Will i ever get out the house again?

[TwinkleMerrick]

3 week old baby, will I ever get out the house again? My mornings are spent feeding and expressing (I'm combination feeding as we had latch problems). Before I know it, it's 12pm! And I haven't even had time for breakfast, let alone a shower. Will I ever get out this house again? Any tips or advice for improving my morning routine? I struggle to get anything done as she is either feeding or crying and when she does go down I have to express which takes about an hour. Seriously thinking about giving up expressing just so I can have breakfast and a shower.....Does that make me a terrible mother? Any advice?

It will get better. 3 weeks is a really full-on stage. If you have a partner, can you get them to sort out a tray of breakfast/snacks for you before going to work, ideally things that can be eaten one-handed? Or can you organise things the night before?

Easier said than done but try to lower your expectations of yourself - just keeping yourself and baby fed is a mission at this point. Hang in there!

Of course not. Expressing is hell and I take my hat off to anyone who does it long term.

How is dd's weight now? Can you try just boob for a while?

This will all definitely get easier btw.

Could you hire a hospital grade pump? It's much quicker and easier.

Agree about having drinks and snacks that are easy. Maybe order an online grocery shop with such things. Buy some oat cereal bars for those mornings when there's just nothing else and the baby is screaming. But otherwise bananas, apples, crumpets...that kind of thing? Don't be afraid to let the baby cry for a minute until you've sorted out the food that you need and can sit down.

For lunch, get someone to make a batch of healthy filling soup and portion it up for the freezer. Defrost a portion each morning and then heat it up and drink it from a large mug.

But mostly online shopping for now. And a sling?

I was like you- expressing and feeding as I had so much pain when feeding.
In the end I only managed 6 weeks and then slowly moved on to formula as I found it so stressful and it was beginning to affect my mental health. My little girl is 2 now and perfectly healthy and I don't have any regrets.
Actually, my main regret is that I got myself so upset and ridden with guilt when I changed over to formula.
Those first few weeks/months are hard but it does get easier and easier and then a few more challenges in along the way!

Thanks guys, all
Good advice. I will defo try your ideas xx

I feel your pain, not quite the same but ds takes an hour and a bit to feed (bottle fed and he has feeding issues). I get my parter to do the 6am feeds on his days off just so I have time for a lie in /breakfast. I tend to shower in the evening as I have more time then as mornings are a bit full on. I gave up expressing (combo of reasons but he's on special prescribed high calorie milk as his weight gain was poor) Other than that I just sort of muddle through with getting out and talking everything with me to feed him. Start off meeting people in quiet places like cafes, baby groups and shops and build up to full days out. Ds is now 8 weeks and the first 4 weeks I didn't really get out as I was terrified!

It doesn't y matter if you don't shower etc, just enjoy your baby time. Things will and do change - I also combi fed both mine after around 6 weeks with first and 2 weeks with second - it helped me. I also bought a baby swinging chair contraption Best Buy ever! so they could swing in the same room as me whilst I cooked/showered etc (in a bungalow which helped!)

Practically speaking, make sure you have a dual pump (half the time), and that it's decent quality. Some of them you can jerry rig up your bra so it's hands free, and if you use batteries in it, then you can put the motor but in a backpack, and just move around etc, with it pumping. You can't carry your baby, but you can get breakfast, do chores etc, if you have to.

I expressed for 3 months (even then, I'd only get 20ml from each side at each session, often less). I'm glad I did some, but I didn't know what to do with myself time wise, once I'd stopped.

If you’ve had enough of expressing you can give up. You’re not a bad mother and you don’t need anyone’s permission to stop. If you want to carry on breastfeeding just keep offering it at the slightest sign. At 3 weeks it is normal for babies to feed almost constantly but it does get easier