On maternity leave in lockdown - solidarity thread

[Comps83]

Hi
Sure there must be another similar thread somewhere but just in case there isn't I thought I'd start a thread for those of us on maternity leave whilst in lockdown

I think it's just started to get to me
I just finished my uni work for this year and feel at a loose end
Really want to take ds to see the rest of the family especially his great grandmother who is very much in mourning after the death of my mother a week after he was born
I'm getting really really bored now

Hi
I'm on maternity leave too. Family live at the other end of the country so haven't even been able to meet the little one yet. It's like Groundhog Day at the moment 🙄

That's what I keep saying about Groundhog Day
I'm worried that him not being able to meet other people is going to have an adverse effect on his development

Hi...same as that...defo groundhog day!!! How old are your babies?? Mine is a little boy....2 months old tomorrow

Mines 4.5 months
I hoping to not go back to work until January

Sorry for your loss...that must be very difficult to deal with on top of everything else xxx

Yep same here, every day is the same and I'm sure even my 5 month old DS is getting cabin fever. I try to do as much as possible but I do think sometimes he's fed up of just me. Plus he's getting super clingy which I totally understand but before all this he was quite happy to go to anyone and now he sometime cries if people get too close when we are out and about.

Mine is 13 weeks. I'm going back to work in October ☹️
I'm dreading him going to nursery having never spent time around anyone except me, his dad and his brother!

Mines 5months, im due to go back end of August but have full time holiday to pop on the end so hoping ill get a good chunk extra on the end. Feel like shes not getting what she needs as juggling 6yo trying to do school work aswell plus he wakes her up constantly and her relationship with my family will take longer to build back up before i go back to work. We were at my mums daily before lockdown, now i have a very clingy for mum baby

Sorry for your loss.
Please dong worry about his development. Everything you do with and for him day to day singing books peekaboo is enough.

@Gin4thewin I've got a 12 year old too and he's exactly the same for waking the little one up. Plus the other issue I have at the moment is if he stirs even slightly, someone picks him up so he's not learning to settle himself - going to be a nightmare when they go back to school/work and it's just me!

She got really bad for that when dp was furloughed but he got called back in so i had to start all over again with a routine and juggling them both. Her new thing is fighting going to sleep. She normally goes down in her buggy in the kitchen but its all open plan and not very big so doesnt take much for him to wake her up, however shes decided this is not for her and would rather sleep on me and will happily stay sound asleep for a few hours

@Gin4thewin feel your pain on the refusal to sleep! Mine has been a sleep dodger pretty much since we brought him home (shock to the system as my eldest loved his sleep and slept through from 5 weeks). He will happily sleep on me but the minute I put him down, the eyes spring open! He's getting better at night thankfully - does about 8pm til 12, has a quick feed and then goes down again until about 5.30/6. He's is soooo noisy when he sleeps though - wriggles around and grunts and squeals constantly like he's fighting some kind of battle with himself lol

My baby has been a good sleeper after the first few weeks but recently he's started fighting sleep and kicking off at bedtime
He had a total meltdown last night and I didn't get him to go to sleep until after 11pm
He's also got a cough which I'm going to ring the doctors about tomorrow , DH tested negative for covid though so I'm not really worried
Dh is the only one who leaves the house. Anyone else not really gone anywhere since before lockdown ?

Anyone else not really gone anywhere since before lockdown ?

Yep other than walks around our local park and into the garden we've just been stuck inside. Is it weird that I get super excited to go in the car these days?

I think I might have forgotten how to drive
The only time I've driven in months was 10 mins to the doctors for ds's 3 months jabs
I think he will need a new car seat now anyway

I suppose the only good thing is she has slept through 8 till 8 since she was little although I do still dreamfeed her when i go to bed another 5oz, wondering when i should stop but shes still about a month behind size wise as was 5 weeks prem, dropped from 5lb 4oz to 4lb 4oz in 4 days and then had bowel surgery at a week old so i always worry she needs the extra

@Comps83 furthest I've driven is the odd trip to the supermarket and to the doctors for baby jabs. Plus I had 7 weeks of not driving because of my section ☹️ Cabin fever is real lol

I'm struggling this afternoon
I can't even put a finger on why I feel down
I just want everything to go back to normal

I'm struggling this afternoon. I can't even put a finger on why I feel down

I've cried 3 times today. My poor husband is trying so hard to keep me motivated and upbeat but he's a keyworker so there's only so much he can do. Honestly I just feel trapped and fed up with the never ending feeling of just going through the motions and not being alone for even 2 minutes.

I'm sure I'd be so much better if I could just have half a day being me instead of playmate, entertainer and conversation extraordinaire to an almost 6 month old who is just in such a miserable mood. Although I'm not sure I can blame him for being miserable I'm not exactly the most exciting company amd even I'd be bored of my face by now.

I daren't even cry as it always causes arguments with dh. Especially when I can't explain why I'm crying . I'm hiding in the bath
I know people are going through so much worse but this is probably the only maternity leave I'm ever going to have and the short time I got before lockdown was such a stressy blur, now that we've settled down and I'd feel comfortable taking ds out and about I can't!
I've got 2 friends who had babies a month or so after me and we can't have the meet ups we planned . I thought myself lucky to have friends pregnant at the same time considering we're no spring chickens

One thing I'm grateful for is my dad recovered from the virus
Couldn't cope with losing another parent right now

I enquired about some nursery's today. Tbh I forgot all about arranging that with everything going on until dh brought it up. I hope I haven't left it too late!

I gort told on another thread near the start of all this that I should be greatful to not be at work and how lucky I was that I was on maternity leave. I appreciate others have it so much worse and that baby groups are not essential but I was so looking forward to going to lots and really wanted to meet other parents as I don't know any nearby.

Must be something in the air today....feeling down and anxious too...cant put my finger on why but oh my god im tired...i had HG with this pregnancy and was basically housebound for 9 months...so this lockdown is torture...a necessary torture...but still a bloody torture...

I know some people will shoot us down for moaning but there is a reason the health visitors ask you about your support network
Which we now don't have
And I think everyone to some extent experiences some form of pnd even if they don't realise it . All those hormones leaving your body must have some effect

I can imagine a lot of women will find themselves suffering from anxiety and depression as a result and lots of the children will also suffer from increasing anxiety.

I also called some nurseries but none around here are accepting new children so I'm not sure what I'm meant to do about childcare...