FTM struggles, anybody else??

Question

My son is five weeks old now (born 10/4) and I’m exclusively breastfeeding. Does anyone else feel like they’re struggling to get anything done during the day? My husband works, I’m still on leave, so I do all of the child rearing during the day and night duty as I BF. I find it hard to get my son on an eating schedule. Im trying but some days he refuses to nap and wants to eat really often. I get excited just to find time to check our mailbox or run to the store. I stress out taking a shower as i can’t get my son to not have a crying meltdown for long enough for me to shower and get dressed afterwards. He doesn’t have colic, or reflux, he just prefers to be comforted and held a lot. I feel like most moms with a baby this age are doing so much more and coping so much better than I am. It’s starting to make me feel like I’m failing at this job. Does anyone let their baby cry for a bit while they drive somewhere or shower?

Answer

I seriously thought I was the only one going through this. My princess is 3 weeks old and breastfed and I cannot do anything. I might get laundry done but that’s about it. Dinner and cleaning are out of the question. Heck I barely have time to eat during the day if I remember to.

Answer

I’m having the same issue. My son is also almost 5 weeks and since he was 5 days old he has been cluster feeding every day. I feel like I’m shackled to the couch most days. Sometimes he doesn’t even take a nap. Couldn’t go to the grocery store at first because we’d get there and he’d just want to eat again so I’d have to go to the car to nurse and then rush to get done shopping after. Now I’m just taking a bottle with us so I can feed him while I’m wearing him in the wrap. They say it’s supposed to get easier at 6 weeks :)

Answer

You should just feed on demand. Don’t try a schedule it will tank your milk supply. 
I’m not a ftm. I’ve just had my second baby. But I will tell you at the beginning with my first I felt that way. It’s ok. Just snuggle the heck out of him cause you will seriously miss him being so tiny. Soak it up. All of it. Don’t worry about the rest of the world. I get that things need to be done. 
Feed him and lay him somewhere safe. Sleeping if possible. And get in the shower. He’s ok. Babies cry. It doesn’t hurt them. I can’t tell you how many times she would be so happy and then I’d get in the shower and get out to her crying. It’s ok. (She’s a happy, crazy 18 mo old now) you need to take care of yourself. It does get easier. Promise. Give yourself grace as you learn how to do this. You’ll be a master in no time!

Answer

I’m right there with you! Thanks for posting this. It’s good to see we aren’t all alone on feeling this way!

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Your not alone! My LO is one MONTH and I'm lucky to get one chore done a day. The hardest part for me is hubby does not seem to understand what I do all day, and gets up set that the house is a mess and that we are eating out again. I froze a bunch of meals before baby came but there are days I can't even remember to take them out to defrost. I know it will get easier in time.

Answer

Yep, right there with you. My house is a wreck and I’m constantly ordering food last minute. My baby is four weeks old and Shes only on a nighttime schedule (while she sleeps). I literally just ordered a Baby Bjorn holder to get more done. Breastfeeding is tough but I find that it helps to give her two bottles of formula at night so I can get some stuff done and get some sleep! She doesn’t just go down for a nap either. Everything is pretty much “on demand” right now which doesn’t work but my pediatrician doesn’t recommend forcing a NB into a schedule either.

Answer

When my daughter was this young I had to let her cry it out because if she didn’t she would need to be held a lot just to calm down now she sleeps on her on she gets cranky when I don’t lay her down to sleep and she’s only 2 months. Maybe let him eat longer or burp him in between and see if he gets full faster. But breast fed babies are hard to ween off being held because we have to hold them to feed them. Has he gotten better since I know this is an old post just thought I’d ask lol.?

Answer

Girl you’re preaching to the choir. All I do since he was born is hold him and Netflix. Everyone once in a while he will let me put him down for 10-15 min and I run and get as much done as possible. I literally don’t shower or do anything until hubs is home. All my little one wants is to be held all day. To make matters worse, I froze about 20 meals before he was born. His pediatrician told me to remove all dairy from my diet as he is extremely gassy and fussy, constantly grunting and straining. 98% of those meals have cheese. So we’ve been eating Taco Bell and McDonald’s a ton. 😭 I am trying mommy’s bliss probiotics and they actually seem to be helping slowly. Either that or it’s me not eating dairy 🤷‍♀️

Answer

I ebf and introduced a bottle really early at the request of our post-delivery nurses and could not be happier. I pump and then run errands or pump so that my husband can take over a feed or two when he gets home from work. I do also have a bit of an oversupply, if she is feeding on one breast I can easily get another 5oz out of the other breast. Pumping one side while feeding on the other has saved me time. 
All of that said, I still find it hard to get much done during  the day, especially on days she is cluster feeding. She is 6 weeks old, born on 10/2.

Answer

My daughter is 5 weeks and not only is she on my boob all the time but she’s so colicky. I can’t get anything done.

FTM struggles, anybody else??

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