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Comment by bkovacev | Hacker News Reader

But she has no job in the first place or possibility to find one now with the baby - so why would that prevent her from washing/ironing?

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I like this notion that a new baby isn't a 16+ hour a day exhausting job in itself.

I apologize if it sounded like that - a baby is definitely 16+ hours of work a day if not more, that's why I said that no other job is possible, but I was saying that maybe the person can squeeze in a couple of hours to wash the diapers while the baby is asleep.

And when does she sleep? Surely not while the baby is awake.

When father or other relative holds the baby?

What about single mothers who don't live near their family?

My first child screamed whenever she was not on a human for the first six months. She slept, but only on a person.

She wouldve slept out of exhaustion too if you were willing to try. There's no such thing as screaming to death.

I have seen a baby cry for three hours straight. His sleep deprived mom slept, nobody else did.

I don't understand your point.

There is such thing as screaming to hernia.

Our son was just like GP's one, screaming all the damn time and hardly sleeping for the first 6 months. Undiagnosed digestion problem, which 10 years after was finally pinned on a milk protein intolerance (not lactose).

Sure, at around six months she did. Now she sleeps great.

I am not saying it is impossible and how easy it is depends on what the baby is like (some are easy other are hard). However, the old stereotype of sleep deprived overworked new mom come from here somewhere. For first weeks, when the women is still possibly injured and even walking hurts some of them, I would definitely not demand anything that adds work as universal expectation. Yes, sometimes she feels good and hyperactive and bored to death. Sometimes not.

What I definitely don't like is sanctimonious knee jerking about how parents should do everything the hardest possible way, or else omg end of world happen and everybody will become super lazy. And if they don't do everything the most effective way from day one or dare to talk about their opinions, then the civilization will fall.

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