After your baby comes, everything changes. There’s more to do, and less time to do it. The easiest time to begin sorting out what needs to be done and who’s going to do it before you baby comes. Use this exercise to check your expectations and begin a constructive dialogue. Fill out the questionnaire on your own, then compare you answers.
While the baby needs to be cared for, Who will usually do the following?
Kitchen – Breastfeeding Mom NEEDS a healthy diet.
- Cook Meals
- Clean Up After the Meals
- Put Dishes in Dishwasher
- Empty dishwasher
- Clean kitchen: put away food, clean sink, wipe down counters and stove, sweep/mop floor, take out trash
- Shop for groceries
- Put groceries away
- Clean out refrigerator of old food
Laundry – Did you know that for each load of laundry you do now, you will do four loads after your baby comes?
- Collect dirty laundry
- Wash the laundry…And how often?
- Diapers
- Dry the laundry
- Fold the Laundry
- Put it away
Other Stuff
- Clean the diaper pail
- Pick up newspapers, magazines, clothes, and other stuff
- Vacuum
- Dust
- Clean bathroom == which means someone must get to it before the black mold starts climbing up the tiles or little things start crawling on the sink, clean the mirror, scrub the tub and toilet, empty garbage pail, toilet paper
- Pets – walk
- Pets – feed
- Pets – vet
- Pay the Bills
- Light bulb replacement
- Taking Baby to Pediatrician for Well-Baby Visit
- Find Baby Sitter
- Arrange Baby Sitter care for your “dates”
- Car Maintenance
- Gas in the Car
- Yard Work
- What else?
- What happens when something doesn’t get done? Think Healthy Relationship Building.
