There will also be some sanctimommy who will try to tell you that you should gaze lovingly into the eyes of your baby during all feeding sessions rather than watch tv, read or play on your phone. Don't listen to her. You will spend approximately 99 hours per day with your boob or a bottle in your baby's mouth in the first 10 weeks. Take at least some of that time to do something that relaxes you. There will always be someone trying to nake you feel guilty as a mom. Don't do it to yourself!
For anyone who's working on baby #1, I highly recommend binge-watching all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while you have a newborn and no other kids around, just FYI.
Speaking of, does anyone know if insurance covers a new pump for each pregnancy? Or only the first? Since mine died, I need a new one but don't want to pay OOP if I don't have too.
It should depend on your plan. I think some are 24 months and others might be every 36. I bet a Rx from your Dr would help ease those guidelines.
thelorax I'm with you, pumping is not fun. At 13 months I was debating whether or not to keep going. On the day I was debating, my pump broke. Decision made.
I stopped at 10.5, but was able to BF until DD weaned herself at 13 months. I couldn't believe how much happier I was and how much more time I had once I stopped pumping. It was like 2 hours a day!
Oh yeah, it is ridiculous. I didn't have a choice on pumping because I was traveling 3 out of 4 weeks in a month to another state from DS. So I had to pump all day every day while away. Annoying. My pump literally died in my hotel room on the last day and I was like "this is a sign". I am pretty sure I abused my pump more than a lot of people with how much I transported it on flights/cars/etc.
For anyone who's working on baby #1, I highly recommend binge-watching all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while you have a newborn and no other kids around, just FYI.
Speaking of, does anyone know if insurance covers a new pump for each pregnancy? Or only the first? Since mine died, I need a new one but don't want to pay OOP if I don't have too.
It should depend on your plan. I think some are 24 months and others might be every 36. I bet a Rx from your Dr would help ease those guidelines.
Looks like I didn't make the cut. However, maybe I can get an RX.
I'm planning to bf and pump and bottle feed so H can have feeding/bonding sessions with the kiddo.
FWIW, and obviously YMMV, this is a LOT of extra work, so I might suggest having DH do baths or some other sort of bonding, at least at the beginning when you're getting nursing established?
I was going to say the same thing, but didn't want to be a downer. I would also suggest bath time. Pumping just for DH to feed is a lot of work you probably won't like doing.
Oh yeah, it is ridiculous. I didn't have a choice on pumping because I was traveling 3 out of 4 weeks in a month to another state from DS. So I had to pump all day every day while away. Annoying. My pump literally died in my hotel room on the last day and I was like "this is a sign". I am pretty sure I abused my pump more than a lot of people with how much I transported it on flights/cars/etc.
I really wanted to take mine out to a field, like the copier from Office Space.
I loved BFing but, admittedly, had a very easy go of it with DS2. DS1 was another story. I feel strongly about advocating for a woman's right to breastfeed and doing everything possible to help a woman who WANTS to BF do so successfully. However. If a woman can't or just b plain doesn't want to BF, I don't think it's anyone's place to judge or criticize. You feed your baby, I'll feed mine, and we can all be friends
Another FFFC (with stage setting): I will do my damnedest to be team green for any pregnancies because A) I want that surprise and B) I am all about the gender neutral junk. I already know that every person in my life will buy gendered clothing the second they know what my child has between their legs. I have nothing against this, but I don't want to encourage it, either.
If I get to have a girl first and then have a boy, you bet your ass they'll be wearing whatever pink shit their sister got. Same the other way around: I'll hella dress my girl in her brother's football prints and polos. Quality pending, of course.
Oh yeah, it is ridiculous. I didn't have a choice on pumping because I was traveling 3 out of 4 weeks in a month to another state from DS. So I had to pump all day every day while away. Annoying. My pump literally died in my hotel room on the last day and I was like "this is a sign". I am pretty sure I abused my pump more than a lot of people with how much I transported it on flights/cars/etc.
I really wanted to take mine out to a field, like the copier from Office Space.
My own BF smugness (on myself) the first time around still bothers me so much. My milk didn't come in for days and I refused to supplement because everything I read said that once the baby takes a bottle that they won't take the boob anymore. DD lost a lb in 4 days before her first appt where her pedi told me to supplement. She had jaundice also and I still feel like a total shit for shaming myself for supplementing when it was what was best for her. So stupid
Edit: to add, we obviously followed her pedi recommendation to supplement. But I could have done it earlier since I knew that's what was needed.
The thing that's going to be tough for me is teaching this baby how to sleep on his or her own. We happily coslept and then bedshared, but I wound up with two kids who needed the presence of my boob to fall asleep. I simply can not do that with 2 other kids to look after. I have to break the nurse -to-sleep habit early with this one and I know it's going to suck
I'm gonna have to go back to work early (self employed and all that jazz) so I'll be pumping regardless. I'll wait till we have nursing established, but I'm going to have get back into the court room as soon as medical possible.
