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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Feeding and doing stuff

24 replies

redandyellowandpinkandgreen · 30/07/2010 19:19

Please feel to laugh at naive, pregnant lady if this is ridiculous!

When I am breastfeeding at night, or in the day in fact, will I be able to do other stuff at the same time? I don't mean cleaning the bathroom or anything but read? I am imagining sitting there staring at the walls but also wonder how realistic the thought of doing some reading is too.

OP posts:
mellymooks · 30/07/2010 19:47

You will totally be able to read, watch tv, catch up with people on the phone, eat, drink, potter around once you get a good latch going, it's a matter of getting organied before you settle down to a feed.

Make sure EVERYTHING you could possibly want is within reach, books, magazine, remote controls, phone, laptop, water, snacks etc etc once you get the hang of bf you can pretty much get on with most stuff!

MrsKitty · 30/07/2010 19:53

I do all of my mumsnetting / online shopping / emailing whilst feeding DD, and have done since she was a newborn (and am feeding her right now...) She's 9mths now so feeds less frequently and for shorter periods so I'm having to find time to do all those things at other times now! Reading is also completely possible, although I find internet better for keeping me awake during night feeds.

CMOTdibbler · 30/07/2010 19:53

Well, at night you want to learn to lie down and feed asap, which means that instead of reading, you can sleep instead.

And in the day, you can read, natter, MN, watch TV (if theres a chance of getting Sky+ it is fab as you don't have to watch daytime TV). Join the library so you can get books and DVDs out

A thermal cup (sort with a lid) and a sports bottle with ice insert are great as you can stick them by the side of your chair. If you get on with bfing in a sling, then the world is your oyster - I could bf while shopping with no probs

ruddynorah · 30/07/2010 19:56

oh yes! baby ready to feed? grab baby, make nice drink for yourself, get biscuits, get lap top warmed up, telly on, phone by your side, get settled on sofa for a a big feed/snooze fest.

i found a feeding pillow helped with all this, left 2 hands free to eat/type/hold phone

CharCharGabor · 30/07/2010 19:56

Oh yes definitely, that's one of the best things about it! I read, surf the internet, watch dvds, crochet, read to DD1, loads of things. It's a lovely way to relax and heal after the birth imo.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 30/07/2010 19:56

You need to set yourself up a table or something which has got a book, the TV remote and the phone on it - and a glass of water as BFing will make you sooo thirsty. Then when you sit down to feed you have everything to hand.

Morloth · 30/07/2010 20:05

God yes, it is so good to have an excuse to just sit around and read and MN.

Definitely sleep at night though.

sweetnitanitro · 30/07/2010 20:06

For the first few weeks I did nothing but sit on the sofa BF'ing DD and watching Top Gear Midsomer Murders interesting and educational documentaries.

Agree with everyone else that you need to have drinks and snacks within easy reach. If you get the knack of feeding lying down then you can relax even more. Enjoy the feeding and snuggling phase, get plenty of rest and bond with your new baby

WoTmania · 30/07/2010 21:23

BEst excuse ever to sit and read I used to knit and listen to the radio when my eyes got tired from all the reading .
Alsoa good excuse to have cups of tea & plates of biscuits brought to you.

Hazeyjane · 30/07/2010 21:49

I am only 4 weeks into breastfeeding, but still find it impossible to do anything other than watch TV.

I have skyplussed tons of crap stuff to watch whilst b'feeding, but really hope that I will have the confidence soon to do other stuff too.

Would something like the My Brest Friend pillow help with this?

redandyellowandpinkandgreen · 30/07/2010 22:01

Oh yay thank you! I thought I was being ridiculous somehow. All my friends have bottle fed so I've never seen anyone do it really to know how it works in real life.

Feeding at night and sleeping though. Isn't that dangerous because of rolling on to the baby or anything?

OP posts:
GetThePartyStarted · 30/07/2010 22:13

redandyellowandpinkandgreen co-sleeping can be dangerous if you do not follow the guidelines (see here but if you do it safely, it is fab

I have a bedside cot (basically a modified cheap ikea cot) and when DS needs a feed I can just roll over, feed him then roll back. Much easier!

I also do all my food shopping/internet shopping/mnetting while feeding, will definately miss it when DS is weaned!

NonnoMum · 30/07/2010 22:22

Yes - you can watch all sorts of random TV channels.

Don't want to put a downer on things but some babies have been known to prefer peace and quiet when getting stuck in (i.e don't really want their mum chatting away to anyone else!) But maybe I know some reet fussy babies...

Good luck with everything!

TruthSweet · 31/07/2010 00:53

To start with I second everyone else's suggestions of drink, book, magazine, nibbles (obviously cake fruit), telephones, remote and laptop and raise my own suggestions of a foot stool and lots of comfy cushions.

There isn't much you can't do whilst feeding - low high points for me have included nappy changing older sibling, hanging out the washing and going to the loo needs must and all . The last one is not something I'm proud of and certainly wouldn't do in a public toilet but with a new baby who needs feeding NOW and weak bladder that needs emptying NOW you find interesting convergences of experience IFYSWIM.

Breastfeeding is a skill that can take some time to get the hang of as both you and baby are first timers at it but when it clicks you can do it in the funniest of places and doing the funniest things. Though it's not compulsory to do so

I've breastfed 3 children for a cumulative total of 7 years so I've had a LOT of experience and practise so please don't be put off if you don't find yourself loading the washing machine mid feed on day 3!

