So how on earth do i do ANY housework with a bf-on-demand 4 week old?

[sushistar]

before ds came along at begining of december i was a bit houseproud, and i knew that would have to change! but i can't even get the most basic stuff like washing done - how on earth am i supposed to keep some semblance of order? poor dh is going to come back from his 1st day back at work since ds was born to an ABSOLUTE TIP but ds wants to feed all the time so i can do nothing! [frustrated emotican]

Orange, that poem brought a lump to my throat!!

My baby is coming up to 10 months and its only very recently I've been able to get anything done. Its very hard.

Agree you should either ask for some help or just try and ignore the mess, otherwise you will just feel guilty and frustrated. I have asked friends just to hold baby for a while so I can whizz round and tidy up...

Its lovely having a newborn though [broody emoticon]

Ah, glad i'm not the only one to struggle with looking at the mess and not being able to do anything about it. Lovely lovely poem
baby does, of course, come 1st - thank you for all the reminders of that!

I have just borrowed that poem and emailed it to my new mum friends.

Confess to your MIL that you are worried about her thinking you are not coping and burst into tears on her shoulder.

My mother appears every day for the first two months for her daughters to do the housework. In a lot of cultures the daughter moves back to her mother's house for the first month. You are recovering from pregnancy, labour and birth, and feeding a child who is growing at some ridiculous rate I have forgotten. How on earth are you supposed to dust at the same time? You are NOT supposed to.

at orange's poem

Put the poem away Orange it's dangerous...

It gets easier to do stuff but the poem is right. Ask for help, learn to adapt, enjoy this time, do the minimum that will keep you sane and if you can afford help, pay for it...

What a lovely poem, oranges!

Will put a copy of that on my kitchen notice board for the next time my MIL pops round for an unexpected visit to find me under a pile of week old washing and dirty plates.

Agree with asking for help. I was lucky to eat for the first few weeks

Ummmmmm, truth be told, you kinda don't!

My dd's 7 months old, not breast fed, in a routine for eating, sleeping etc, and I still have no time to do anything but grab a quick shower each day.

My advice would be, sit down, relax, stare at your wee bundle until your eyes hurt, and perhaps ask a nice family member/friend to come round and do the dishes for you until your back on track. Failing that get a baby sling thing, that way you can carry your baby, feed him/her and do some housework all at the same time.

I personally would go for the former lol

Sushistar, please don't worry about it. You will find as the baby gets older you will develop a routine, and it will get easier to ease back into the housework. Your MIL should be helping you not criticising you.
When I came home after the birth of DD2, my neighbour called and the "Hello" she had for me was "Oh, poor DH is doing the vaccuuming and you're sitting on your arse". I informed her I was breastfeeding (just in case she couldn't see baby's head was nestled in my jumper) and I was recovering from my third Caesarean. She has one child, she didn't breastfeed & her mother lives with her and does ALL the housework and the cooking. Double standards!

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