coping alone in the first few weeks...

[tattoo_mama]

Cooking for one is not much fun, and hard if you're at the end of a long day. It's great if you are organised enough to be prepared in advance and freeze stuff, but if not, my tip is the packets of individual frozen vege mix (crap can't remember the brand) a bag of frozen mashed potato ( it's quite good, much better than powdered stuff) and some sort of frozen chicken/salmon/whatever. Together, it makes a healthy meal and only takes about 2mins for each in the microwave.

hhaha i already use these...call me slack but it saves so much time and pots and pans

just rang DP and told him im gonna be cooking up some stuff to freeze...hes like, oh i will cook one or two nights a week....lol as if...and if he DID....it probabyl wouldnt be edible anyway! LOL poor thing, hes trying i spose

[chrysalis]

Hey there
My DH only had a week off and has worked long hours since Z was born.
I ended up cooking some lovely meals from a Women's weekly freezer food cook book - lots of diff food to what we normally ate pre children which was lovely to enjoy once I got home with my babe. I froze in single portions so that DH and I could eat at separate times if need be. Worked a treat.
Also I ordered the bulk of my groceries online for the first few months.
Not the cheapest but our local delivery man always popped the groceries in the kitchen right near the fridge easy to unload etc! I could nominate when they were delivered so that it worked with sleep times or when DH was home to unpack. I still then managed to pop up to the shops from time to time but did not have to go every day etc.
A friend of mine did light and easy for a month or two to get her through.
She really appreciated the variety!
Even if you don't sleep do try to get your rest (read a book, newspaper watch trashie tellie whatever) whilst the babe is sleeping, especially in those first few months when you are up at night and still getting into the swing of things!
You are going to be fine! Good luck.
Belinda

[HotI]

just rang DP and told him im gonna be cooking up some stuff to freeze...hes like, oh i will cook one or two nights a week....lol as if...and if he DID....it probabyl wouldnt be edible anyway! LOL poor thing, hes trying i spose

Don't put him off, say that would be great! Do some cooking together now. If he doesn't know any recipes, show him your favourites. Google recipes if you want something particular but don't know how to cook it. Even if he only cooks meals on the weekends, it will give you a break, and you might discover that he is good at it and enjoys it.

[tattoo_mama]

Don't put him off, say that would be great! Do some cooking together now. If he doesn't know any recipes, show him your favourites. Google recipes if you want something particular but don't know how to cook it. Even if he only cooks meals on the weekends, it will give you a break, and you might discover that he is good at it and enjoys it.

we have tried but he really is awful...and gets really frustrated and misses ingredents...plu he said the trade off is i have to do the dishes after ....yuk i hate dishes id rather cook! but i bought a cafe style sanwich maker (one that doesnt seal the sides) and have taught him how to use this so he can make some lovely sangas now which is a great help

[Kazbah]

Get a really comfy chair - I spent a lot of the first weeks of Pip's life on a Jason Recliner, cause it was the only way I could get him to sleep, on my shoulder, and I was able to sleep on the chair too

Have a look around the op shops now and see if you can find a second-hand freezer to use, the small freezer in a fridge/freezer just aren't big enough for what you need to cook for the first couple of weeks.

If you want to save $$$, then you can prepare fresh veg (carrot etc) and freeze it ready to cook.

2 appliances I would recommend to anyone are a slow cooker & a rice cooker. I cook 2 meals a week in the rice cooker and freeze half of each meal, that way I build up my frozen stash.

Another thing I do is buy the ingredients for a slow cooker meal (sausages, tinned tomatoes, onion) and prepare it all ready to put in the SC (chop the snags, the onion, mix the sauces & herbs) and freeze them all together, so I just wack it in the SC when I'm heading out the door to work.

Good luck *hugs*

[smiles4u]

Oh Tattoo_Mama ... geez if i lived closer i'd seriously would come help you ... my DP was home with me for 2weeks before going back to work ... when he went back to work he would leave about 6am and come back home nearly 9pm ... those days were very long as i had no friends and no family come visit (as they lived far away) ... and top it off i had a baby whom had severe colic from 3.5wks old to 5mths of age, just screaming all day ... sadly those days are such a blurr. My friends said they wouldn't ring me as they found it hard to talk to me with a screaming baby. My Mum would write me a letter once a week ... my only contact other than DP when he finally got home from work.

