We all know them, those days when it's so busy that you can't get anything done, the work-life balance is completely lost and you're just rushing. And then I still have it relatively easy with one baby, I think. I really look up to working women with more kids…how do they all do it?? Combining work and household is still quite a thing I think, how do I find the balance between work and private life?
Although I really enjoy taking care of Melle, I don't want to think about not working. I sometimes hear that women stop working completely to be full-time moms, I think that's super handsome, but I couldn't do it. The first week after my leave I thought very differently about it, I hated to leave the care of my baby to someone else, what if he didn't want to sleep? What if he cried all the time? Didn't want his bottle? All worrying about nothing, of course, because it went well.
And once back to work, I was quite happy not to be busy all day with nappies and chatting about what everyone else had been up to over the weekend! I work 3.5 days and I really like that! My husband works 4.5 days, but because he also works evenings and weekends, my son only has to go to daycare one day a week, I can live with that too.
Consideration of whether or not childcare is available
Childcare is something that everyone sees differently in my opinion. I think it's good for him to play somewhere else and take naps, that someone else takes care of him than mom and dad. By now I am used to that 😉 . But I wouldn't want that more often than 1 or 2 days a week.
Balance work-life is missing
The other side of the story is that my husband and I hardly see each other. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, we see each other every morning, and (almost) every night. But usually it's a huge rush. Then I come home and he has to leave right away, sometimes we can just eat together. A day out and out with the three of us is almost impossible. We are off together about 3 days a month and often things are already planned with friends or family, so it is really a lot of planning, but I think this is the best option for Melle.
Although some days I would really enjoy being at home together. For example two weeks ago. Melle had the chicken pox and was therefore very pathetic, had to be bathed every day and rubbed with a foam against the itching. In addition, he also had an inflamed finger that had to be cleaned and anointed 3 times a day and that is really a lot easier with two! And if it wasn't bad enough, he got a stomach flu! The first days it was only spitting up a lot, but after that the diarrhea also came. That's super annoying anyway, but if you're still alone, covered in spit and holding a baby that has been pooped up, how are you going to fill a bath?
Of course I can't put him in his cot, that's dirty too. He has to take off those clothes and diaper (and then of course pees all over it) and I also want to put on something clean. In the end he has to go to bed in his bare buttocks and hope that he doesn't pee or poop again! If that actually worked and he had a nice bath and is allowed to drink some milk, let's hope it doesn't come out again right away…. Fortunately, it didn't take too long and he has since recovered (not from that inflamed finger, by the way), but that does make you think...
What if you have more than one child on such days? And what if they are both sick at the same time? What about the work-life balance? How do you do that?
