My Husband Thought Staying Home with a Baby Was Easy — So I Gave Him a Week Alone

My Husband Thought I Did Nothing While at Home with Our 5-Month-Old Baby until I Left Home for a Week – My Story

Before I gave birth to our baby, my husband and I were living a happy life. When he was at work, he thought I was doing nothing all day, so I made the decision to spend a week away from home to show him that was not the case.

I left my job to concentrate on being a wife and mother after learning I was pregnant. Dave, my spouse, agreed with me and believed that this would ultimately benefit our child.

Fortunately, my pregnancy went smoothly and without any issues. Since I could walk about a lot, I would frequently visit the market before coming home to prepare a meal for my husband. My nesting instincts also started to take over early in my pregnancy, so I was motivated to keep cleaning our house most of the time as early as the second trimester.

My husband said, “Our house has never looked this great, honey,” at one point. He kissed me on the cheek and said, “Thanks for keeping everything together for us,”

I grinned, pleased that he valued my work. I kept doing this till 39 weeks before my delivery. My daughter became everything to me when she was born. How could I put anything else first when a human being depended on me for everything?

I was just being lazy, according to my husband. He made remarks about how disorganized the house had become and how we had been eating the same thing for days. “I don’t have time to cook up something new every day,” I said. “Marissa is a colicky baby that cries a lot. My explanation would be, “She needs me.”

Dave thought I was lying, so he shook his head. “Marissa can stay in the crib while you attend to things in the house,” he responded. “It won’t even take that long!”

“Why don’t you try it, then?” I blew up all of a sudden. “I’m doing everything I can to be a wonderful mother to our child. Are you aware of how draining it is to nurse every two hours? She also likes to be held in between. Every time I place her in the crib, she cries. There is absolutely no time left for me to accomplish anything else.

He shot back, “What are you trying to say?” “I return home to an untidy house and meals that I’ve reheated from the refrigerator more than twice after working all day. I mean, how could I not be annoyed by that? Admit that you’re being a lazy wife and stop hiding behind the child.

By now, tears were welling up in my eyes. I informed him, “That hurt,” and turned to go into our room.

How could he have been unaware of the challenges of raising a child by himself? He did provide us with financial support, but he was rarely at home. Additionally, he hardly ever assisted with the baby while he was at home, save for times when I needed to use the restroom or take a fast shower.

I came to the realization that unless I showed my husband what I had to endure every day, he would never be able to see things from my perspective. Dave and I left Marissa one weekend. I knew it was time to go downstairs since she was sleeping on top of him.

I left him a letter in the kitchen that said, “I’m going on vacation and will be back in a week. The milk for Marissa is in the refrigerator.

After shutting off my phone, I picked up my luggage and walked out. I took a weeklong vacation to the beach and did things for myself that I hadn’t done in a long time.

Dave hurried down the stairs to find my note after realizing I was gone. He was angry and shocked at the same time.

Indignant, my mother-in-law was. “How could the woman be so careless? Raising children is a woman’s responsibility, not a man’s! She stated she shouldn’t have married if she couldn’t handle having a child and maintaining order in the home.

Since there was no nanny or babysitter available at such short notice, he was forced to take care of Marissa alone. He was unaware of the challenges of child care on the weekend. He bathed her, fed her, burped her, changed her diapers, and much more.

He exclaimed, “I get it!” once. “Just come home already,” he said, without mentioning anyone.

Dave didn’t have time to prepare meals or wash the dishes, as I could see by looking around the house with my daughter’s baby monitors. He placed daily food orders.

He struggled to balance work and raising Marissa by himself that week. He called his mother on Wednesday because he was at his breaking point. He sobbed, “Mom,” over the phone. “Jamie left only a letter behind when she went on vacation. Could you please assist me? He grumbled, “I haven’t slept in days.”

Indignant, my mother-in-law was. “How can that woman be so irresponsible!” From the baby monitor, I could hear her shout. “Raising children is a woman’s responsibility, not a man’s! She stated she shouldn’t have married if she couldn’t handle having a child and maintaining order in the home.

I laughed when I heard her talk. She had nannies to look after her kids, so I don’t think she had the right to accuse me of being careless! That was a luxury Dave and I could not afford.

Dave acknowledged that I needed and deserved that trip and apologized to me when I arrived home. He said, “I’m sorry, honey,” with genuineness.

“Even though you endure a lot in a day, I nevertheless made demands of you. I apologize; please pardon me. I commit to sharing responsibility and being a more present parent. He hugged me tightly and continued, “You and Marissa deserve that and so much more.”

My mother-in-law’s remarks about me have disturbed me, therefore I wanted to hear from others who have experienced similar things. Should a woman be in charge of raising her kids and maintaining the home alone, or should both couples share equal responsibility for these tasks?

Share this story with your friends and let us know what you think. It could give them motivation and make their day.