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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

New baby and working the whole time

84 replies

Sleepless1096 · 22/11/2022 12:39

NC for this as it could be identifying. I'm interested to know what people think about this situation.

2 DC - a 6 year old and 5 week old baby.

Husband works 5 days a week and usually some of the weekend as well. Working hours are extremely long at the moment - he usually works from 9am until 1 or 2am the following morning. Sometimes even later. Usually back home around 2/3am. Since the baby arrived, he's done the school run in the morning for the 6 year old, although this makes things stressful with work sometimes, especially getting there on time for any 9am meetings. He does have significant control over his work schedule though. Husband has been averaging 4 hours sleep a night since the baby came (before that, he'd sleep in until 8am and usually got an extra hour of sleep).

Wife works freelance (usually 10-15 hours per week), is doing some studying (5-10 hours per week) and does everything except the morning school run for the DC during the week. Wife does all night wakings (breastfed baby), makes packed lunches and sorts school bag, sorts school uniform, gets 6yo up and dressed in the morning, takes baby to medical appointments (there's a few medical issues), attends school events, does school pick-up, takes 6yo to afterschool swimming and football, supervises homework every night and does dinner and bed and bath. Baby fusses in the evening and wakes at least every 3-4 hours during the night. Wife does almost all the housework, cooking, shopping, DC admin etc.

At weekends, husband will sleep in until 12/1pm to catch up on sleep. Wife gets breakfast for 6yo, feeds the baby, tidies up, does the laundry etc. When husband gets up, they usually go out somewhere as a family or husband will take the DC out so wife can have a nap. Husband helps with dinner, bath and bedtime on weekend evenings, and will do shopping, laundry and other chores if asked to. Wife still does all the night wakings.

Last saturday, 6yo was invited to a 9am party at a forest adventure park (parents expected to attend). Wife wanted to leave the 5 week old with husband (with expressed milk) so she could concentrate on spending one-on-one time with the 6yo. Husband refused, saying he was too tired to look after the baby safely. Wife took baby along to the party but found it quite hard going caring for both and running after the 6yo with the buggy (still physically recovering from the birth)

Who was being unreasonable?

OP posts:
PeekAtYou · 22/11/2022 12:42

Neither are being unreasonable.

isthewashingdryyet · 22/11/2022 12:44

Neither is unreasonable. The reason we have a 48 hours maximum for a working week is suddenly clear and obvious to me. No one can work the hours the husband does, and do anything else except eat and sleep and shower.

husband needs a different job

Thelonelychicken · 22/11/2022 12:44

Sounds like both are doing a fair share of work really.

PuttingDownRoots · 22/11/2022 12:45

What sort of job requires him to be out till past midnight?

Honestly... they both sound like close to cracking and in need of a proper rest before an accident happens.

PeekAtYou · 22/11/2022 12:45

I mean mum is not unreasonable to want one on one time with dc1 and dad isn't unreasonable to be far too tired to parent.
Is the h working crazy hours temporarily or long term? Wasn't it a factor when planning dc2? If he was doing crazy hours before planning for dc2 then I assume the wife would be doing the bulk of the childcare.

MolliciousIntent · 22/11/2022 12:46

Neither are unreasonable but something needs to change.

avocadoandchill · 22/11/2022 12:46

Neither are. It's just a tough time sleepwise at the moment.

avocadoandchill · 22/11/2022 12:47

I think husband could do with booking some annual leave if possible to rest so can help out more so wife can rest more too.

isthewashingdryyet · 22/11/2022 12:48

And wife should be on maternity leave and not trying to work too. Blimey, actually amazed you managed to find time to make a second baby, and have a serious question about why you both actually had a second baby when neither of you has any time for your poor kids

Hoppinggreen · 22/11/2022 12:50

isthewashingdryyet · 22/11/2022 12:48

And wife should be on maternity leave and not trying to work too. Blimey, actually amazed you managed to find time to make a second baby, and have a serious question about why you both actually had a second baby when neither of you has any time for your poor kids

Exactly - your lifestyle is unsustainable for a family with a 6 year old let alone a baby
WTF were you thinking? Unless of course this is a new and unavoidable thing

Leothebear · 22/11/2022 12:51

DH request was reasonable considering the current set up.

But the whole family organization is crazy, you are both being very unreasonable to think this is sustainable.
Something has to change.

