RE: Returning to Work advice/suggestions -- LONG! :)
OOH, can I join that moms with SAHDs group?
I can't speak to the schedule thing much, DS doesn't have one! He is not a good sleeper, but generally, he eats between 7-8pm, at bedtime, then 10-11, 2-3 and 6-7 am. I get up around 6, at the earliest, and I try to feed him before leaving, then I pump about every 3 hrs at work, so pump at 10, pump at 1, pump at 4, then go home. Sometimes, it ends up being pump at 11, pump at 3, no third session. Depends on how busy I am. So far, so good. I hate pumping at home, so I don't pump in the morning or evening, but I know others have found this a great way to beef up the freezer stash.
My DH is a SAHD also, and this is how we do the nights. DS sometimes co-sleeps, but its hard in a double bed. DH prefers to put him in his crib in our room. So, I handle all wakings that are feedings (the cry is different), then get DS back to sleep, either in the bed or crib. If he wakes up before he is hungry again, he's DH's problem. So, we do a back and forth thing. DS often wakes for the day at 6, if I am up for work, great, if I am on a research block, where I generally work 10-6pm, DH takes him, and I get extra sleep.
My son is a frequent night-waker, so I can't do it all and still be functional. As it is, I haven't slept for more than 3 hrs in a row in 7 months. DH is happy to do his share. That way, we are both about equally sleep-deprived, which seems fair.
I can't speak to the evening bottle thing, since I'm too lazy to pump at home, DS only gets bottles when I'm not around. In 6 months, I've seen him eat from a bottle about 3 times. We are starting solids, and feeding him cereal and sweet potatoes at our dinner time, even though the "solids make them sleep" is not scientfically reproducible, I figure, its worth a shot!
Good luck!
Tarah
Mama to the Forrest Creature 3/04 and Baby Ber 4/07
"All true wealth is biological" Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan