I'm not understanding something - freezzing meals?

[blushing]

Some newborns only sleep for 2 hours at a time. That means you only sleep for 1.5 hours at a time. Then there is the feeding, changing, etc that goes with it. In my case, add a 6 year old kid into the mix, and a husband that only gets home after 6pm. We usually eating by 6:15pm. And there is my answer. DH will be tired, I will be exhausted (breastfeeding can leave you tired too, especially in the beginning).

[VillainV]

We don't have a huge freezer, but we'll probably try to stock leftovers in single-servings in the freezer for a few weeks leading up. We'll also have some easy-to-prepare meals like the frozen veggies in sauce that we can throw over pasta or rice, stuff to make sandwiches, soup (either canned or pre-made and frozen), a handful of Healthy Choice Bowls, stuff like that. H isn't much of a cook, but can handle really simple stuff. He just doesn't have a lot of confidence in the kitchen.

[runblondie26]

Odonata Sounds like you're set then. To me, the cleaning and prepping of the meat is the most time consuming part of cooking. As long as that was ready to go, the rest was easy to throw together.

[JayhawkGirl]

Freezer meals have been hugely helpful to us these first couple of months. Like pp mentioned, DD was on a two hour cycle at first (eat, diaper, sleep, start again two hours from the start of the last nursing.). We slept in 45-90 minute chunks. Cooking was so far off our radar.

[speckledfrog]

MH does 90% of the cooking and we made freezer meals. He was just as exhausted as I was those first few weeks because he was also getting up in the middle of the night. Also, after being alone all day with a baby I needed some time to myself when he got home, even if it was just 10 minutes. But I also needed to eat. My point is that your schedule is hectic, everyone is tired, a baby is incredibly draining, and being able to pop something in the oven and have it ready for you is heavenly.

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2014 22:36:25 GMT -5 blushing said:

Some newborns only sleep for 2 hours at a time. That means you only sleep for 1.5 hours at a time.

Some?!  Why did I get that newborn last time around.  This time can I get the one that sleeps in longer than 2 hour stretches???

[purrbox]

Feb 17, 2014 19:19:42 GMT -5 swarley said:

I'm due tomorrow and have spent the last three months stocking my freezer with meals and stuff to make quick easy meals. My freezer went out last night. We caught it in time but we have all of our food stashed at 4 different houses around town. So, chances are we will be eating a lot of takeout now!

No real point to this and it doesn't even really contribute to the original post. I just saw the topic and it made me want to vent. And cry. And scream!

Oh no!

[zarapipe]

Oh I will definitely be doing some freezer meals with my MIL before the baby arrives. I was thinking about this on my way home from work. With a baby, and four year old who is a cranky ass until she eats, and two sleep deprived parents it will be a necessity. We already have a deep freezer we bought with DD1 to freeze BM, so I am going to stock it.

[Velar Fricative]

Don't ask us, we did takeout/delivery most of the time in the beginning. DH is the cook of the household and neither of us felt like preparing anything beforehand, plus we're in a small apartment with a small kitchen and not much space in our freezer. But I think if we have a second child I will want to do more food prep since we'll have a bigger place by then.

[blushing]

Feb 18, 2014 9:11:56 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Feb 17, 2014 22:36:25 GMT -5 blushing said:

Some newborns only sleep for 2 hours at a time. That means you only sleep for 1.5 hours at a time.

Some?!  Why did I get that newborn last time around.  This time can I get the one that sleeps in longer than 2 hour stretches???

Rumour has it some sleep for 3 hours at a time.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2014 12:38:11 GMT -5 blushing said:

Feb 18, 2014 9:11:56 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Some?!  Why did I get that newborn last time around.  This time can I get the one that sleeps in longer than 2 hour stretches???

Rumour has it some sleep for 3 hours at a time.

Someone needs to tell me how I get one of those!

[ringstrue]

Yes basically you are lucky if you are not a zombie after the baby comes home. It's not just 20 mins to cook - its grocery planning, shopping, and other prep too. It's so nice to just pop stuff in the oven or microwave and have an instant meal.

I'll probably not do traditional freezer meals but more like what one PP said and do a lot of rotisserie chickens with microwaved green beans and macaroni.

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2014 16:59:14 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Feb 17, 2014 15:56:57 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I think you are vastly underestimating how exhausting having a newborn is for both partners.

This.  I have never been so damn tired all the time.  Cooking LMAO HA!

Yup. We have probably gotten like 10 hours total in the past 3 days

[laurack]

-takeout is expensive.
-Being on maternity leave, buying tons of diapers and other baby crap is expensive without adding very regular takeout to the mix
-Babies are tiring. Even if they sleep well and eat well and are "easy" babies they are so damn needy and if you are a first time mom you will be like WTFFFFFFFFFFFF every day probably. Not having to cook every day will help
-Breastfeeding makes you hungry. HUNGRY I SAY. Worse than pregnancy.
-Husbands often don't get a lot of leave. They come home, they want to see their baby
-They come home YOU want to HAND OFF your baby so you can flounce upstairs and cry giant tears of exhaustion and sadness and fear. And maybe take a shower

Basically it's not like having a child pottering about your feet while you stir a pot of homemade meat sauce and smile happily while gazing out the window. You will be in a pretty weird place mentally for a while and anything you can do to ease the burden of responsibility is great.

That said I haven't made any freezer meals this time yet. I'm too tired NOW to cook. lol