Parenting an infant isn’t easy even under the best of circumstances. When you and the child’s other parent aren’t in a relationship any longer, you have to figure out how to let both parents spend time with the baby. This can be a real challenge just because of the logistics of caring for an infant.
One of the primary considerations, especially during the newborn period, is the baby’s nutrition. Some babies are exclusively breastfed, which means they can’t be away from their mom for very long. This can present a problem when the father wants to be able to spend more than an hour or two with the baby.
Exclusively breastfed newborns will need to stay around the mother until her milk supply is established. Once that happens, she can pump milk that the father can use to bottle-feed the baby when he has them. Until this happens, the father may have to spend time with the baby while the mother is close. This isn’t ideal for some people; however, it might be what is best for the baby.
If you are in this position, remember that the arrangement that you have for the newborn isn’t going to be a permanent one. Eventually, you will be able to move to a schedule that is a bit more normal. This is the good thing about child custody arrangements – they can change as the child grows up and has different needs.
Parents will sometimes split up before the child is born. If this is the case, you might consider discussing what the parenting time schedule will be like with your ex before the baby is born. This gives you time to work out all the details before you have the added stress of having a newborn to care for.
