NaNoing with a new baby... err, am I crazy to even attempt this?

The fun thing about babies that young is that they sleep ALL the time....or at least my son did. (He will be 4 in December.)

Unfortunately, I was tired all the time too and I napped when he did. He was also born lactose intolerant, so I couldn't ya know.... I warmed up a bottle of soy milk for him in the middle of the night and rocked with him while he "ate" then burped him and put him back to bed. Rinse repeat for daylight hours. He was and still is very easy to care for. I am indeed blessed in that regard.

If you have one of these miracle Rip Van Winkle children, NaNo at that age is very easily do-able.

Best of luck to you!

Personally, I think we're all crazy for even attempting NaNo. I mean, what sane person would try to write a novel in a month? Honestly?

I think if you set your mind to it, there's nothing you can't do. I, personally, am going to drink Dr. Pepper like crazy. Something I wouldn't suggest to you, as caffeine would transfer to breast milk (if you're feeding your baby that way) and keep your baby awake more...

Good luck, and I'm glad you decided to NaNo.

NaNo '08: Title "Out of the Fishbowl" WON!!

Motto for NaNo: "Where there is caffeine, there is a way!"

First of All.... Congrats on the baby!

2nd, I agree with another poster that we are all crazy for attempting this anyway.

finally I have no kids of my own yet, so no reference state from me, but I'm sure you can do it!

:)

2005 - Shadowfall (Winner, but WIP)
2006 - Dark System - Elios (Winner)
2007- Dark System - Corinth (winner)
2008 - ???????????

You can do it...Cause they sleep all the time at that age! Mine did, anyway. I'm pregnant with a toddler and I'm doing NaNo, so you can too. I'll be writing at night and during nap time. I also perfected the art of NAK (nursing at keyboard)--which admittedly is harder with a laptop.

Of course the illusion of art is to make one believe that great literature is very close to life, but exactly the opposite is true. Life is amorphous, literature is formal. - Francoise Sagan

As long as you can type one handed, you can do it. ;) I've done it with a one year old, and I'll be doing it with a 7 month old this year.

Get a boppy... they're wonderful for helping you hands-free nurse!

--
Heather Dudley
Forums Moderator - Broke? You can still donate!
Couldn't verify your winning novel? Contact the general hotline for help.

My youngest sister will be about seven months old this November, and my second youngest sister is four. And my third youngest sister is nine and ADHA. And yet I've still managed to convince my mother to try this year! (Mostly by offering to help take care of my siblings - what have I gotten myself into?)

------------
The Epistler was quite honestly knocked on his ethereal behind by the sheer logic of this.

Really, if you want it, go for it! NaNo feels wonderful whatever happens in your normal life. We are all rooting for you :)

2005 - A magányos fák magasra nőnek (failed miserably)
2006 - Locretia Borgia titkos naplója (won, but never finished)
2007 - Halál a két Lottira! (won, and also finished)
2008 - A magányos fák magasra nőnek (2nd try, wish me luck)

Go for it! The worst that will happen is that you won't make 50,000. What do you have to lose? (Your sanity doesn't count, we all lose that.)

The first year I did Nano, I had a 1 year old. The next year I had a two year old and a 3 month old, plus I had an online job I did at home. I won both years. And I am the Queen of Procrastination. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it.

Now my kids are 3 and 1, and I'll be going for it again.

Don't worry, you're not the only one. My son will be a little under three months when NaNoWriMo starts and I'm attempting it. Fairly sure I won't succeed, but it'll be fun all the same. :)

My baby will be just over thre months old on November 1st and I'm going to give it a try. I think I might aim for 25,000 words but see what happens. It can't be as hard as Nanoing while newly pregnant and just wanting to go to bed at 7pm every night!

Good luck to all the other new mums (and dads) going to give it a try.

Hey, thanks for all the responses! :) I feel much more encouraged now... it actually feels possible. *goes off to plan novel*

[witty description and request for free coffee go here]

We're all crackers. That's why I love Nanowrimo so much!

Glad you decided to have a go - good luck.

My website: http://lorettameyr.livejournal.com

Aw man, I'm NaNo-ing with a two year old, deployed husband, two attention starved kittens, and newly pregant... it didn't occur to me it might be overwhelming until now, with all the "at leasts"... a six week old is the best age for you to do whatever you want.... as long as you don't mind dirty smelly bottles filling the sink and diapers exploding out of the diaper genie ... =D And have lots and lots of spare clothes, no one needs to do laundry during NaNo!

My boy will be 6 months old, and he loves it when I'm at a computer! I'm going to let him help with the writing, since he loves to hit the computer! j/k, but he does enjoy it when I'm typing, which is much harder to do with only one hand free and one holding the baby and the other picking up his toy! Oops, too many hands! I may just work on the novel during his naps or in the evenings. No late nights for me, thank you!

My daughter was born on October 13th last year and I attempted NaNo and gave up within the first week. Of course, she wasn't one of those babies who slept all of the time. She ate every 45-90 minutes during the day and every 1-2 hours at night for the first couple of months. Of course my husband was also working 70+ hours a week at a high stress job AND I decided to do NaNo at the last minute with no plan whatsoever...

I'm trying again this year with a 1 year old, a tentative plan, and a less stressful/time consuming job for my husband :)

Unless an individual baby is particularly sensitive to caffeine, there's no reason to avoid it just because you're breastfeeding. I've been breastfeeding my daughter for over a year now and I've never noticed any difference in her behavior on the days when I drink NO caffeine versus the days where I drink a ton. Besides, even if one were being super cautious and only drinking the recommended amount of caffeine for pregnant women (300 mg/day), that still would equal more than seven 12 oz glasses of Dr. Pepper.

http://www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database

Congrats on the new baby! My [almost] two year old was born Nov. 5. the first year I attempted NaNo. I didn't get very far, less than a page written, but that was because I was a new mother and very sleep deprived. I had no clue what I was doing at the time. :) I think now, if it were to happen again, I'd be able to handle it. But, give it a shot, see how it works!

My son is going to be 7 months by the time November 1st rolls around. So you definitely aren't the only one trying this! Boppys are a life saver... so are baby swings and bouncy seats! When my son was about 6 weeks old I couldn't put him in the swing without having him pass out 5 minutes later. Give it a try! Of course now he wants my attention all the time so November will be a challenge.

So much fiction, so little time. The story of my life.

WoW thats crazy! I was wondering if anyone was going through this on here. My baby is 5 weeks old and I was thinking of how I could write a novel while attending to her needs and my own. I've been wanting to participate for the past 3 years, but I've been putting it off due to work and life. Last year, I told myself that I would do it this year and I want to stick to that. I guess with good time management and a little help from friends and relatives, it may be possible.

Hi, congratulations on the new baby!

I have a 2 year old and an 11 month old and am giving it a go this year. My 11 month old still doesn't sleep well so I will also be attempting to NAK!

I did the OU creative writing course last year and it was brilliant! I had my baby in the middle of it, which made it a challenge, but it was great fun. Good luck!

Lorraine

No, you are not... If writing is what you want to do you are going to have to learn to over come. My first year doing NaNo I was a new mom, granted my daughter was 6months old, but I was still here typing away with her on my lap and I won...
I 'm not saying that this is for everyone, but you got to try. (If only to keep your brain from turning to baby mush) You may not win, but at least you tried, right?