On the feeding in bed front if you do a little prep work before it pays off massively.

-The part of the bed baby is going to be on needs to have a bed rail/guard or barrier of some sort (I have the cot attached to our bed frame) so baby can't roll out.

-Lie on your side with your arm raised and your knees drawn up so you make cradle shape with your body. Baby feeds on their side and lies in the space between your arm and knees. You can feed from the other side by shuffling back from baby and tilting your upper body so that the upper breast is now occupying the space the lower one was previously.

-I have DD3 on her own sheet and when she was tiny I apple pie'd her bedding (use a cot sheet and baby sleeps on the top part of it with the bottom flipped up to cover them -they can't wriggle down or kick of the sheet) Now she's older she's in a gro-bag but still on her own sheet. This makes it easier to transfer her in to her cot once she is asleep as there is no risk of 'cold sheet syndrome' waking baby up.

-The fundamental rules of co-sleeping apply even if you do not intend to sleep next to baby but just feed (it's so easy to fall asleep feeding and if you make the area safe in advance you won't have to worry if you do succumb):-
No consuming alcohol/drugs or meds that make you sleepy or difficult to rowse.
No co-sleeping if anyone is a smoker (even if it is your partner and they smoke outside).
No putting baby under duvet/adults bedding.
No putting baby in between mum & dad (we have done that with DC3 but we don't go to sleep with her in between us but move her to her cot once she is asleep).
No co-sleeping if you are excessively tired (I took that to mean no co-sleeping if you were falling asleep on your feet not if you were just normally tired)
Don't put baby on a pillow topped mattress or memory foam mattress as the baby can 'sink' into them.

Sorry for the epic novel on co-sleeping I do prattle on so.

moajab · 31/07/2010 08:25

I find reading and watching TV th best activities to do while feeding, although don't underestimate the time, especially in the beginning, when you will want to just sit and gaze at your amazing baby! I did find as they grew older that they would get more sensitive to noise and would let go at every page turn or stop feeding to listen into my conversations. I've never had a problem with watching TV, so it's probably just my voice that they were interested in.

WoTmania · 31/07/2010 10:46

RedandYellowandPickandGreen This is a very interesting article on bedsharing.

Morloth · 31/07/2010 12:37

When DS is feeding at night, my arm is around the top of his head, he is on the breast and I bring my knees up around him as well. It isn't possible for me to roll on him, also you can just feel them there even when asleep.

No blankets and my pillow is behind me, so my head is on the very end IFYSWIM.

MumNWLondon · 31/07/2010 23:33

This is what I do when breastfeeding:

7am Feed - sitting up in bed encouraging DD(6) and DS1(4) to get dressed.

10am Feed - watching TV

1pm Feed - watch TV

4pm Feed - watching kids TV with DD and DS1 or watching them play

6.30pm Feed - reading older DC stories

10.30pm Feed reading in bed.

Also talking on telephone, surfing on internet. Watching older DC in park. Watching older DC have swimming lesson. etc etc.

SkinnyLattePlease · 01/08/2010 05:25

OK, DS2 is 14 weeks old and I can just about manage to read a book whilst breastfeeding. On occasions I also get up to answer the phone (can't have it beside me as DS1 likes to play with it), but I am in complete awe of mums who breastfeed whilst moving.
TruthSweet, how the devil did you manage to change a nappy!?

TruthSweet · 01/08/2010 10:20

Skinny - You would need to feed on the side that is your dominant arm so baby is supported by your 'wrong' arm and do the change kneeling on the floor. If you need to use both hands you can wedge baby on your mummy tummy prop up baby on your knees .

If you want to change baby's own nappy whilst feeding you need a nursing cushion so you have got a level surface to work on. It saves tears in the early days when baby is hungry AND upset by full nappy (usually my tears not DC's )

I can only change disposables not cloth nappies as I can't do poppers one handed so I'm not Super Woman!

virgo1979 · 01/08/2010 10:27

ds is now 7 weeks and after 3 weeks i had emptied my sky plus that i had been storing from about month 6 of pregnancy. box sets are great too.

ds is getting bit heavier now, but i can still manage to do the dusting, general tidy up, put dishes away etc whilst breast feeding. I do sometimes get bored of sitting (!) when i have been resting, other times i love sitting with my feet up. agree surfing, reading mags etc all great.

one tip i would have is nip tp the loo before you settle to feed, i normally drink a pint of squash at each feed (am a very thirsty lady!) and nothing worse than needing a wee whilst dc is feeding away....dont think i could negotiate loo AND bf like poster above - that is pure skill!

Igglybuff · 01/08/2010 10:32

I have an iphone and that was a life saver in the early weeks of BF - I could surf the net to my heart's content, keep in touch with people via text and emails and listen to stuff on my ipod. I remember emailing a friend who'd also just had a baby at 3am comparing feed times!!

redandyellowandpinkandgreen · 02/08/2010 22:11

Thank you everyone. Co-sleeping is out as DH smokes, not in the house or anywhere near me which is one thing, but it does rule it out. I am working on him to give it up of course!

I was imagining myself sitting in the nursery at night on my own but will work out how I can lie down and get some rest at least I think.

OP posts:
Meglet · 02/08/2010 22:14

I was unable to do anything other than watch TV or read the newspaper. I got virtually zero done in the few months I BF. We were all on ready meals and the house went to pot.

I was a bit of a crap breastfeeder though . But it was nice to read the sunday papers cover to cover.

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