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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

How much should my DH be doing?

24 replies

paprikamole · 11/08/2010 13:40

I'm curious. My DD is 3 months old and my DH has changed just 2 nappies; both of these were in about week 2 when my mother was staying (I was asleep so he had to look willing). He'll only give her a bottle of expressed milk if I make him and he wouldn't dream of getting involved in bath time.

When I moan about him not doing anything with DD he gets cross and goes on about how much he does around the house - cleaning and gardening - without being expected to look after DD as well. He also says that I'm lazy being at home all day doing nothing. I do what I can throughout the day but frankly, dusting is not my no.1 priority, DD is. Until recently she's been really unsettled so it's been hard to have any hands-free time.

The other problem is that despite his lack of involvement in our DD's care, he is never short of an opinion about how I should be doing things. I feel like he's constantly watching and waiting for me do slip up.

I feel disloyal saying all this but it's driving me mad; I have several friends who are also new mothers and their husbands seem to be amazing. Mine just says that I was brought up in such a way that I expect everything to be done for me (not true btw, I just had a fab father). I daren't talk to my friends about this because I don't want them to judge him.

Any advice?

OP posts:
Bacofoil · 11/08/2010 13:53

Heard this joke?

One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room, the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He ran up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled up in the bed, still in her pajamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world I did today?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply, half shouting.

The smile remained, "Well, today I didn't do it."
Wink

He sounds a bit dim - perhaps he needs to be shown the obvious? Which, btw, he shouldn't need to be, because he should TRUST you when you tell him how hard it is having a small baby and running a house.

Could you put aside a Saturday or Sunday, tell him what you normally do on a weekday, and then have him do it all, plus have dd, only bringing her to you for feeds - he has to wind, change etc. Oh, and ditto the night before so he does it all on a night of little sleep.

And remind him that, as someone who carried a baby for 9 months and is breastfeeding, there is no way he is as tired as you at the moment.

I would spring a surprise repeat performance on on the Sunday too, if he's in the slightest way cocky about it.

He doesn't sound very interested in his dd, and very lazy too. And I don't know why you feel you're being disloyal when he isn't living up to his responsibilities as a husband and father, not supporting you, and that's a kind of disloyalty too, isn't it? Poor you. Sad

minimathsmouse · 11/08/2010 13:54

Your DD is only 3 months. Maybe your DH is a little frightened of babies. Maybe he will show more interest as she gets older. What can you do with a baby of 3 months apart from change and feed them.

My DH was really too involved, he would fight me off to get to DS1 for feeds/changes. I found myself lost in the first few weeks, bored really. I then found it much harder to bond with my first. I felt that my DH had taken over. With DS2 he only took a week off and I was on my own with two to look after. No where near the same interference from DH and I felt I bonded with DS2 better much earlier. Significantly I also didn't suffer with Post natal Depression as I had with the first.

If I were you I would be greatful for all the household help that will free you up to look after DD.

Your husband might spend more time with her when she is more interactive and interesting.

Bacofoil · 11/08/2010 14:01

mimi a baby being boring is no excuse

by that reasoning, paprika is entitled to ignore the baby too Sad

sometimes it's very difficult and boring being a parent but paprika's dh needs to grow up and take part in his child's upbringing and support his wife

daisyj · 11/08/2010 14:10

Two very different perspectives so far, so how about a third - there is no 'should', there is only what you are both comfortable/happy with. I think it's when your expectations don't coincide that problems occur. DH has always been very very involved with DD, but, particularly in the first few months, when I was bf and she was with me all day, he deferred to me over most things and then we found a good balance.

I think it would be a bit brutal to leave him alone all day with your DD - he might feel quite overwhelmed and resentful, which won't really help matters. You definitely need to find some way to meet in the middle though. Maybe if you let him know how much you appreciate being free to look after dd and how hard you know he works to make sure the house and garden are nice, you could then suggest doing a little swap of duties for a few hours (apart from the bf), and see how he takes that.

It may be hard to express your frustration without sounding peevish, particularly when he's accusing you of being 'lazy', which is pretty rubbish, consdering how much physical and emotional effort you put in to carry, give birth to and look after a small baby, but really, a lot of men just do not get it!

