Home with a Baby

Runner313

Has anyone attempted to work from home with a newborn? My cousin successfully worked from home for a year after her first born and claims it "wasn't that bad". I am an attorney (in a nontraditional role) and my job will offer me the flexibility of working from home after my LO arrives. The problem is I am on the phone pretty much all day advising clients on business, criminal defense, and family law matters and when my clients needs answers they need them now! (they are a very needy group). I plan on returning to work full time when she is 12 weeks old and putting her in day care 3 times a week and trying to work from home with her 2 days a week. Have any of you working moms had success in working from home with your LOs with you?? I do draft and review documents for part of my time so I am not on the phone the entire time- but definitely a lot. Any advice is appreciated!

RoxyLynn

Good grief, here we go again...

jf198400

This does not sound feasible AT ALL, especially since you have to be available all the time for phone calls.  Save yourself a lot of trouble and put baby in DC FT.

AZ123

You can do it but not successfully. What will happen is that the baby will be asleep and then wake up just as you're getting a work call. Also, it is physically and mentally exhausting. If you can afford it, bring a nanny into your house so you can see the baby but at the same time be able to actually work.

megann831

I could see where it's doable, but your baby will be playing by himself all day with very little interaction from you, doesn't really sound too far

katieh1017

I tried working half a day with her once and it was a fail. I couldn't do anything. If you are on the phone a lot I don't see it working well. I'd get a nanny, mothers helper or something. 

Runner313

Alright thanks. The reason I even asked is because of what my cousin was going on and on about, basically that it worked out well for her but maybe she is bs-ing or is superhuman. Thanks for the input.

azuremama

I am an attorney and I tried to work from home about 10-15 hours a week when DS was 3 months old and I found it really hard to get even that little bit of work in.  It's hard to work around naps because they aren't always predictable and hard to get anything done while the baby's awake.  Especially true if your job is time-sensitive and if you have to be on the phone a lot.  You'd basically have to neglect the baby to take care of work.

I think the only way it works is if you're very flexible and do a lot of work early in the am or after the baby goes down for the night.  I wouldn't want that schedule, but it works for some people.

mexicolombiana

I suspect your cousin had a way less demanding job than you, or she's full of it

EastCoastBride

mexicolombiana:

I suspect your cousin had a way less demanding job than you, or she's full of it

Yeah, this.  I doubt it was an apples to apples comparison.

Also, does your work know you plan on having the baby at home?  If not, it could be an issue where if/when they find out, they no longer let you or anyone else work from home.  OR they could even fire you. 

iverske9

Your newborn is going to be crying, so if it is over the phone it could be difficult to be professional with a crying baby. When my son got older and more regular with naps I could plan conference calls, etc but I would suggest getting a "mothers helper" or nanny for the days you are home "working" since it can be difficult to not only concentrate but get anything done with a newborn.  

ChicagoWeded2007

No no no

Daisy22

It only works if you have a very flexible job, do not have to enteract with others at certain times or be available at specific times. I work at home and kept ds2 and now ds3 home for the first year. Ds1 and ds2 go 3 days a week to school and ds3 will start in the summer 2013. I have extremely flexible hours. I know at the beginning of the week what needs to be done by weeks end but I don't have set hours or times that I have to be working. There are definitely times I'm working at 5am or late at night b/c I couldn't get something done during the day with the baby.

In your case having to do phone calls during the day there is no way it would work out well. My boys are and always have been on schedules and there are still days when one is fussy and needs more attention. There is no way I'd be able to plan phone calls around that. 

law&order

azuremama:

I am an attorney and I tried to work from home about 10-15 hours a week when DS was 3 months old and I found it really hard to get even that little bit of work in.  It's hard to work around naps because they aren't always predictable and hard to get anything done while the baby's awake.  Especially true if your job is time-sensitive and if you have to be on the phone a lot.  You'd basically have to neglect the baby to take care of work.

I think the only way it works is if you're very flexible and do a lot of work early in the am or after the baby goes down for the night.  I wouldn't want that schedule, but it works for some people.

I had the same experience.  My child does not just sit and be- even as an infant. He needed to be held, interacted with, etc. There is no way I could get anything done if he were awake.  And then he went through a terribly rough nap strike from 4.5-6 months where it took a lot of time and work to get him down. Even now, there is no way I could get anything done with him at home, even with care because he's in the mommy phase.

I don't feel like I can do a decent job at work or at parenting if I'm trying to do both.  

ETA: I'm also an attorney and couldn't really do any client calls with DS around.   

ridesbuttons

Without exaggeration, I couldn't have a 3 minute conversation with my mother on the phone with DS1 in the picture for some time.

If you work from home (for real) you need childcare.

Full stop.

egallo55

My plan is to work from home after baby. However, i will def be getting help at least 3 - 4 hours a day so I can work uninterrupted, make phone calls etc. The rest of the day will be email monitoring and i will check voicemails and return them via email or by phone if I have a quiet moment.

The reason this would work for me is that my job is not too demanding and since they will make me salary instead of hourly i do not have to clock in a 9 - 5 type of sched. But i may work early mornings or finish a project up in the evenings if need be. Besides my mothers helper i will also have an emergency person to call that i know is home nearby and could maybe help me if an unforseen afternoon of heavy work needs to happen.

 Financially we cannot afford full time daycare so this is the only doable option that allows us some income and me caring for baby.

brewcitybride

Hell to the No.

lcriordan

Not possible.

I am a CPA and ocassionally "work from home" if my daughter is sick and can't go to daycare. It is always an epic failure and at the end of the day I feel like a horrible mother and an awful employee.