Working moms

I am going back to work in April, so I am trying to prepare myself.

What hours do you work? What is your routine when you get home?

Re: Working moms

I work in Brooklyn and live in Levittown so I have to leave around 6:15-6:30. My husband gets Emily ready in the AM and brings her to the sitter's.

I am usually home by 4:45-5pm, pick Emily up from the sitters, then go pick my husband up from his job. We get home around 6:15 and then I make dinner. While I'm cooking dinner he gives Emily a bottle, then we feed her cereal while we eat. She loves to sit in her high chair and eat with us.

After dinner we have some play time on the floor -- gymni time and stuff like that, then bath, then a last bottle and some books and it's time for bed!

It's a really busy day!!! I'm so glad I have an awesome husband -- he really does so much!

Re: Working moms

I wake up with Bella at 7 am-ish and feed her her morning bottle. DH is out the door by 7:15am. Then she goes down for about an hour (depending on her mood).

At around 9:30 we get ready for daycare based on my schedule at work. Sometimes I drop her off at say 9:30 and sometimes it's as late as 10:30 am. This is our alone time and I love it so much. Just me and Bella, even though I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Then it's off to work, which 95% of the time means me running like a lunatic for the train because I spent too much time dropping her off. I missed it once last week...I am way to good at ducking under the x-ing gates...

DH picks Bella up between 4 and 4:30 pm and they go home. DH showers and plays with Bella, who is on a nap strike at daycare so she'll usually need a nap at around 6...

I get home anywhere from 6:20pm and up, but I try to be home by 730 the latest. Lately it's been like 6:30.

I will walk in and she is usually just getting up or already playing. From there it's preparing our dinner, her dinner, playing with her, giving her a bath....busy two hours. She is normally in bed around 8:30pm...

It's tough, but every minute with her is so much fun, all she does is smile and that makes it easier. If I had a higher maintenance baby, I might need therapy...seriously.

Message edited 3/6/2006 9:33:21 PM.

Re: Working moms

I wake up at 5 with DH and get him ready for work. He leaves at 5.30...lay back down.. up between 6 and 6.30, take a shower, wake Jules up at 7. Bottle, bathe and dress her-out the door by 10 to 8.... Drop her off by my mothers at 8. Get to work by 8.30. DH get's home at 5, I get out at 5, get Jules from my mothers at 5.30, get her home by 5.45. DH plays with her while I start dinner, she gets her bottle and in to her PJ's at 6... asleep (most of the time) by 7-7.15... Rest of my night is with DH...
On the weekends, unless my inlaws take her for a few hours, I try to focus on doing things with her and DH... I don't think it's fair to have her lose sleep just to spend time with her... I must be doing something right because she almost never cries!

Re: Working moms

I work in the office 3 days a week. I leave the house at 5:30am. DH gets up at 6:00am, showers, dresses Emma (sometimes a bottle) and drops her off at the babysitters house at 7:30. I pick her up in the evening around 6:30pm. It's a long day for her - I thank God that she only has to do it 3 days a week.

ETA: My routine when I get home is wash out the days bottles, start dinner - give her a bottle, play for a little while (then some nights bath) and then bed.

Message edited 3/7/2006 8:11:43 AM.

Re: Working moms

This is my routine - Alex wakes up usually at around 6am. I get her out of the crib, change her, dress her, then I feed her, and then we spend about 15 minutes cuddling/playing. I then shower and get ready for work. I drop her off at daycare around 7:45. Get to work around 8:15. I get home around 5 or 5:30pm. DH usually picks her up from daycare at 4:30pm so she's home by the time I get home. I play with her for an hour, then I feed her some cereal and veggies. Play for another hour and then we give her the last bottle of the day and she goes to sleep around 7pm or 7:30pm. Then DH and I prepare dinner, watch a little TV and then go to bed. She still wakes once during the night, and somehow I managed to get DH to handle that feeding (usually at 1:30am)

No doubt, it's hard, but I try to make every minute I have with her the best quality time possible. And on the weekends I spend every waking moment with her... it's great because at around 4pm I get the silliest smile on my face because I can't wait to go home and see her

Message edited 3/7/2006 8:48:57 AM.

Re: Working moms

My schedule is a little different since I work the graveyard shift (8pm-8am) 2 nights a week. BUt the nights I do work go like this:
I obviously have the whole day with her, start getting ready for work at her afternoon nap and prepare dinner. Hubby get home from work at 7 and we eat quick then i'm off to work. Hubby leaves to go to the work at around 6:30 so my mom or his mom switch coming over in the morning to watch Jenna until I get home around 9am. Then I shower-since I feel full of hospital germies-and we play the day away and I try to fit a few hours of sleep in during those days.

Re: Working moms

2 weeks prior to returning you should begin to get into your new routine. Also, start bringing the baby to daycare for a few hours here and there...nothing steady but start getting the baby and yourself used to it.
Also, if you return to the work mid-week the first week it is much easier on everyone. Go on Wed- Fri..that way you have a chance to get into your grove too.
I work from home so I am not a good example of a schedule, but preparing to return is really important.

Re: Working moms

Re: Working moms

I just stopped working full time 2 weeks ago - but for the last year or so - my schedule was/is and now one day a week it is:
DH and I leave the house at 6:30am. Babysitter comes to my house then (she dresses and feeds baby). Kevin is usually up but resting in our bed while DH and I get ready for work. I get home about 7ish. I did this three days a week. 2 days a week I worked form home and my life was so hectic on those days since I had no sitter those days!! They were much harder than the days in the office for me.

When I got home we would play with the baby and I would try to start cooking dinner. We use to eat after he went to bed at 9:30ish when he was real little. Now that he can eat with us we try to eat at 7:30ish. I cook very quick meals these days - no more time to be creative. Before bed he would get a bath (like 8:30ish - only as he got older). DH puts baby to sleep and I would finish making dinner, cleaning, clean bottles, preparing food/bottles for next day, etc.

One thing is be flexible. My baby changed his schedule several times and we just go with the flow. I agree with Michele - if you can go back mid week or p/t the first week - I read that somewhere else and it is good advice. Also prepare your day care situation before hand while you are still home so you can ease into it.

Message edited 3/7/2006 10:44:50 AM.

Re: Working moms

I work 9am - 5pm and my routine goes like this:

6am - baby gets up, I dress him, feed him cereal & fruit and a bottle, play for a few minutes

7am - I hop into the shower, DH follows behind me, while we are getting ready we keep Jake in the room with us and we play with him.

7:45am - DH leaves with the baby to drop him off at daycare, then I walk the dog and am off to work by 8am (35 - 45min commute)

We alternate the pick up: I do it 2 days per week, DH does it 3 days per week.

5:45pm - 6pm - we get home; playtime for about 15 - 30mins or so. If it's DH's day to pick up the baby then it's my turn to cook. So I handle dinner while he gets the baby ready for bed, feeds him dinner and his last bottle. Baby's in bed by 7pm, and then we eat dinner.

Re: Working moms

I work full time (8:30 to 5:30) in Manhattan five days a week.

I get up at 5:00 am to shower and get ready. (I give myself extra time to do some cleaning, and/or laundry folding).
Andrew gets up (usually) around 6:30 am:
he gets changed and then fed breakfast and I hand him off to DH at 7:00 am.

DH either stays home with him (2 days) or drops him at day care by 9:00 am (3 days).

I pick Andrew up from day care at 6:45 pm. On those nights I feed him dinner, give him a bath, read a story and put him to bed by 8:00/8:30. Nights with no day care I'm home by 6:45 and I just enjoy another 15 minutes of play time with him!

Message edited 3/7/2006 3:10:54 PM.

Re: Working moms

I work pt (730-11:30)

I get up at 5:30 and shower, RJ usually wakes up by 6... I give him a bottle, put him in his bouncy, do my hair... then feed him his cereal @ 6:30... then get him dressed, and we are out the door by 7-7:15

While he is @ either grandmas house he has a bottle (@10)

Then when I get home I feed him his lunch @ 12:00

I give him a bottle @ 2

and just play til DH gets home...

He gets home around 5- one of us cooks, while the other feeds the baby.... then we eat dinner around 6 (RJ is usually finishing up, and sits with us at the table)

@ 6:15 he gets a bath
630- bottle and bed

Then I usually clean up the kitchen, load the dishwasher, get the bottles ready for the next day, stock up the diaper bag, put away any laundry etc etc....

Re: Working moms

I wake at 6:30 turn thier mobiles on so hopefully they will go back to sleep, and pump. Then after pumping, I shower, and get dressed. I usually check email, do laundry, fold some laundry where I can fit it in. I take them downstairs by 8:00 and make the bottles for the day, and the sitter gets there at 8:30. She feeds them at 8:30 and usually I finish getting thier stuff set up for the day, load or unload the dishwasher, and leave. My husband gets home at noon, so he is home with them all day until I get home about 5:20 - 5:30. Then they get a bottle when I get home and then have cereal and veggies. They usually nap for about a 1/2 and hour, and we try to eat dinner. Then we play with them, and they have their last bottle around 8:30, and then off to bed.