Since becoming a mom at the end of October, a lot of things have (obviously) changed. I think the biggest life change was breastfeeding. It is NOT as easy as I thought it would be! But once we got into the swing of things, I found little ways to make it easier.
1. Everything I wear is nursing friendly. I wear a nursing tank top pretty much every day, and since it’s still winter, I wear a cardigan over it. Yeah, it’s boring, but it makes getting dressed quick and easy in the morning. Or afternoon… whenever I get a chance to shower. 🙂
Nursing tanks galore!
My favorite nursing tanks are from Target and Old Navy. Sometimes I’ll wear the ones from Target without a bra (around the house) because they still have good support. But the Old Navy ones are nice to just pull to the side without having to unclip anything.
2. I always have a beige hair tie on one of my wrists. I’ve read the recommendation to put a safety pin on the side of the bra you mean to nurse on next. Well, I don’t trust myself not to poke my boob with the pin, especially during the wee hours of the morning. So I just put a beige hair tie on my left wrist when I need to nurse on the left side next and vice versa.
3. I sleep with burp cloths under my pillow. One on each side, actually, so there’s always one that’s easy to grab during night feedings. We end up co-sleeping for at least half the night, so I like having a burp cloth ready in case Gerrit decides to spit up while laying down.
4. I feel my boobs several times a day. Is that weird? 🙂 This generally isn’t a good way to figure out how much milk your baby drinks, but I still do it. It gives me an idea of how much Gerrit consumed during the last feeding since I only feed from one side each time. He tends to be a very distracted eater during the day, so I don’t always know how much he actually eats. Since I overproduce, I like to know if I’m getting too full on one side.
5. I don’t leave home without a nursing cover. The one in the photo is actually the one I have! I usually don’t care if I’m covered up while breastfeeding, but I feel like other people appreciate it. Plus sometimes it helps Gerrit fall asleep in louder or brighter locations when we’re out and about. Always a perk!
Of course, becoming a parent changes your WHOLE life, but it’s nice to have things to make aspects of it, like breastfeeding, a little easier. What little tips have you come up with to make breastfeeding simpler?
Yikes, I’ve been working on this (slowly) for over a week! It has been crazy times getting ready for this move.
Moving back to the US of A just a couple of months after having a baby means… Baby needs a passport! Since we knew we would be short on time, we opted to go to the embassy in London to get an emergency passport for Gerrit.
I was nervous about the trip to London. We decided to drive to Epping and take the Tube into London instead of driving there ourselves, which would have meant paying for the congestion fee and parking. I was mostly nervous about breastfeeding whenever and wherever Gerrit would want to feed! But I also worried about having him in the Moby wrap for large amounts of time. I didn’t think he would like being confined for more than 15-20 minutes at a time.
Well, we left a little bit later than we wanted to, and when we got to Epping, the lot was full. I knew the next station was in Theydon Bois, so we drove the 5 minutes to that town. Luckily, there was one spot left in that parking lot! While Andrew paid for parking, I quickly changed Gerrit’s diaper in the backseat of the car. Then we got on the Tube and headed toward London.
It didn’t take long for Gerrit to start fussing. Based on the amount of time since his last feeding, I assumed he was hungry again. I got set up with my nursing cover and thankfully, Gerrit started nursing right away. It was a little awkward, but the train was fairly empty, so I wasn’t too uncomfortable. Then the conductor announced that we had to switch trains because the one we were on was having a problem. So I maneuvered a mostly asleep Gerrit (still nursing) to a bench outside. And he kept nursing. When the next train came, it was already pretty full. Andrew asked a woman if I could have her seat to nurse, and she very willingly gave up her seat. The man sitting next to her gave up his for Andrew to sit too, which was really nice. Would this happen in a city in the States? I don’t know! I feel like maybe English people are just more polite!
I pretty much let Gerrit nurse until we got to the stop right before the one we were waiting for. Then I got him back in the Moby wrap, which was pretty easy since he was drowsy. And he actually did pretty well while we walked around trying to find the US embassy. He is such an alert little guy, so I think he really enjoyed walking through the London streets! His eyes were big and alert, and he just quietly took it all in.
Although we had an appointment for 10am at the embassy, we didn’t get seen right away. But we didn’t have to wait terribly long either. I think we were done by 1pm at the latest. Of course, right when we got there, I heard Gerrit have a big poop, haha. Thankfully, it stayed in the diaper, which isn’t always a guarantee anymore!
Although I had nursed on the Tube, Gerrit started fussing again once we sat down to wait. I got him covered up and breastfeeding, and he started dozing off. Ten minutes later, he spit up ALL over himself and me. I mean, a LOT of spit up. I had an extra outfit for him, but nothing for myself. And I had the Moby wrap on me too, so that smelled lovely the rest of the day. I’m so glad Andrew was there to help — it would have been a challenge by myself!
After everything was squared away at the embassy, we walked to a nearby pub for lunch. And I breastfed there too, haha. What can I say, Gerrit likes to eat! We were at a table near the back, so I wasn’t too self-conscious about it. I did have to eat my lunch one-handed though since Gerrit was having lunch too. I enjoyed my last Aspall cider with my lunch too… I will miss that! Andrew thought it was “interesting” that I was drinking it while breastfeeding… but I figured drinking it at the end of a feed meant it had plenty of time to get through my system, right?
Gerrit started getting fussy on the walk back to the Tube, and he cried a bit once we were settled in our seats, but he didn’t do too badly. He even took a little nap! He was more fussy once we got to the car. Andrew had to pull over so I could nurse. But I think Gerrit just wanted to comfort nurse to fall asleep, which he couldn’t do since he had to go back in the car seat. Poor guy. He did end up going to sleep though, and we got home without any issues.
