Baby Bonding
I have returned to work only after two weeks because I only have so much Personal Time Off, and because we are unable to support ourselves with both Valerie and I not working during the unpaid maternity/paternity leave.
As a new mother, Valerie will have a total of eight weeks off work to care for the baby and bond with it. Fortunately because she has given birth, she is able to claim short term disability for six of those eight weeks after her vacation time runs out, so there will be some bonding time between her and the baby while some money will be coming in.
After Valerie returns to work we will then be using a combination of working from home and daycare to care for the baby during the week.
While I could write essays (and just might) about how the lack of paid maternity or paternity leave in America could hinder the bonding of a new born with parents, I haven’t the time right now to write any more essays. Even if I did have time to write more essays, the way America manages paternity/maternity leave is a system that will not change anytime soon and the baby will be an adult before any change is likely to happen, so I will use the time to try to bond with the baby instead of writing.
My wife, Valerie, found these articles for me to read to help with the bonding:
http://www.babycenter.com/400_how-can-i-feel-more-competent-as-a-new-dad_505194_1000.bc
http://att.iparenting.com/breastfeed/dadsbond.htm
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070813/LIFE03/708140302
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/home/bonding.html
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/baby/article/0,19840,1592339,00.html
The articles were okay. Most of the stuff I already knew, but it was good to read again. I did like the one from kidshealth.org.
However, I didn’t find the article about how to bond with a baby in America when the father has to go back to work soon after the baby is born and father comes home with a head full of work and just wants to relax for a bit to further relieve stress and there is a fussy baby that not only needs to be changed but also talked to and calmed down and bounced and father can’t think of anything to say. Father needs to lay down, and all the baby does is be fussy and hard to hold, which only further gives the father doubt about what is being done to calm the baby down.