When my husband Jake and I had our first child, Tilly, three weeks ago, we were supposed to be a team. However, Jake has not been supportive. He often says, “Let me relax; my paternity leave is so short,” leaving me to handle sleepless nights alone.
The situation reached a breaking point at a family gathering last Saturday. Jake was bragging, saying, “I needed this paternity leave because I couldn’t imagine how much more exhausted I would have been working AND taking care of the baby.” Exhausted, I fainted during the party. When I woke up, Jake was upset that I had embarrassed him, accusing me of making him “look bad!”
My in-laws stepped in, hiring a nanny and sending me on a spa retreat. “She’s here to help with the baby and to teach Jake about caring for her,” my mother-in-law said. The retreat was rejuvenating. When I returned, Jake had undergone a “baby boot camp” and apologized sincerely, even selling his guitars to pay for the nanny and my retreat.