Another FFFC (with stage setting): I will do my damnedest to be team green for any pregnancies because A) I want that surprise and B) I am all about the gender neutral junk. I already know that every person in my life will buy gendered clothing the second they know what my child has between their legs. I have nothing against this, but I don't want to encourage it, either.
If I get to have a girl first and then have a boy, you bet your ass they'll be wearing whatever pink shit their sister got. Same the other way around: I'll hella dress my girl in her brother's football prints and polos. Quality pending, of course.
We were team green with number one and it was awesome we got so much neutral stuff. I'm finding out this time to hopefully help me bond with the kid. I wasn't one of those people that fell in love at first sight so I'm hopeful this will help me picture the future better.
I EP for 11 months and don't think I will attempt nursing. I HATE nursing sooooOOoooo much. Hence why I pumped. But pumping allowed me to donate 22 L to the NICU so it wasn't all bad!
remylove1011 no but it does look a lot like my kitty. She is a norwegian forest cat with a head bigger than her body. It's adorable. Is your avatar your cat? I love long haired cats! So pretty.
Sounds cute! Yes, mine is my kitty (Remy - I stole his name for my screenname). He's almost 6 and totally lovie/cuddly.
Me (30) MH (32) Dx: MFI (low all the things) M. 10/11. TTC Since 01/14 IUI#1-3(Letrozole + Trigger) = BFN Second Opinion. Changed RE's. IVF 09/15 Long Lupron 12R/9M/8F, Transferred 1=BFN. 4 frosties. FET #1 12/15 Transferred 1 (3 still on ice)
My FFFC: I haven't gotten a flu shot and now that I'm KU I'm terrified of getting sick. I'll see if I can get one at my OB appt next week, but I still won't be protected until February. Good thing it's a mild flu season so far.
The thing that's going to be tough for me is teaching this baby how to sleep on his or her own. We happily coslept and then bedshared, but I wound up with two kids who needed the presence of my boob to fall asleep. I simply can not do that with 2 other kids to look after. I have to break the nurse -to-sleep habit early with this one and I know it's going to suck
I find this so interesting. Kids are so different. I resisted doing this the first 6 months and then gave in and nursed to sleep after that. It was the best decision for us. Once he was eating enough at dinner (probably around a year), he didn't even care that I didn't nurse before bed anymore and we broke the habit. Now your post has me wondering whether the first 6 months made a difference... I don't know, but I'm definitely nursing before bed from the get go with this one. DS was a TERRIBLE sleeper and napper the first 8ish months of his life and I'm going to use every crutch I can to help this baby out.
I confess that I am sitting in the pickup line at my son's school in nothing but Cuddl Duds and my coat. No bra. It's cold and rainy and blah. I don't even have to get out of the car so meh
pttomato I'm sorry your family is so judgmental. That sucks. My mom can be similar, so I really empathize.
My FFC: a bunch of coworkers are moving and dumped "free" stuff on the communal table. Someone put out a dark chocolate Toblerone bar. It's probably 15 years old and was sneezed on by someone with the plague, but I still ate about a quarter of it. First chocolate all week and totally worth it!
gratefulgirl It is so weird how the beginning stages of BF are so hard, but by the end you don't even think about it and it's second nature. I did it for so long this time, I feel like "this second time will be so easy". Which is insane because I can still remember how hard those first 2 weeks were but I'm in denial.
I'll say this (though it is not universally true) - the second time is often easier. Your body knows what to do, though the baby doesn't. So half the equation knows what to do. Now if your baby has bigger issues, like tongue and lip tie, it can be just as hard or harder. But if he/she doesn't, then subsequent times can be a lot easier. DD1 nursed around the clock insatiably for hours on end. DD2 nursed every 3 hours for 20 minutes from day one. DD1 shredded me. I barely used lanolin with DD2. Now, I did end up with mastitis x2 and thrush once with DD2, so there's that. But it was still easier overall.
The thing that's going to be tough for me is teaching this baby how to sleep on his or her own. We happily coslept and then bedshared, but I wound up with two kids who needed the presence of my boob to fall asleep. I simply can not do that with 2 other kids to look after. I have to break the nurse -to-sleep habit early with this one and I know it's going to suck
FFFC: I can't bedshare and I wish I could. I flail, I hit people, I'm a danger to my H some nights much less a newborn. So instead I deal with getting up waaaaaaay too many times a night with 2 month olds who can't sleep.
That said, I have figured out a way to teach littles to happily fall asleep on their own with nearly zero crying. I just have to figure out how to do it without a pacifier this time, because DNW to be up a bajillion times a nice replacing pacifiers this time.
Another FFFC (with stage setting): I will do my damnedest to be team green for any pregnancies because A) I want that surprise and B) I am all about the gender neutral junk. I already know that every person in my life will buy gendered clothing the second they know what my child has between their legs. I have nothing against this, but I don't want to encourage it, either.
If I get to have a girl first and then have a boy, you bet your ass they'll be wearing whatever pink shit their sister got. Same the other way around: I'll hella dress my girl in her brother's football prints and polos. Quality pending, of course.
Me too! And it really annoys me that Amazon's only gender-neutral outfits are super boring brown or grey.
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