I too wish i had healthy food at hand in the freezer as i would grab for whatever was easy in the cupboard ... mostly a museli bar than it would be another & another cause it wasn't filling. All that sugar i put on weight

Like GIGI said YES YES sleep if you ever can as i wish i did ... i stupidly thought it made me look lazy if anyone knew i had a nap for example in the arvo maybe when bub finally slept. Friends told me to also do it and i never did (how silly) ... TAKE THE PHONE OFF THE HOOK if you can ever get a chance to have a nap.

Best advice my friend told me was when you get home from hospital wear your P.J's or comfy nightie for especially the first few days ... so important to be comfortable

Wish you all the best !! ... after having baby let your Maternal (baby) Nurse know how you are feeling (she will ask) but don't hide how you feel if feeling somewhat down, etc .. as she is there to HELP YOU ... so open up & talk to her ok (you will see her when baby is about 2wks old, & onwards)

[tattoo_mama]

Kazbah: yep our old fridge/freezer is out in DP's shed he uses it as an oversized bar fridge and the freezer part is empty so can put the frozen stuff out there.DP doesnt like rice so thats out of the question... but def will be freezing stuff up!!!


smiles: have bought 2 dressing gowns and slippers with a voucher mum got me from sussanns i think i scared the shop assistants...a girl covered in tatts coming in LOL so shud be comfy for awhile there...have been going to councelling since being pg as i got off meds just before i fell pg, and hoping to continue that post natal aswell....

think i might have to go to ikea and buy a poang chair everyone on here raves about them being v comfy for BFing, although i do think ill be spending most my time on our couch

[AliBaby]

So this is my day so far for you to have some idea of what its like being by yourself(DP is at work grrrrr and left at 8am)... I should also tell you that so far DD has been quite good and has settled quite quickly.

3:30am- fed DD
then slept with her in the bed as she wouldnt settle in her bassinette
7am- fed DD, nappy change
Went and gave DP a cuddle before he got up to leave.
8:30am- DD woke up but was happy to lie in her pram for 10 min while I got some weetbix and a cup of tea. Ate breaky and then she started to get grizzly so I picked her up for a cuddle and watched channel V (whilst singing her songs I knew on there), even though my singing is terrible I think she liked it
10:30am- DD fell asleep in my arms and DP's mum droppind into pick up some keys.
11am- wrote a post to you and then managed a quick shower
11:30am- DD woke up and I gave her a quick feed and nappy change but I wanted to get ready to go to the shops and put some make up on. I put her in the middle of my big king sized bed and I sat on the bed and put some make up on whilst she looked around. Finished feeding her on the other side.
12:30pm- we walked up to the shops (DD fell asleep in the pram) and I got some photos developed, went to Target and bought some new clothes, had a milkshake and then walked home.
2pm- home for lunch
2:30pm- DD woke up and she fed, nappy change, fed the rest of that side and then fell asleep in my arms, then put her in her pram bassinette to sleep.
3:30pm- put a load of washing on and have been sitting here watching the movie Cocoon with my feet up and browsing BB and have one of my dogs right beside me trying to steal pats of me every time my hand goes near him!

The above is kind of what most my days are like, it might sound boring, but its quite nice actually and I am enjoying the challenges and rewards that come with being a mum.

Also I find that if I am relaxed and not stressed out, then DD is relaxed. It is like she feeds of my energy. I am not doing any other jobs today as it is my relax day (well as much as what it can be). Tomorrow is family day (my favourite day) as DP will be home!

It is funny how you just kind of find your groove and the days just roll by, You will have so much support on here so dont worry about the friends that have ditched you, it is better to find out who your true friends are than to have anymore of your time wasted on them.

I hope that helps you in some way.

[Gigi]

up til now, i thought you had no mum to help, but you do.

i so desperately wanted a mother figure around when i had my baby, lucky you.