To be bored out of my brain whilst breast feeding

[FreightTrain]

Baby is 10 days old and I am bored stiff whilst breastfeeding her. There’s only so much scrolling on social media or the news that I can take and I’m not sure I have the headspace for a book right now.

I am desperate to do some housework, what a sad state of affairs 😂

Please share ideas for how I can keep myself occupied or at the very least tell me it gets easier.

I used to play candy crush when bf

It may be easier for those who have another child to entertain too a great time to chat/ read. I do think it’s always worth hearing the views of others as sometimes we need to be reminded not to try and do things all the time. Remember to pause, look around enjoy the moments, of course if you’re in pain feeding or your little one takes ages and needs constant feeds then it must be good to have things ready for feeding time. Water at the ready was my experience as I found I was thirsty as soon as I began feeding.

I hear you. I breastfed my two for ages. Just enjoy the fact the most important thing for both of you right now is feeding and holding/nurturing your baby. Grab a sandwich, biscuits, drinks etc., and settle in. I binged watched Dexter, Orange is the New Black, Fargo, Game of Thrones and The Bridge. I also read tonnes of books. Enjoy it! Mine are 4 and 9 now and when I look back, that time was bliss!

I watched Masterchef Australia. Interesting enough to keep me entertained, not serious enough to care about missing a bit.

It's the superior Masterchef.

I gazed at my baby a bit, but I couldn't do that for hours a day.

I just put mine in a sling and cracked on with what needed to be done / prepping tea / hoovering / tidying bits up. Obviously sometimes I just sat and enjoyed it but with 3 kids it's not an option for every feed, that's what the night ones are for ❤️

Bing eating isn’t a great idea no matter how good one feels about themselves. It’s, by definition, excessive.

Binge watching isn't a great idea either though if we're talking health benefits. If we're going that route binge anything is excessive.

But at 10 days PP, there'll probably be huge amount of hunger while BF. So, watch and eat. Call it what you will!

lol I admit to eye rolling at the ‘special time’. I loved the special time…. For about 10 minutes. Then I was bored.

I read a lot.

I don't know for how long your baby feeds, but for me, to spend half an hour every few hours, having beautiful 1:1 time, singing, talking, stroking, and gazing into my baby's eyes, bonding with the tiny and helpless human being who relied on me for everything, were such precious, wonderful times. It doesn't last forever and the time is gone in the blink of an eye. I'm really sad for your baby, that after a week, you find it tedious - but we're all different.

I'm really sad for your baby, that after a week, you find it tedious - but we're all different.

We are all different. And I'd say that someone who wants to make a new mum feel bad is probably not that nice to anyone. You are seeking an emotional hit from being unkind. That little hit of dopamine. I can't imagine that doesn't leak into your family at points.

I'm a deeply flawed person, and probably a deeply flawed parent. But DD appreciates that I try, and apologise when I don't make it perfect. Gives her permission to try, fail, and try again. We muddle along. If you are perfect in all things, doing everything like a renaissance Madonna and child picture, make room for imperfection. DD has not suffered because I played video games over her head. I can guarantee at least that.

Good God, give me strength.

My babies were born before smartphones and streaming. I read, a lot. Nothing heavy - re-read Agatha Christie, Jilly Cooper is a good shout. Not too taxing. I also watched Neighbours (only terrestrial channels back then) and El Dorado (short lived soap set in Spain). Be thankful for streaming, YouTube and online shopping!

How long did you bf for? If you sing, talk to, or stroke a breastfeeding 6-12 month old, they will unlatch and look at you. And then you won't get them to latch on again because they'll decide it's PLAYTIME. But then they'll scream with hunger 5 minutes later because you haven't fed them enough. Rinse and repeat.

Your advice/reminiscences sound a bit like someone who only breastfed a newborn, or who only remembers that part.

Half an hour every few hours? Hahahaha I fucking wished.

Lots of things in life are boring, some you will be doing for the rest of your life, others like breastfeeding, are fleeting.

@Kokomjolk exactly ! X

I used to just stare at DS when feeding him. I blinked and he’s now leaving home to go to university 😢

I never had time to use my phone when my DC were babies. I have no idea how anyone managed to look at their phone and look after children.

I got massively into studying Henry VIII and Tudor history. Totally useful stuff?!!

Comments like ‘I’m really sad for your baby’ are the worst thing about threads like this. Fortunately I’m not insecure enough to let it bother me. However, I know several people who had significant MH problems because they didn’t feel the way they (or people like you) expected them to about motherhood. They didn’t ’love’ breastfeeding, they found motherhood frustrating, overwhelming and often boring. These people don’t love their children less than you and there is nothing wrong with them, but they are made to feel like total shit by comments like this. You don’t have to love every minute of motherhood to be good at it. My baby has no idea how much I enjoyed breastfeeding - I actually disliked it a fair bit but I still did it (exclusively) for 14 months with my first and I’m 8 months in with my second. I do it because although I don’t enjoy it, it’s the best thing for them and I’m fortunate to be able to. So don’t ’feel sad’ for my baby, he has a mother who is doing everything she can 24 hrs a day to make sure he has everything he needs, but thanks for your concern.

Really? You can’t imagine who someone who has a newborn feeding / sleeping in their arms for literally hours every day doesn’t have time to whip out a phone and check social media? Do me a favour 😂

Or someone who just wants to make other mothers feel like shit.

Love this!

Let's hope that the child now off to uni has a little bit more of an imagination 😂

No doubt though all that undivided attention will have set them up for a first

Another one here who BFed in the days before phones and I also remember it as an incredibly special time, but I suspect that’s because I remember the feeds which were like that and have forgotten the ones that were boring or frustrating or painful. Singing to your baby or stroking his or her cheek wouldn’t have worked for us either- much too distracting. By the end I couldn’t even look at DS or we’d both start laughing. It was lovely, really, but also boring and frustrating and painful. It does make me think how much my phone has killed my ability just to be in the moment.

Do you have AirPods? Being able to listen to a podcast without wires flapping everywhere would be my pick now.

Hats off to the woman who can make bread while BFing.

Well quite 😂