*This is a work of non-fiction taken from social media discussion boards.*
Looking after a newborn is exhausting. Some babies are harder to manage than others. Parents of such babies often don’t get enough sleep, rest, or time for themselves. According to What To Expect, the best way to manage taking care of babies is by coming up with a schedule that ensures the baby and the parents are healthy.
Keeping this in mind, let’s look at a young father’s plight. He took his story to Reddit and sought advice from users.
The author and his girlfriend recently had a baby boy, and as soon as they were home, his girlfriend told him that the baby was his responsibility once he was home from work. He hesitated to say yes because he works in construction and has a physically demanding job. But he felt forced to agree because she had just delivered their child.
From then, things were hard to manage, and the author barely held on.
He wrote:
He's (the baby) very fussy. He often needs to be held or rocked, and he rarely sleeps for more than an hour or two. I'd get off my job (I work construction), come home, and have to hold him so he doesn't cry, often while trying to deal with dinner. Then I wouldn't get to sleep till about midnight since that's when he has to be fed to minimize his waking up in the night. I have been living like this for the last three months.
While the author toils at work and home, his girlfriend treats herself to TV and yummy food after he is home. She started sleeping at ten at night and shifted to the guest room while the baby slept in the master bedroom with the author.
He explained:
I've been getting two or three hours of sleep a night for the last few months. Then, I go to work and do a physically demanding job. I was pretty much living off of coffee, snacks, and energy drinks. Then coming home and dealing with the baby all night. I'll admit, I wasn't taking very good care of myself. I started forgetting stuff, even eating, and my job performance was slipping.
And when he expressed his feelings to his girlfriend, she dismissed it, saying, “That's what I deal with all day,” so he felt obliged to do his share.
The author’s body became weak, and he collapsed at work. He was rushed to the hospital, where the doctor asked him to rest and drink plenty of water for a week.
The author took a week off and started prioritizing his health. He went to bed early and left the baby with his girlfriend. Now, she is irritated that the author is home and not helping her care for the baby.
What do you think? Should the author step up and take up more responsibilities for the baby despite being on bedrest?
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