All you stay at home mommies

So my DH goes back to work on Monday I have been very blessed to have him home the last 3 weeks. Due to use or lose leave. He is a HUGE help!! Anything I need done or help with he is right there. I am nervous today it hit me that he goes back on Monday and I am scared to death. He is going to be working long hours due to his deployment coming up in a few months. This is our first baby and Isabella turned one month TODAY YAH!!! She is a GREAT baby but I am scared to have her to myself all day. How do things get done around the house? She still wakes up every 3-4 hours to nurse and is nursing great. At night it takes her a while to fall asleep so i stay up and give her her pacifier and before I know it it's time for her to eat again. I know I am all over the place with this post I am just looking  for tips and encouragement I guess. This is going to be a rough week without him :(
Jessica

A couple of things,
1. Breath, you will be just fine.
2. Chores can wait. If you feel like you have to clean take her with you she will watch.
3. Be sure you sleep while she sleeps.

Good Luck and you will do fine,
Emily

 Jessica,

I dont believe there is a "correct" answer for this as everyone is different...you will have to figure out a daily schedule and try to see if you can find one that suits all your needs....I did  a lot of my cleaning with baby in their bouncy chairs or car seat carriers...just moved them from room to room. and stopped and rested when they needed my attention...I was never stringent about their schedule, I was more on their schedule, but lotsa people are very stringent and that works from them.   I know its scary, but you will figure it out and I bet it will be much easier than you think!

Laura

im a working mom... but... things still need to get done... do things when shes sleeping... or if you need to sleep also... use one of those sling things and bring her with you... its great for her the closeness... also... in reference to the sleeping... jayson had that problem in the beggining... would take him forever to fall back alseep after a bottle... i got sick of it after about 2 months... i was exhausted.. and i had to go back to work... so i just started swaddling him back up ( or whatever you do for her to go to sleep).. gave him his bink.. and put him back down to sleep... hes now a great sleeper... falls asleep on his own and in his OWN bed.. so the hour feeding now only took 20 mins... helped so much for both of us

the first few months, you just  need to let the house go and just get the basics done of cleaning and cooking to get by each day.   You just need to take care of the baby and yourself right now still!   Until she is sleeping through the night or sleeping longer at night and you are getting enough rest at night too, try and lay down when she is napping to conserve your energy.  And your body is still healing from childbirth and adjusting to nursing, so you still need to kind of take it easy.  I didn't really start to get back to a normal routine and chores until my babies were about 3-4 months old.   I started to try and get my baies on a feeding/sleeping schedule after about 4-6 weeks, when my milk supply was pretty well established.   That helped me know when I could nap, clean, or do anything else.   My son adapted to a schedule well (bottle fed) right at about 6 wks old, but my daughter was very resistant to a schedule until she was about 6 months old (b/f).   Each baby is different though!  And both my babies I had to  wean of the night feeding at 6 months and they finally slept through the night.  Don't worry though, you'll be a pro at this in a few months and be fine on your own!

I always had a tough time adjusting when hubby went back to work (usually the 2nd week after I had the baby) but I usually have lived by family and could lean on them for help.   Do you have a friend or anyone that can help you out? 

I totally agree with the previous posters ... and, I started putting Lydia in a sling when she was 4 days old ... I can get so much done that way, and L loves it! These days with your newborn are the most precious ever, and you can't get them back ...laundry can wait. :-) It helps me to have a "to do" list for the week, too ... that way I don't feel pressured to get everything done every day. Good Luck! It's the best!

I am a stay at home mom of 4 little kids..plus I'll have a newborn lol.

To me..having one would be a breeze, but I know it can be overwhelming at first!  

Few tips I can give you (which others have probably already stated)

1) choose one hour a day initially dedicated to straightening up and throwing in a load of laundry or whatever else you need to do.  Whenever works for you.  You really shouldn't need more than this at first...you basically just want to keep things straight so that it doesn't get out of control..which would make things tougher.  I have a routine down to an hour and a half...and that's with 4 kids totally trashing my house lol.

2) Sleep when your baby sleeps if you are tired and don't feel guilty about it. I still do this!

3) Feel free to watch tv and chill while doing feedings (or whatever you enjoy)...they really can be relaxing days if you give yourself time to enjoy them.  

4) If you need to get stuff done while the baby is awake there is nothing wrong with bouncers, slings, swings, or playpens :)

Like I said...biggest thing is take care of yourself first so you can be at top form for the baby.  And try not to stress :)

Do your most pressing chores while she is asleep or content. Try to get a nap when she naps, at least once a day if you can. It helps when you're up all night! Other than that, you have to develop a schedule that works for you and your baby. And don't try to tip toe around her while she sleeps. She'll NEVER get used to household noise if you don't make any. I think our babies could sleep through the vacuum at an early age. Thank God for that because we had to vacuum when they would nap sometimes.

I never used a pacifier while nursing. I would think that would hinder that process, but . Guess if she doesn't have a problem with it and still nurses fine. Lord knows sometimes I wish the babies I had nursed would have taken a paci so they'd sleep a little better than 1-2 hours at a time! lol

What you are feeling is very normal! I have 3 kids and I've felt very scared and nervous everytime my DH has had to go back to work after being off and home with me. I felt this way with each and every one of my kids.  I think I've been more scared with this last baby because my DH was off for 5 weeks with us.  Having 2 other kids to tend to, naps were not realistic unless he was home! I stay pretty tired and I get lonley.  I don't have any advise as I too am missing my DH being at home with us :(

Hang in there!