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Caring for a newborn: Like a full-time job?

Let’s do a comparison.

Full-time job: 40 hours per week
Baby: 168 hours per week minus time for mama to shower, sit on the potty, and an occasional quick trip to the grocery. Also, subtract time Dad is the only parent responding to Baby (when Mama is too tired to move, let alone tend to Baby) = 160 hours per week. Hmm. That’s like four full-time jobs!

Full-time job: Someone pays you money.
Baby: You get a tax credit and tax deduction. Other forms of payment include cuddles and grins.

Full-time job: You leave your work at work. It typically ends when you clock out at the end of the day.
Baby: Always on the clock.

Full-time job: You have a lunch hour (or lunch half hour) and maybe one quick coffee break each day.
Baby: Your employer eats 8-12 times or more in a 24-hour span. Translated to an 8-hour workday, Baby will have about three to four meals in that time slot, each around 20 to 45 minutes long.

Full-time job: It would be illegal/immoral to kiss your boss.
Baby: Your boss expects hundreds of kisses per day, and you gladly oblige.

Full-time job: Work to live.
Baby: Live to work.

I didn’t sleep much last night. I had a nap around 7:30 p.m. and got up around 10 p.m., and was awake with Jonathan until, oh, 5:30 a.m. after Shane and I tried everything we could think of to get him to sleep. Turns out, he wanted to sleep in someone’s arms. I parked myself in the recliner and got as cozy as I could, and we both passed out until 7:30.

Breakfast (his, not mine).

Then, we slept until about 10:45.

Brunch (his).

Slept again until about 2 p.m.

Lunch.

He’s sleeping right now, and I should be asleep too I guess. I need to get a meal in my belly first.

My body didn’t know extreme physical pain until I gave birth. I didn’t know “love-at-first-sight” until my son was placed on my belly. And I certainly didn’t know extreme exhaustion until I had a newborn. All-nighters in college? Yeah. You sleep at the end of those for as long as you want. But life with a newborn? I sleep in 45 minute to 3-hour long spurts, with 30 minute to many-hours long bursts of time awake in between. For almost four weeks straight and counting.

I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, but man, this little guy can really kick my butt. And yet, I’d much prefer to care for him than have any other ‘job.’

He won’t be this little for long. And his needs and sleep patterns will change soon enough. Until then, we’re still in survival mode.

What on earth could I be doing that could be any better than this?