I Hate Being Home..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm on maternity leave and I'm over it. My son ( Connor) was born in September and I go back to work in January. I love him so much and enjoy spending every moment with him, but it's boring. My whole day consists of feeding and watching him sleep. I feel like I'm confined to a chair or the couch since he feeds for 30-60 minutes every 2-3 hours. The rest of the time he is sleeping with short amount of awake times. I'm an introvert but I am bored. I have been craving human contact, but I have no one to hang out with. I know I will wish for this time again when things get crazy, but right now I really wish I could be back at work.

I feel you OP. I had a c-section with some minor complications during recovery so I was not able to get out much during my maternity leave. I was fine when my parents and IL were there, the adult conversation and help was great, but the last month was rough. I loved the time with my son but getting out wasn't easy for me. I felt kind of claustrophobic at home and a bit overwhelmed. DS was not a good napper, my mobility was limited and I got bored with the TV, reading, and just generally being around the house. The last bunch of weeks were better because I wa smore mobile and could walk to Starbucks. Then DS's day care started, we had to pay by the month and my maternity leave started at the end of the month. I dropped him off for half days so I could get some naps in (he really was a crappy sleeper. Not sick or gassy, he just didn't nap more then 30 minutes. He is still a kid who needs less sleep and just lays in bed for an hour or so before falling asleep and then wakes up at 6). It made a huge difference. Just that 3 hours of sleep was restorative.

But I was happy to go back to work. And then I felt like crap because I enjoyed being at work because wasn't I suppose to want to be home with my child?

We were able to work our schedule so he was in day care for about 4-5 hours a day but I was able to work and go to the gym or take a nap before getting him. I was happier to be with him and do tummy time and walks and little outings. But I really needed that adult stimulation from work and to be doing something that was more in my normal routine.

[Anonymous]

This is totally normal mama. Hopefully around the holidays you get to be around family more?

There are some good suggestions in this thread but the truth is you probably will just never like it. It will start to get a little better in a few weeks when your baby gets a little easier, but, honestly my entire mood lifted the day I went back to work. I suffered through both of my maternity leaves and I don't miss either of them. I miss my tiny babies, yes, but I don't miss the long lonely hours at home.

My recommendation, especially now that the weather is so crappy, is to find a tv show with a lot of seasons. I watched Mad Men beginning to end on my first leave.

[Anonymous]

That's so funny. I was entranced by both my babies sleeping and nursing. I think I'm addicted to babies sleeping on me. It goes by so fast.

But yea, there's also tons you can do. Read books while the baby nurses/naps. Watch TV. Put the baby in a carrier and go on a walk and listen to a podcast. At 2 months with my first baby was when I started doing some more stuff around the house - more ambitious cooking projects, etc. Make up some kind of project that you can do in 15 minute increments. Play a game on your phone! I went through a week-long phase playing roller coaster tycoon on my phone haha.

I will just say - watch out for taking your baby around on errands all day. It can be really overstimulating and can mess with their sleep, especially if your baby is not able to stay asleep in the car seat when the car stops.

And when you say the baby nurses for 30-60 minutes, do you really mean nursing? Or are they asleep and just lazily sucking?