Equally (although I don't like to jump to conclusions) he sounds a little resentful of your happy relationship with your family, and I'm wondering whether his dad knew how to be a dad - maybe he's scared of getting it wrong - just a thought...

I should confess, though, that my first instinct was to think all the things bacofoil said - and I LOVE that story Grin

minimathsmouse · 11/08/2010 14:16

Bacofoil, yes he should be more interested, but he isn't at the moment. Maybe he does do a lot of supporting stuff around the house and garden.

Women (me incl at times) seem to want everything their own way. There is this huge preasure on women now to breastfeed and to bond with baby, both of which are natural and instinctive things to do. However pages and pages are given over to it/ hrs of lecturing midwives etc, etc. Assuming that most women do want to nurture their children and knowing what I know of the facts of life, it makes sense for a women to care for and feed baby.

Women simply do it better, at least in the early days. There is plenty of time for men to be involved later. No I didn't find my babies boring, but they are 5 and 9 now and they are very much more interesting now!

malinkey · 11/08/2010 14:25

How was your relationship before you had DD? Did your OH have 'helpful' opinions about you could do things better then too? Or is this behaviour solely to do with you caring for DD?

Perhaps you could arrange an outing of some sort for an hour or two that would mean leaving DD at home with OH so he would have to look after her on his own? A trip to the gym or something? Maybe if it is just a matter of bonding then that might help him.

But the critical stuff about the way you look after her bothers me. Can you talk to him about this, or would he just deny it/get defensive?

paprikamole · 11/08/2010 14:36

Daisy, thank you - you put it perfectly. I think he is a little unsure at times about what to do and how to look after a 3 month old for any length of time. In his defense DH adores DD and the time he does spend with her he's really good (but it only lasts as long as I need it to i.e. to have a shower/load the dishwasher)

We come from very different families - his dad wasn't around much and his mum had three small children to bring up single handly as well as run the household, so he doesn't always get 'everyone mucking in'.

Malinkey, to answer your question, no he didn't have opinions on how I did things before, so it's just to do with DD.
He doesn't always do it and when he apologises for being an idiot he tells me I'm a great mum. I just need him to stop being an idiot!

I'm sure the older she gets the easier he'll find it to interact with her in a way he feels comfortable.

OP posts:
Littlepurpleprincess · 11/08/2010 14:44

My DP was like this at first (tbh it still is an uphill struggle with him, and I will be showing him that joke but he is aware and does so much more now, with slow but constant improvement).

I wrote a list! Of everything I do on an average day. Eg;

Get up
get dressed
dress DS
Feed me and DS
Make DP coffee
Put wash load on
Wash breakfast dishes
etc, etc....for the rest of the day, you get the point.

I wrote a list of what DP does, and it looked like this

Dress and feed self
Hoover

THAT WAS IT!

I showed it to him and said "this is true?" He agreed. He was shocked.

Factor in that I work 50+ hours a week and he works 3/4 part time days a week.

He still needs a lot of erm...directing. I have to give specific instructions. I can't just say 'can you do the dishes' I have to say 'can you do the dishes, dry them and put them away in the correct place please'. lol.

Also, I can't say 'can you do this everyday, can it be your job?' I have to ask every fucking day!

He also mentioned that he felt completely lost when DS was born and he didn't just get on with because he didn't know what to do and he thought I could do it better anyway.

We are working on it. Good luck. HTH.

malinkey · 11/08/2010 14:45

In that case maybe every time he offers an opinion you can hand DD over and get him to show you how to do it better! Grin

Coolfonz · 11/08/2010 14:50

He's a tit.

Littlepurpleprincess · 11/08/2010 14:53

Forgot to say my DP wouldn't dream of correcting me! Your DH is out of order when he does this.

domeafavour · 11/08/2010 14:56

nip this in the bud NOW!!!
make a big effort to get him involved
get him to do the last nighttime bottle.
SHOW him how to do bathtime.7
please do this, otherwise you will never get any help
my H was like this, and i know I could have done it differently.
it might be that he is scared, or nervous, or embarrassed that it doesn't come naturally.
him giving opinions at least shows that he is interested.
could also be that he is just a lazy arse
but please try and get him involved

cat64 · 11/08/2010 15:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Bacofoil · 11/08/2010 15:13

mimi I completely disagree that women are better parents in the early days

I think the problems seem to be this:

he's critical of paprika's parenting
he's a hands-off father who actively dislikes feeding and bathing his dd
he thinks cleaning and gardening absolve him from any domestic duties involving his dd
he thinks paprika sits on her arse all day, I'm presuming she has told him she doesn't

You might be hoping he'll get more involved later, but will he? And I really don't think you should be bending over backwards to accommodate his inadequacies - you're not there to nurture him and coax him gently into parenthood. He's an adult and he should grow a pair.

