Raising a child is not a one person job, ideally speaking. Especially in the first few months, when baby is not able to sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. The constant routine of getting up, feeding baby, chancing baby, making sure baby is burped, swaddled, warm, and otherwise comforted is enough to wear on a person, even if you assume there are no problems with colic or other factors that might irritate baby beyond the usual.
Parenting is best handled with a team approach. Let Dad take his turn taking care of baby. Not only is this simply right and fair, it also allows the baby and Dad some much needed bonding time. While none of us really likes to drag ourselves out of bed in the middle of the night, those caretaking sessions end up being some of the best bonding times, and this isn’t something that dads should miss out on, ideally.
Of course, some parents don’t have a partner living with them. This, obviously, makes it more difficult to share the baby care load. But, not impossible. If the father is in the picture, he should still be able to take care of the baby from time to time. If nothing else, surround yourself with relatives and friends who can help take some of the load off your shoulders. She’s your baby and your responsibility, but you might be surprised how willing, and even eager, many people are to help out with your little one if you would only ask. Many people would love to help take care of a baby from time to time but may be hesitant to intrude by offering to help, especially when it comes to night time parenting. Ask a friend or relative to stay the night with you occasionally to help with the baby so you can get some rest.
Whoever you enlist on your baby care team, make sure that you let them know that you appreciate their efforts. Even if it’s dad, who by all that is fair should be pitching in and helping voluntarily, make sure to let him know how much you notice and appreciate the effort he puts forth for the baby. Even if you feel he could be doing more, you are more likely to get more help by accentuating what you feel he is doing right. As the old saying goes, what you feed grows.