Working Mummies Support Group

**Mother Goose** · February 16th, 2014, 07:06 PM

I actually decided not to go. I had a closer look at the content and couldn't convince myself that a) I was going to learn anything new b) it was worth the money (even though I wasn't paying for it). Instead, I enrolled into a course I want to do.

How is everyone else doing?

**Frangipani Lou** · February 17th, 2014, 04:12 AM

Hi. I was up with DD for about an hour it so at 2.30 this morning. I don't manage too well at work on a bad nights sleep.

How do you Mumma's manage at work if you've been up with you LO during the night?

**~TT40~** · February 17th, 2014, 06:03 AM

Hi. I think it is now safe to say I have a job! Ive had some serious trouble finding a job and keeping one. Its a long painful story and alot of **** happened... but I think im feeling comfortable that this one will work out =)
So my commute is an 1 hr 15mins in another town. And its shifts too. Max hrs is .5 I was keen on family day care but found a centre that is perfect. Its on the way (I have to drive past it) its open long hrs (cause a morning shift starts at 7 I needed some where open early)

Sorry had to cut it short, my phone started acting like it was possessed. Hopefully it is over it now...I kind of need it

**Mumma T** · February 17th, 2014, 06:23 AM

Hi. I was up with DD for about an hour it so at 2.30 this morning. I don't manage too well at work on a bad nights sleep.

How do you Mumma's manage at work if you've been up with you LO during the night?

I just do because I have no other choice. I hope your day isn't too bad

**Doing my best** · February 17th, 2014, 06:48 AM

Hi. I was up with DD for about an hour it so at 2.30 this morning. I don't manage too well at work on a bad nights sleep.

How do you Mumma's manage at work if you've been up with you LO during the night?

Lots of coffee, might even have soft drink at lunch time.. But I just have to get through. There were times when I got a colleague to drop me home (and collect me next morning) as I didn't feel ok to drive, but I made it through the day..

**Astrid** · February 17th, 2014, 10:40 AM

My survival after a crappy night is second breakfast. For some reason grabbing a bacon and egg muffin on the way to work just gives me that bit extra energy and I am not so reliant on snacks to pull me through the day. Also tea and coffee. Normally I stick to one coffee at work (we have an awesome coffee machine), but I will often grab a second on hard days.

**~TT40~** · February 17th, 2014, 11:17 AM

Im all about the cuppas. But I dont think they really do pick me up. I agree on the 2nd breaky. We will eat before we leave but spock will refuse cause its too early. And the by time I get to work im felling that drop.
Sorry my last post cut short. ..no idea what was up with my phone but it hasnt done it since. .
So when I tell Spock I am going to work she says care? And I go yes, you go to care and she is happy and talking about how fun care is. But once we get there she won't let go. Today shw cried and screamed =( I could hear her screams from the front gate =*(

**Mother Goose** · February 17th, 2014, 04:57 PM

Congrats tt!!!

I'm all about the coffee when I've not had enough sleep. Coffee and walks. I'm lucky that I work across three campuses, two within walking distance of each other. So I go do my rounds at the other site. If I'm really tired, I do lots and lots of rounds. Being active helps me. But if I have to be stuck at my desk, it's all about the coffee!

**wysiwyg** · February 17th, 2014, 05:08 PM

I second the second, third breakfast etc. Luckily DS seemed to stop waking overnight around Christmas time, so I am doing better now but before that definitely food, and a coffee first thing - as long as work was busy I managed ok - is a deskjob and I would have been useless if had meetings but otherwise was ok at work. I was more concerned about the drive home, I am more of a morning person so the drive in ok, but coming home especially if traffic bad (an hour plus) I used to worry about tiredness but was always ok.

TT - DD went through phases of being like that - where you talk about it and they are happy but not when it comes to it, have you asked how long she screams for - DD never screamed for long and I just got used to it - I also think that sometimes it is a memory thing - e.g. they scream or cling on once because they were unhappy and then they just do it the next time because they think "mmmm what do I do in this situation - oh yes I remember I cling on and cry" and it can take a while to break out of that cycle.

**peanutter** · February 17th, 2014, 08:10 PM

Coffee. Sooooo much coffee.

**~TT40~** · February 21st, 2014, 05:33 AM

Im struggling with late finishes I get home after 11, so Spock is asleep when I get home. I give her a kiss bedore I go to bed but it doesn't wake her. Then in the wee hours she comes into our bed and on nights ive worked she is hard to settle because she is seeing me again. She even then got anxious/upset when dh had to get up for work at 5. Any tips? I dont think there is any way around it.