I think Littlepurpleprincess's suggestion of the list is a very good idea.

ItsGraceActually · 11/08/2010 15:57

I used to post to a forum that was teeming with men who felt displaced and/or alienated after the birth of their first child. The only solution is for them to get FULLY involved with life as a Dad. All the advice above is good, imo, with the exception of "Poor bunny, he's not a woman" (to paraphrase!)

Interestingly, the same advice was given by second-time-around fathers. They regretted not having been involved with their first set of DCs when they were small.

They get it. Honestly, they do - it needs more than a gentle evening feed, though.

Bacofoil · 11/08/2010 16:10

How interesting Grace - I thought fathers getting more involved would be the answer, but I wasn't sure. Notewrothy i think that fathers feel that way.

ItsGraceActually · 11/08/2010 19:08

Perhaps there is still a strong cultural drive to 'protect' men from the newborn maelstrom? Mammals are hard-wired to care for infants (think of male dogs that 'parent' orphaned kittens, for example) and if they throw themselves into it - or are thrown! - instinct sets up the bonding patterns.

Those older men felt their relationships with their earlier DC were weaker than with the second set, whom they'd parented from birth. They'd felt the urge to care for their babies but had channelled it into earning more for them, which led to their feeling responsible with less of an emotional reward.

I realise this wouldn't work with men whose "wiring is faulty" but such men will be problem partners anyway. I hope some MN men will be along to add their experience; father-baby bonding seems to be an under-discussed topic for some reason.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 11/08/2010 19:20

Yes when a mother is bf, she is doing all the bonding stuff, but there are ways for fathers to have physical closeness with the baby and start to develop their relationship too.

Once DH got over the scary slipperiness of a newborn he loved doing bathtime with our first. It was a real little ritual for him and DS. He also had skin-to-skin just after DS was born, and used to pace up and down the living room with him (and subsequently DD) in a sling in the early weeks so that I could get some sleep.

It maybe that your DH is feeling a bit unsure about how to get involved, but that doesn't give him the excuse to describe you as 'lazy' for not 'doing anything' all day. Maybe he would respond better to other dads who are a bit further down the track.

And (my twopence worth) yes, the newborn bit is hard work, repetive and dull, but I think you kind of have to do that bit as a foundation to build on - that hard work pays off later IYSWIM.

ItsGraceActually · 11/08/2010 19:24

"the scary slipperiness of a newborn" Grin

jebbieD · 11/08/2010 22:27

Please get him more involved NOW. The same thing happened to me with our first - I let it go, used bf-ing as the excuse to have to do everything myself and it turned into Post Natal Depression. Fast forward two years and i am 38 weeks pregnant and have been told today on asking for a bit of help around the house that "being pregnant doesn't turn you into a cripple".
Now considering single parenthood when I am due any day now. Just waiting to be told childbirth doesn't hurt!
Seriously, he'll end up opting in and out when he feels like it and you will resent him more and more. Get him told NOW!!!!

paprikamole · 13/08/2010 12:06

We had a fab chat last night (following a good barney) and sorted a few things out. It seems to be a combination of lack of confidence and crap communication. Feeling hopeful :)

OP posts:
malinkey · 13/08/2010 12:10

Good, well done you. I hope that things get better now then.

Just remember if he does criticise you again to point it out to him and nip it in the bud!

Good luck! Smile

Lancelottie · 13/08/2010 12:17

You know, I'm almost tempted to have another child just because I know DH now gets it.

With DS1, he really, really didn't get it. He sort-of knew that his life would change (night times certainly weren't the same) but he really did think that all that breastfeeding was a nice rest for me, between which I had loads of time and energy to do stuff, and that he would have to do LESS at home than before.

Three children down the line, he is so much better informed....

paprikamole · 13/08/2010 12:19

Maybe that's the way forward - the more children you have the better trained your DH becomes!

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