Experiences from mums feeding nb and have a toddler how did you cope/manage your time

[Mum2Mimi]

ive recentley found out im pregnant with #2 and have had thoughts about differnt things and one is...

i remember with dd the first 8weeks i felt like all i was doing was sitting on the couch breastfeeding! the first 8weeks as a new mum establishing breastfeeding was tough and took up alot of time especially in the first 2weeks and i had a great little suckler who latched on well right from day dot and no problems with supply ect

i would love to breastfeed this lil bubbalub and give it the same oppotunitys mia had, but am wondering if i can manage breastfeeding in thoose first few weeks without packing it in as i will have dd who will be 2yrs when bub arrives and i wont have the time to just sit and feed like i did with dd1, i remember how demanding and stressful thoose first few weeks were with her so am not sure if it would just be easier to put bubs on bottle but then i know if i did that i would forever feel guilty and i really do want to feed again and hopefully last longer then 5months this time to but suppose it all just depends on how i go when bub arrives

so is it hard to establish breastfeeding with your newborn when you have a toddler too?


so did anybody experience these thoughts?

any tips/advice?

am i just worrying? will i manage? did you? share your expereinces?

also some thinsg i could buy for dd to keep her occupied whilst im breastfeeding or things you did would be helpful

[Mum2Mimi]

bump

[MimiGrace]

not speaking from personal experience, but the two things that i know my friends found with bub nr 2 and beyond

you already KNOW how to breastfeed. with the first baby, chances are it took a long time because you were still learning (and so was the baby), so this time YOU will know what to do

but yep, during the first 6 weeks, bubs often need to be on for a long time, so i'd look into getting a sling, and see if you can find a way to breastfeed hands free, so that mia can still get your attention too.
And involve her with the whole process. maybe have some snacks for her, so it becomes a 'some food for you, and some food/boob for the baby'
otherwise, always have a dvd in the player JIC.

if you do go the sling route, maybe make a little sling for mia to carry her dolls in?

Thats all i can think of right now

[Mum2Mimi]

the sling for mia is a cute idea

[katieinwa]

i will find out very soon! (dd will be almost 21 months by the time this one makes an appearance)

but yes, ABC2 will be very helpful , have the crayons and paper out on the floor, make sure she has a drink and snack. worse case have all this stuff up in my room with the tv on while i am on the bed feeding (so it will be one big playpen for her )

its also very helpful that we have been there done that so we should be old hands at bf a newborn second time around!

[peanutbutter&jelly]

I didn't find it hard (B went away for a week when Bella was 3 weeks old )... As long as the rest of the house is child proofed (which I'm sure yours is!!) you should be fine. I made sure I had books near me, as Phoenix loves them, and room next to me for him to sit.
DVD's if Bella needed to be fed at a bad time (for Phoenix I mean) were priceless and yeah, a sling, but I think I would have preferred a ring sling to a set sling like a peanut shell. I can't feed in the peanut shell, but can in the ergo with the infant insert.
Organising things like snacks (pop some crackers or something into plastic containers for Mia while you feed) and making sure there's some for you too was something I really needed, drinks as well.
Pre-preparing meals was good too, it meant that I could BF while holding bub with one arm and chucking in some home made chicken nuggets to heat through in the oven, or popping in a pre-frozen lasagna. Meant i had tonnes of time for both bubs and I could make dinner and pop in in the fridge or freezer at whatever time I had when the bubs were being settled

[AM]

Mimi you are so clued up for someone who has yet to have children!

Yes, a sling, and I always cuddled my toddler, or had a book to read him, or a dvd, or sometimes had a special toy which he hadn't seen before...

But the sling was the lifesaver really... having quick snacks around for the toddler to eat... pretty much it has all been said! It's a real juggling act to begin with, but soon you get into a bit of a loose routine and things get a lot easier.

All the best

[kath87]

I couldnt feed dd1 so I was very motivated to try the 2nd time around, my dd1 was 2.5 when dd2 came home, it sure was tricky and very time consuming but I guess I had the added pressure of it all being new where you will have a good idea of what your doing. I had a lot of problems with suply and so was feeding between 2-3 hourly which I kept up for 6 weeks but after that I made the choice to go to formula as it was taking all of my time and I was very mindfull not to leave dd1 out. I'm very glad I gave it a go. If I was you I would give it a go and see how it work if it does great if not you can alway move to formula.

[Mum2Mimi]

ok so sling sounds like the way to go...i wouldnat have a clue about names,designs,where to even purchase as i only brought abjorn carrier with dd so what would you all recomend and are they pricey or around same as bjorn? what weight do they go up to?

[AM]

I cannot fault the ring sling for ease, comfort, multi positioning, breastfeeding is awesomely easy once you get the knack, and I got mine for 40 bucks - a hatchling sling...

And I use it for toddlers as well, and my 5 year old used to like it occasionally when he was being a silly bum!!