**Mother Goose** · February 21st, 2014, 07:10 PM

I had similar issues when my dd1 was small. I think we are in the same industry. I found a video call on my meal break helped. But it did take a few years for her to truly settle. It wasn't until I had set days and set shifts that truly settled - she then knew when Mummy would be home etc. But video calls def worked a little.

DD2 is lucky because i work set shifts and days so she has never experienced a rotating roster and the turmoil of that. She does usually have to wait until I collect her in the afternoon before she sees me because she is usually still asleep when I leave for work.

**peanutter** · February 22nd, 2014, 04:12 PM

I Skype or FaceTime if its been a day or two since we've had proper time together. And I maximise one on one on the weekend

**wysiwyg** · February 25th, 2014, 07:51 PM

Does anyone work full time in addition to their other half working full time? If so what sort of hours do you do and how do you find managing it? I really don't want to do five full days but maybe it wouldn't be so bad ?? It isnt the kids being in daycare full time which worries me (as they love it) but DH and I being able to keep up the rushing about for five days (both of us in 9-5 type jobs). I have done a few odd weeks of full time and we cope but not sure about everyweek. At the moment I am in office three days but doing about 33 hours a week anyway so in real terms 5 extra hours isn't that much extra but being able to work 5 days would open up alot more c opportunities. Maybe 5 days but less hours per day might work better?

**peanutter** · February 25th, 2014, 08:07 PM

DH and I worked full time for about 10 months, between babies. He did a strict 38 hour week, and I do anything from 40 - 80 hours, depending on what's going on. But we both knew that it was short term. With my hours, plus travel and interstate/overseas stuff, I would never want for both of us to be full time while the boys are little.

When I was growing up though, both my parents worked full time from the time my youngest sibling was 2. Mum worked as a teacher for a lot of that time, and a journalist the rest of the time. Back then, we thought it was fine, but now we'd be branded as latch-key kids, and there's no way the school would stand by while we (from the age of 4...) walked 2km to and from school solo.

Considering that's DS1 in a year's time, I couldn't be ok with that either! This isn't 1985...

But if DH could get a job near school, with school hours (oh, perfect world in which that would be) or an acceptable mix of school and OSHC and I could get my hours under control, we'd be happy for us both to work full time

**MummyNaomi** · February 25th, 2014, 08:43 PM

Coffee. Sooooo much coffee.

This is me too !!

**MummyNaomi** · February 25th, 2014, 08:47 PM

Does anyone work full time in addition to their other half working full time? If so what sort of hours do you do and how do you find managing it? I really don't want to do five full days but maybe it wouldn't be so bad ?? It isnt the kids being in daycare full time which worries me (as they love it) but DH and I being able to keep up the rushing about for five days (both of us in 9-5 type jobs). I have done a few odd weeks of full time and we cope but not sure about everyweek. At the moment I am in office three days but doing about 33 hours a week anyway so in real terms 5 extra hours isn't that much extra but being able to work 5 days would open up alot more c opportunities. Maybe 5 days but less hours per day might work better?

No, I have one RDO per week (and one work from home day) but when DD starts school (in 2018 lol) I will be going F/time again. The plan is to use OHSC in the mornings and DH finishes in time to pick up the kids. We will continue having a cleaner and already we batch cook (eg Monday night cook Mon/Tues dinner) etc Lots of people do it. I think the hardest thing would be the rush after work - dinner/bath/bad - and ensuring bedtime is reasonable every night

**sahbear** · February 26th, 2014, 05:13 AM

Does anyone work full time in addition to their other half working full time? If so what sort of hours do you do and how do you find managing it? I really don't want to do five full days but maybe it wouldn't be so bad ?? It isnt the kids being in daycare full time which worries me (as they love it) but DH and I being able to keep up the rushing about for five days (both of us in 9-5 type jobs). I have done a few odd weeks of full time and we cope but not sure about everyweek. At the moment I am in office three days but doing about 33 hours a week anyway so in real terms 5 extra hours isn't that much extra but being able to work 5 days would open up alot more c opportunities. Maybe 5 days but less hours per day might work better?

Before I went on Mat leave with DS2, DH and I both worked full time.
We had no dramas in doing it, once we got into our groove it was fine, even with the travel I did with my job.