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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH and baby's sleep

38 replies

Dilemma1985 · 03/02/2019 09:59

We have a baby (DS) who is almost 4 months old. I don't have him on a very precise routine yet but have developed a rhythm (awake for 2 hours with feeds on waking and after the first hour - he eats a lot, then a nap which is usually 45 minutes or 1.5 hours).

DH has very bad sleep habits himself. He stays up until well after midnight most nights watching TV. He doesn't work anymore (redundant and will be SAHD when I go back to work) but when he used to work he would go to bed at 11pm and get up at 5:30am because he wanted to watch TV at night and spend a couple of hours exercising before work which he said was more important than sleep. It's frustrating as hell because on the one hand he is always complaining about being tired and sleeping poorly, but on the other hand he says sleep is a waste of time and does things which are bound to screw up your sleep pattern (eg going to bed and getting up at wildly fluctuating times). He also used to try and get me to stay up with him to watch TV and then would tickle me to wake me up when I inevitably fell asleep on the sofa, even though it would make me feel ill to be woken up in the middle of deep sleep and hate being tickled anyway - he has thankfully stopped this but it has taken a lot of crying for him to finally get the message that he shouldn't be waking me up when I've been asleep for a while. I feel I already try and compromise and end up going to bed later than I would like (ideally I'd like to start getting ready for bed at 9pm so I am definitely asleep by 10pm). I'm not perfect but getting a decent amount of sleep is important to me because I know I'm much more irritable without it and feel it affects my mental health especially since having DS (I was having scary hallucinations after he was born and have been depressed at times). It's also important for me that the baby sleeps properly because despite the fact that neither of us are working I seem to be doing the lion's share of the baby care and find it soooo much harder when DS is tired and am also doing all the night waking as DS is EBF, and he sleeps a lot better at night when he naps well during the day.

Anyway, my AIBU is am I being unreasonable in wanting to keep to the rough nap routine even when we have visitors? DH's parents are coming over today and I know DH is probably going to get grumpy if I try and take the baby away for a nap whilst his parents are here (even though they will be staying for several hours). I don't think DS will be able to sleep in the same room as them whilst they talk as his parents are in their 70s and they all talk loudly. Similarly, I think we should time lunch so that we have it whilst DS is awake as DH will want to eat in the dining room and due to the layout of our house (sitting room and dining room on different floors so not easy to move him whilst he's asleep and want an adult to stay in the same room as him due to SIDS risk). DH acts like I am majorly unreasonable in trying to plan things around nap times rather than trying to get DS to conform to what we want to do that day.

Also, am I being unreasonable in wanting to go to bed when the baby goes to bed? DH complains if I want to go to bed around 8 or 9 because we haven't had a fun evening together even though neither of us are working so we have all day to watch TV? And I am bloody tired!

Moreover, he thinks I ignore his opinions about what to do with the baby and says that's why he doesn't do much of the child care. I guess I do ignore what he says but all his opinions seem to be based around what's easiest/what he wants to do. If it were up to him DS would wear the same clothes for days without washing even though he socks up and dribbles loads, would never bathe and would go to bed at 1am whilst I'm diligently reading baby books and trying to figure out what's best for DS.

Help!

OP posts:
Maelstrop · 03/02/2019 10:08

He’s a lazy idiot. How long has he been unemployed for? You’re happy to go back to work while he sloppily looks after your child and does what’s best for him but not the baby?

JasperKarat · 03/02/2019 10:15

I don't think the nap schedule has to be so rigid, what if you need to go out? Would you come back every couple of hours so DC can nap? Evening routine do what works for you. Also your DP needs to get off his backside, still watching TV all night and go and get a job

SpaceDinosaur · 03/02/2019 10:16

What a lazy, self involved prat.

OP, if he can't parent and be involved with your child's care now, what on Earth makes you think he's going to dramatically change when you go back to work? Does he think that being a SAHP is a dos?

Jackshouse · 03/02/2019 10:18

You have two non working parents and a 4 month old baby and it sounds like the baby is all your responsibility in terms of night wakings. Does he give you time to rest durring the day.

Dilemma1985 · 03/02/2019 10:23

He's been out of work for a couple of years. His industry is dying and he earned half of what I did so it wouldn't be possible for me to be a SAHM unfortunately.

