How much housework did you do with a newborn?

[AhoyMcCoy]

DD (pfb) is 3 weeks old, breastfed and doesn't like being put down! I want to know two things:

1. How much housework did you do with a newborn?
   
   
2. What tips/shortcuts can I use to keep on top of things?

[HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs]

Not a lot!! Take anyone up on an offer of help, and don't feel pressured to keep up your pre-baby standards.
And congratulations!

[HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs]

Also my mam did my ironing for a few weeks! Lucky me I know. Do you have much support?

[YokoUhOh]

None. I still do no housework (DS is 20mo). If you want to do housework, put baby in a Moby Wrap. You can even breastfeed and clean simultaneously!

[Saltedcaramel2014]

Zero

[betold]

As much as I do now they are 5 and 18mths....

The absolute, bare minimum, just enough to keep us alive and not needing to wipe our feet on the way out of the house amount!

(I come on good housekeeping for inspiration, but I just find it nicely distracting from all the cleaning I should be doing )

[combust22]

Quite a bit as I had no help and OH only had one day off work. With my second baby I also had a toddler to cook and care for ( and potty train) so no time off at all really.

Like yoko I mastered the art of breastfeeding in a sling. I could breastfeed while I hung laundry on the line, cook, push a supermarket trolley, hoover and many other household tasks.

[ShineSmile]

Not much at all. My family did it for me

[Ragwort]

Not much - in fact the best present I received was the gift of a cleaner for two hours a week for the first couple of months.

But then I don't do much housework anyway - I am constantly amazed at the amount of housework some mumsnetters do - you must all live in show homes .

[whereisshe]

1. none
   
   
2. get a cleaner! Or a DH/P who cleans.

[FlatCapAndAWhippet]

I did it all, I had no help, the house was clean and tidy. I was knackered!

[combust22]

I agree- some of us simply have no choice- we just have to get on with it.

[Tadla]

i have 14week old and a 3 year old who gets funded nursery
place in september.

before dc2, i vacuumed 1/2 times per week in downstairs and 1x per week upstairs, dusted 1x per week etc. i worked 3 or 4 days per week.

now its a dust once a fortnight and vacuum once a fortnight.

spending all my time doing laundry/food shopping and keeping my children happy!

[stargirl1701]

None. We got a cleaner...she's still here 22 months later

[123upthere]

A cleanup around 5pm meant the downstairs kitchen & living room were still clean/tidy when I got up next day.

So don't worry too much you're doing what you're biologically programmed to do, which is ensure the survival of your newborn, rather than ensure your home is ready for an interiors magazine photoshoot at any given moment.

Congrats by the way! Enjoy these moments with your gorgeous bundle

[gamerchick]

Very little. I delegated and did loads of xbox surrounded by munchies and drinks.

There's nothing much else you should do when you're nursing at the beginning.

[whereisshe]

Dirty is a choice. If I didn't have a cleaner I'd have had a dirty house with a newborn. No one makes you clean

[LittleBearPad]

Laundry and had a cleaner. Don't worry. A sling is useful for escaping the sofa though to do things.

[Greenstone]

Urgh it was awful with an EBF tiny - housework felt like 1 step forward 3 steps back. I put too much pressure on myself and regret it, looking back. Should have asked for more help. It did get better when I started using a stretchy wrap sling consistently.

OP put your feed up and feed your baby and really really don't worry about housework for now. Life is so short.

[Greenstone]

Oh I see you asked for tips. Here's mine, it only took me about a year to figure it out:

When your OH is at home and can take the baby off your hands, batch cook stews and soups and take the time to individually portion them out for the freezer - in sandwich bags or similar. That's your week's worth of lunches right there and you will feel so much better after a filling hot lunch that requires zero preparation apart from microwaving.

Congratulations!

[hugoagogo]

Very little, I just concentrated on caring for ds & resting so my cs wound could heal.

Housework for the first 6 months for me meant clean clothes and clean dishes-anything else is a bonus.

Noone else did much either btw

[combust22]

"There's nothing much else you should do when you're nursing at the beginning."

In an ideal world. Except if you have to get other kids to school/wash clothes/make dinner/packed lunches/

[shitatusernames]

Dd is 16 days, I try to do as much as I can, but it's not much, and it's driving me nuts.

[hugoagogo]

OP is talking about her first though, so doesn't have to do those things combust

[bexleigh]

I've got a 7 week old and while standards have dropped a little bit, the house is still fairly clean and tidy.

I do a little bit of hoovering every other day and DH does a bit too. Kitchen is always fully cleared up after every meal so mess doesn't build up. Bath and shower wiped down after use. Toilets and sinks quickly wiped if I notice it needs doing and have a couple of seconds to spare.

Tips:

• Baby in sling for tasks like hoovering
  
• Do little bits as you go along rather than any mammoth cleaning sessions.
  
• Hand baby over to partner or visitors even just for 5 minutes which is long enough to put a load of washing on, make a bed, or quickly wipe down a bathroom
  
• Have a dishwasher if poss!
  
• Keep cleaning wipes or a sponge+spray in every loo and do a quick wipe clean whenever you are already in that loo and notice it might need doing.
  
• Don't worry too much about minor things like dusting and polishing... Other people won't notice as much as you do - especially if they're distracted by cooing over your little newborn!
  
• Start using a bouncy chair asap and then the baby can sit close by and "help" you while you put washing out etc.
  
• Don't try and go mad doing housework every time the baby sleeps - use some of their naps to catch up on your own sleep
  

Well those are just things which have helped me cope - hope it helps