Our London adventure resulted in our little guy being ready for his first international flight!
Merry Christmas to everyone! Gerrit turned 2 months two days after his first Christmas.
Look at that serious face! I can’t wait until he can smile for the camera! 🙂
Age:Â 2 months on 27 December 2014 Weight: 13 lbs 10 oz Height: 23.23″ Teeth: none Clothing Size: 0-3 month & 3 month
Diaper Size: size 1, but probably not for much longer Milestones: Sleeping “through the night” (a 5 hour stretch) at 7 weeks, a couple of little smiles, and more head control
Sleeping: At 6 weeks, Gerrit usually had two 3-hour stretches of sleep at night plus a slightly shorter one (2 or 2-1/2 hours). He tended to take a long nap in the morning (2-3 hours) and another one in the late afternoon (3 hours). Besides that he took several catnaps that ranged from 15 minutes to an hour. According to a chart I found online, he was supposed to be getting 14-18 hours of sleep a day, and I think he was on the low end of that, although it’s hard to keep track of all those short little naps! But by the end of that week, he was only taking catnaps… and sleeping barely 2 hours at a time at night. Ugh, Andrew and I were tired and frustrated. All 3 of us ended up sleeping well into the daytime hours to try to make up for the lack of sleep at night. But then in the early morning hours the day he turned 7 weeks, he slept 5 WHOLE HOURS STRAIGHT! I was so excited, I almost woke Andrew up to tell him (which I quickly realized would defeat the whole thing). And then we went back to waking every couple of hours again. Oh well. By the time he turned 2 months, he was going to sleep around 11 or 12pm and sleeping about 4 hours at a time with 2 more nights with 5+ hours.
Eating: Gerrit is getting more efficient at eating! He still sometimes struggles with my strong letdown of milk (choking and sputtering), but it’s getting better. I often try nursing leaning back (almost laying down on my back) to help with the strong flow, and it really helps a lot! He also is better with burping. During his first month, I would try and try to burp him, and nothing would come out. Then he would cry and cry because of gas from the other end! He still gets really upset when he has lower gas, but it’s getting better. During that I-don’t-want-to-sleep phase at the end of 6 weeks, Gerrit was only eating a few minutes a time and being very fussy. I wasn’t that worried that he wasn’t getting enough to eat (still had plenty of poopy diapers), but my poor boobs were getting so full!
The weekend that he turned 2 months, my milk seemed to finally regulate. I wasn’t nearly as full, and Gerrit was having good 15-20 minute long feedings. It seemed like he was finally not being so overwhelmed by an overabundance of milk and could take his time to eat.
Gerrit hasn’t had a bottle for the whole 2nd month, mostly because we haven’t needed to use one. I’m not sure how I feel about using bottles right now. I love not having to pump, not having to wash bottle parts, and knowing that Gerrit is controlling my milk supply. But I do worry that I’ll want to have someone else feed him at some point, and he won’t want to take a bottle.
Mommy Update: My weight has pretty much leveled out at 15 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m not on any diet or exercise routine, but I’m hoping that when our stroller comes we can start getting out for some walks… and later jogs! It’s one thing to have lost weight, but I’m not thrilled with how flubby my belly is. Yeah, I may have just made that word up. I’m hoping to tone my “soft parts” eventually, but it’s not high on my priority list right now.
My mood has been good for the most part! I do feel a little down when I’m sleep-deprived, but I just remind myself that it won’t be like this forever. I also seem to be a little depressed at the end of the week. I think it just wears on me to be stuck at home day after day doing the same things. I always worried about making it though the newborn phase, since I don’t consider myself a “baby person.” I feel bad saying that I don’t enjoy every moment of motherhood so far, but I think I’ll feel happier when Gerrit is more interactive.
The week before Gerrit turned 2 months was probably my best week yet. I felt a lot more “in tune” with him and was really enjoying just snuggling with him more than I had in the past. I don’t know if I was more relaxed (and not stressing about housework) or if I was just less depressed. It was wonderful though!
Best Moments: Seeing Gerrit become more alert! He usually has an alert period in the morning. He and I will hang out in the guest room (we still have the air mattress set up from my mom’s visit) during this time so Andrew can sleep. Gerrit will lay on the mattress and just stare out the window. He loves it!
Some morning cuddles with MommyJust staring out the window & enjoying the few daylight hours we have!
Gerrit also enjoys his play mat when he’s in the right mood. He doesn’t intentionally hit or reach for the toys yet.
I forget to do tummy time as often as I’d like to do it, but part of that is because of all of Gerrit’s short little naps! He’s not a big fan of tummy time either. He will tolerate it for a few minutes, but then he starts to get frustrated and fussy.
Gerrit also celebrated his first Christmas! I’m really glad he won’t remember this Christmas, because it was very low-key. I usually do quite a bit to celebrate my favorite holiday, but with a newborn and a very big move coming up, Andrew talked me into keeping things simple. I am already excited to do things big next year to make up for it! Opening presents Christmas morning:
After dinner at our friends’ house:
I can definitely say that Gerrit’s 2nd month was much better than his 1st month (for both of us)! I’m excited to see what Month 3 and the new year bring!
. I’ve read the recommendation to put a safety pin on the side of the bra you mean to nurse on next. Well, I don’t trust myself not to poke my boob with the pin, especially during the wee hours of the morning. So I just put a beige hair tie on my left wrist when I need to nurse on the left side next and vice versa.
weird? 🙂 This generally isn’t a good way to figure out how much milk your baby drinks, but I still do it. It gives me an idea of how much Gerrit consumed during the last feeding since I only feed from one side each time. He tends to be a very distracted eater during the day, so I don’t always know how much he actually eats. Since I overproduce, I like to know if I’m getting too full on one side.
On An Even Kiel 