redsonika's Profile

I used our rocking chair in labor but almost never again after that. It's very comfy for me to sit in by myself and I've used it a few times with baby in the sling, but the arms are at an awkward height for me to try and nurse him and the couch is much more comfortable for both of us! I guess I'm glad that I got it - it's a nice chair and I'll put it in his room when we move into a bigger house, but I wouldn't ever recommend it to another new mom.

As a nanny who has been in this situation - you really have to make the boundary clear that you're unavailable. You can offer to schedule short "visits" at lunch time and whatnot, but other than that - you absolutely, for everyone's sanity, need to be out of the way if your child is going to respect the nanny's being there and not just run off looking for you.

Trust that your nanny will take care of things just as well as she always had, and also trust that if something emergent happens, *she* will come *to you.* It's a difficult balance, but it totally can be done. Get some good music and some headphones and try to relax as much as you can knowing that your child is in good hands in the next room.

the less you leave your room/office the better. When I do run down to the kitchen to grab a drink/snack the girls get all riled up and what should be a 2 min break turns in to 20 min. I would also definitely talk this over with your nanny, since it can change the dynamic a bit.

Yes, exactly. In the morning, let your nanny know what your schedule looks like, just as a head's up. It will help her to anticipate breaks. Over time, it will be easier - the children I was caring for accepted that their daddy was home, but working, and being able to say "Hi!" for a minute or two at specific points of the day made it easier to avoid the urge to pop in every ten seconds.