Meltingsocks · 22/11/2022 12:51

Husband is in banking or similar? Use his salary to hire full time help!!!

avocadoandchill · 22/11/2022 12:52

Yes can wife take maternity leave?

Sleepless1096 · 22/11/2022 12:59

Is the h working crazy hours temporarily or long term? Wasn't it a factor when planning dc2?

Husband has always worked long hours but it's got a lot worse. Initially, he was going to take one month's paternity leave plus some annual leave afterwards, but his work has been too busy for him to take this much time out.

OP posts:
Sleepless1096 · 22/11/2022 13:01

Yes can wife take maternity leave?

Wife is finishing up a final submission for a graduate course and then the studying will be finished. The freelance work is a new opportunity that might lead to other things later on.

OP posts:
Zezet · 22/11/2022 13:18

I've done pretty much all parts of this equation at one point or another, and I vote the wife is very much the unreasonable one.

And yes, if you are of the opinion that your husband is unreasonable in this, find a way to get more balance in total, but not by expecting him to fill in even more cracks.

Pollyputthekettleonha · 22/11/2022 13:25

If he works so much he must have a very well paid job? You are also earning? Get a nanny and a cleaner and the take the pressure off if you need to keep working.
If he doesn't earn that much he needs to get a different job because that is crazy.

Sleepless1096 · 22/11/2022 19:15

The wife spends all day, every day with the baby and older child - picks the older child up from school, does activities, playdates and playground trips, does homework and story time, does bathtime with both DC. The baby tags along. She works while the baby is feeding/asleep and older child is at school, or during the night when the baby wakes for feeds. The husband did some of these things while on paternity leave and usually spends weekend afternoons with the 6yo (either taking them out or doing stuff together as a family) and sometimes the baby as well. So it's not the case that the children get no attention from their parents. They get attention from the wife during the week, and from both parents at weekends. 6yo also gets to spend time with the husband on the school run, although the wife will be doing that as well soon (at the moment, the baby cluster feeds in the morning, which makes it very difficult for the wife to get herself, baby and 6yo out of the house in time and still manage to feed the baby).

if you are of the opinion that your husband is unreasonable in this, find a way to get more balance in total, but not by expecting him to fill in even more cracks.

The husband was meant to be off work for 6 weeks but had to go back early from paternity leave and cancel annual leave due to work pressures.

OP posts:
hesbeingabitofadick · 22/11/2022 19:20

If the husband is doing 15+hour days, and the wife has full care for the baby, why did either of you agree to take the older child out at the weekend when you'd both be exhausted?

NoSquirrels · 22/11/2022 19:20

DH’s work is unreasonable.

Potentially DH is unreasonable if he’s not pushing back on work in order to support his family at this time. But there may be legitimate factors that mean he can’t.

Ultimately though his work-life balance needs to change in the long term.

NoSquirrels · 22/11/2022 19:24

I mean, it’s a really long post to say, essentially:

’This weekend I wished I could leave the baby with my DH but he was knackered cos he only gets 4 hours sleep a night due to work. I am knackered too as I’m breastfeeding and doing everything at home for 2 DC. It sucks.’

Mynoodlesareoodles · 22/11/2022 19:25

Sounds like husband would rather work ridiculously long hours rather than parent and do anything round the house and is also using the long hours as an excuse to sleep in at the weekend and avoid parenting/house even more.

Rumplestrumpet · 22/11/2022 19:26

The wife can't so much about her schedule - baby needs feeding, kid needs looking after. If there's money available perhaps some could be outsourced (cleaner)

The husband's work schedule however is ridiculous and unsustainable. Is he choosing to do this? What would happen if he decided to cut down to 40hours instead?

If he'd lose his job/a contract with a top client and they'd lose their home, etc I can understand, but he needs to have an end point and stick to it before they all totally burn out.

If he's working these hours because he wants to earn more, get promotion or similar, then he needs to look again at his priorities. His whole family is suffering.

Either way they need to sit down and discuss it calmly, and find a way to get through this without burnout or PND.

femfemlicious · 22/11/2022 19:27

Your husband works too much. He can't so any more. Get in paid help.

Cluelessdiyer · 22/11/2022 19:28

Why is the wife studying?

why is the wife doing freelance work that “might” lead to something

does wife want to be sahp or share financial responsibility?

Husnand made the right short term decision that he couldn’t parent safely.

you both need to be adults and make grown up decisions about how you can parent effectively because the current set up doesn’t work