TBF, DH is lovely in other ways and suspect he will love nap times when I go back to work (break time!) so it's a short term problem.

OP posts:
whiteworld · 03/02/2019 10:26

He doesn’t sound lovely at all. He sounds like a lazy, selfish, uncaring man child. Are you really happy to leave your precious dc with this loser when you go back to work?

GummyGoddess · 03/02/2019 10:26

In my experience, if you want a baby who sleeps through without needing to do any sort of sleep training that involves letting them cry, you need to prioritise their naps. It's not forever but babies need to sleep, it's so important for their development.

whiteworld · 03/02/2019 10:26

Has he thought about retraining so he can do another job? Or is he planning never to go back to work?

CountessVonBoobs · 03/02/2019 10:30

TBF, DH is lovely in other ways and suspect he will love nap times when I go back to work (break time!) so it's a short term problem.

Um, I highly doubt it. You've painted a consistent picture of a lazy individual who puts his own needs first. Which is OK for another adult who chooses to live with him but not for a baby. (In TWO YEARS at home he hasn't been able to find work at any kind or thought about retraining if his industry is on the skids?!) He doesn't do any babycare now, how is he going to become the hands-on SAHP who enables you to earn?

I think the nap and sleeping issues (and YANBU in still wanting your baby to have a nap, although the routine doesn't have to be rigid) are just symptoms of the basic problem that your DH is a lazy parent and partner.

Jackshouse · 03/02/2019 10:32

In two years he has not been able to find any other work - no retail or temping jobs?

Dilemma1985 · 03/02/2019 10:34

I don't want to make him sound like a monster. He's in the other room vacuuming now and does do a bit of childcare (but doesn't have to deal with DS when he's cranky and punching me in the boob because he's tired).

OP posts:
MumW · 03/02/2019 10:56

When you go back to work, you need to make sure he is taking on the lion's share of the childcare and housework.

What you must not let happen is you working full-time, coming home, DH dumps DS on you and expects you to do the dinner and housework.
You need to get him in training now. Make him step up, teach him what needs to be done.

I hope I'm wrong but I have a horrible feeling that you could end up being a FT worker whilst DH does sod all during the day and goes for a nap the minute you get in.
Some many men seem to think that being at home is the easy life and SAHMs do nothing but sit around and drink tea.

Itssosunnyout · 03/02/2019 10:59

Your partner sounds very lazy and isn't putting your baby's needs first.

I agree with pp's that say he could have at least found another job. He could be doing that now whilst you are on maternity.
At the very least having that routine would be to his benefit.
He needs to adhere to the schedule you are trying to put in place for baby. Especially as he will need to follow it when he is a sahd.

I don't quite understand why he needs to watch so much telly when he could be doing an online course or signing up to open uni.

Also its not unreasonable to go to bed early especially when you are ebf. Me and my partner sometimes go to bed at 8.30/9 as baby cosleeps. Once she's settled we will chat or watch Netflix or plan what we are going to do in the next couple of days.

In regard to naps with people with loud voices. It doesnt do any harm for baby to nap in a room where there is noise so baby doesn't become a light sleeper. To make sure no one wakes baby up have baby sleeping laying on your chest. Then you have an excuse to rest whilst your (lazy) partner can makes brews for his family.

TulipsInbloom1 · 03/02/2019 11:00

Do you honestly, genuinely, believe that he will be a good SAHP?

Quartz2208 · 03/02/2019 11:02

OP you need to sort this now otherwise you will be a full time worker and housewife

He is controlling as well and the tickling is borderline abusive

peachgreen · 03/02/2019 11:17

Ugh. What a useless, lazy manchild. He should be splitting the housework and childcare 50/50 and he should have found work a long time ago. As for waking you up, that's abusive.

Dilemma1985 · 03/02/2019 12:01

The thing about him working to be blunt is that he's not very academic (it's not been diagnosed but we both suspect he has dyslexia), is not very good at things like DIY/decorating, is v squeamish so couldn't work in healthcare and he'll be in his 50s by the time DS is at school, so it's not obvious if he could do anything other than a minimum wage job which he would hate and would only just about cover the costs of child care. He has talked about getting a new job once DS is in school although neither of us know what he'll do. Even when he had his job he was earning ~£20k per year whereas I earn over £50k. Ideally, it would be the other way around and he could out and earn £50k and I would stay at home and be an awesome SAHM, but it's not realistic.

To be fair to him he is doing most of the housework at the moment. He's not very good at it (eg I really don't understand why he is so rubbish at stacking the dishwasher) but he does do it. I have had conversations with him about things being done badly but it feels like I can't win as he gets upset that he's not good at doing stuff and I sound like a nag.

I don't really understand the TV thing either. I would rather we just watch a couple of hours a day but we seem to have got into a situation where it's all we do. He seems to act like we have to watch it like it's some kind of chore to get through and gets stressed out if we have a few things taped? It's very odd. He likes to leave it on in the background all day too which I don't think will be great for DS. I think he might have tinnitus so needs a bit of noise so as not to notice it? And I like reading but he doesn't. He also likes to watch awful crime/murder documentaries but that's another topic...

I think he'll be an OK SAHD but not great to be honest. I think any housework he does will be sloppy and irregular (he is the type to spend half a day cleaning thoroughly if we have guests coming whereas I'd prefer a regular routine/organised mum method etc.), he normally exercises a couple of hours a day at the moment which he's going to struggle to fit it but he does love our son. But I don't want to leave him.

OP posts:
GummyGoddess · 03/02/2019 12:23

I have only seen one good sahd, he runs around after his son playing games, involving other children and is like a magnet for them. During child's naps he gets all housework done, wife comes home and does dinner and bedtime. Would he be up to all of that?

Quartz2208 · 03/02/2019 12:27

The thing is this isnt about your relationship it is about whether an OK SAHD is enough for your son and there are quite a few things that dont really say he is up for looking after a young toddler

CountessVonBoobs · 03/02/2019 12:28

The thing about him working to be blunt is that he's not very academic (it's not been diagnosed but we both suspect he has dyslexia), is not very good at things like DIY/decorating, is v squeamish so couldn't work in healthcare and he'll be in his 50s by the time DS is at school

Oh please. If he had a teaspoon of drive or pride he would have been doing SOMEthing for the past two years instead of that string of pitiful excuses. (And dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence). There are plenty of healthcare professions that don't involve contact with vomit or blood. He could have been working his way up to management within retail if he had the drive and willingness to work hard.

Instead, he's... Doing some of the housework. Badly. And you were pregnant and working full time and STILL having to clean up after him. You've got yourself a cocklodger.

Fairylea · 03/02/2019 12:31

I wouldn’t want to leave my baby with him.

He needs to get a full time min wage job and your child needs to go into childcare, even if it just cuts even. I don’t think he’s in any way cut out to be a sahd.

JasperKarat · 03/02/2019 12:34

My uncle was a SAHD to my younger cousins, to a certain extent, my aunt is quite a bit younger than him and had the children quite young, so he took a night shift job so she could go to uni and he would look after the children in the day, she did some part time tutoring too. The DCs went to groups, he got involved in the PTA when they were at school, baked for the charity bake sales etc, had a group of mum friends and did everything a SAHM would do and loved it. when he slept I'm not sure...
He's a great big bear of a man but would joke that he wore his pinny during the day. He also did all housework, grocery shopping and they shared the cooking. Your DP doesn't sound like that.
My aunt is now a head teacher because he supported her to do that, and he no longer works nights as the DCs are adults. Well he really support you in the same way?

TacoLover · 03/02/2019 12:37

I don't think his sleeping patterns are that weird. I don't know anyone over 18 who goes to bed at 9pm.

Cornettoninja · 03/02/2019 12:52

I personally think that the person with the well thought out, factual, argument wins tbh. You have a routine that’s works and prevents an overtired grumpy baby and is backed up by SIDS advice. He has an idea that sounds good to him.

Sleep changes all the time at this age so his ideas will be relevant at some point but at the moment they’re not helpful or useful. I hope his parents back you up.

I also think it would do him good to do something constructive with his time. Does he drive? Amazon hire ad hoc drivers so it wouldn’t impact childcare.

arethereanyleftatall · 03/02/2019 13:00

His argument for not working is an absolute cop out and I have no idea whatsoever why you put up with that.
There are plenty of jobs he can do that don't require qualifications, and if he doesn't like the wage, tough shit, work your way up.
If he's in to exercise, why not set up own business? Just take people for a run. It's so easy. Or get a personal training qualification. It's a one week course to be able to teach some exercise classes.
I would not put up with him.

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