Getting Sleep With A New Baby

Sleep?!?!!???

What the heck is that?

With a newborn, sleep is a far distant memory that will not reenter your life for several more months.

As newborns, baby sleeps, on average, for three  hour stretches.

That means between the time that baby wakes up, you feed baby, change baby's diaper, get baby back to bed, go to the restroom, and get yourself back to bed...you will be up again in 2-3 hours.    

So the term, "sleep like a baby", totally sucks, because who wants to sleep 3 hour stretches at a time?!??

Getting Sleep Tip #1:

Dear New Mommy,

Sleep when baby sleeps!!  
It is okay to take the first few weeks to sleep during the day since you will be up so much at night!  

Love, 

Ashley W.

(who did NOT follow this piece of advice)

Getting Sleep Tip #2:

...this includes daddy's help, though.  

Try to work out a plan that works for the both of you so you create a team effort.  

Here is what worked for us...My husband would get baby out out of the bassinet, change his diaper, and pass him to me.  I would nurse and then my husband would put baby back to bed. My husband was able to fall back back asleep while I nursed so he was up for a total of 5-10 minutes.  I was up for closer to 20-30 minutes; it was a team effort!    I actually (kind of) miss some of those nights....and my infomercials. 
(I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to pick of the phone and order a pair of Pajama Jeans!)


Getting Sleep Tip #3:
Sleep WHENEVER and WHERE EVER possible.

Getting Sleep Tip #4:
Take grandma's offer! 
Take a nap while she holds baby!!! 
(note to yourself:  she does not care if you don't entertain her for an hour!)


Getting Sleep Tip #5:
Relish those moments when you get to snuggle your baby and fall asleep together.  Those are my favorite memories.  

Happy Napping!!!!

Breastfeeding in Public

The Analytical Armadillo posted this last year… source unknown:

I’m thankful for not having boobs thrown in my face all the time by offensive and indecent breastfeeding mothers like the ones below:

Wait…Well, this is a bad example. Let’s try again.

Hmm…Just a minute. I’m sure I can find better ones than these…

Eh, still not offensive enough. I’ll check one more time.

That is better. LOOK AT THAT! I see about a half inch of boob. DISGUSTING.

UGH. Look at that indecency! She must be from some third world country to be exposed like that!

Now that’s just…There are no words to descripe how inappropriate that is. Something needs to be done!

But why stop at breasfeeding women? 

There are boobs everywhere.

Beware!

 If you thought the above photos were offensive, you WILL DEFINITELY be offended by the photos below.

Not this one, though. This one was in plain view on news stands and in mail boxes in 19 countries world wide!

Not this one, either. This one actually won an award!

Oh, and I guess this one is fine too. Everyone knows you can’t sell jeans without someone being topless.

Or beer, for that matter.

Or sunglasses.

Or movie tickets.

Or CDs…

You know what? Maybe I’m crazy, but I think that someone mixed up some photos here. 

The first batch is offensive, but the second batch is just fine and dandy???

People who live in glass bras:

Shouldn’t throw stones:

If you think women have the right to breastfeed their children no matter where they are, please repost this…comment and share. Support breastfed babies and their right to eat in public!

Pump Pump It UP!

Pumping exclusively is a lot to sign up for and unfortunately a decision I had to make with my daughter. From day one my little bundle of joy refused to nurse. After 4 days of trying to nurse with no success, her doctor recommend either 100% formula or expressed milk. The decision was an easy one for me because I wanted her to have my milk. Plus, I was totally oblivious to the work I was going to have to put into pumping exclusively. :)

As soon as we got home from that doctor's appointment I got online to figure out where to start. I quickly found that there are VERY little resources for Moms that choose this route. I was so frustrated until I came across www.kellymom.com. This website is an AMAZING and very DETAILED resource for not only nursing Mothers but also pumpers. 

Pumping 100% of the time sounds simple right? Well..after doing some research I realized that's not necessarily the case. There are a lot of things to consider when making this decision: 

#1. Nursing or formula feeding a newborn baby typically takes about 20 minutes. When a Mom pumps, that time doubles- 20 minutes to pump and then 20 minutes to feed baby the expressed milk. Multiply that by the 8 - 10 times a day that a newborn feeds...that's 5 - 7 hours a DAY that a pumping Mom has to work on feeding. This is actually the first time I am doing the math and I now understand why some nursing Moms thought I was absolutely crazy!

#2. Pumping 100% of the time requires a pretty large investment when it comes to the actual pump. I used a Medela Pump in Style but wish I would have had a hands fee pump so I could take care of baby while pumping! I can't tell you how many precious ounces of milk I split while leaning over to replace a "binkie" or try to swaddle baby while pumping (which I mastered towards the end because I am Super Mom).

#3. There is no such thing as "feeding on demand" when you pump exclusively. Each and every bottle you milk from yourself produce has to be done ahead of time to avoid listening to your hungry baby scream for 20 minutes while you pump.

A big question I had when trying to figure things out was: How do I get started? This turned out to be fairly simple, but very time consuming. When your child is a newborn and you first make the decision to pump...you need to do it as often as possible and as long as possible. I started out pumping 10 times a day for 20 minutes for the first 2 weeks. When I hit the 2 week mark, I felt pretty comfortable with the amount of milk I was producing and cut back to 9 times a day and then 8 times a day by the end of the first month. I was still pumping for 20 minutes each time. 

As your baby gets older and your body gets used to producing milk, your supply will not only grow but pumping will get faster. By the time I went back to work (my daughter was 11 weeks), I was pumping 5 - 6 times a day but it was only taking me about 10 minutes. When she hit 6 months, I was pumping 4 times a day and taking around 7 minutes. So if you are frustrated at the time demands at first, it gets easier/better!

One thing that I actually really liked about pumping was that I knew exactly how much milk I was producing vs. how much my baby needed. KellyMom has a great section on this...they even have a handy calculator! 

I found out in the first few weeks of pumping that although I was pumping 10 times a day for 20 minutes, I still wasn't producing enough to feed baby (see our post on why your supply may be lacking here) for a full day without supplementing with formula. Our pediatrician suggested Fenugreek, an herbal pill that would help with milk production. I thought it was total voodoo but I went from producing 20 oz a day to 60 in just a week!!! Yes folks, I was a dairy cow. I was actually able to store so much milk that I stopped pumping when my daughter hit 9 months and STILL had enough milk to last her until her first birthday. And I also lost all my baby weight and then some because all of the calories I was burning from producing that much milk. Fenugreek was the best decision EVER! Random warning- you will smell like maple syrup for a week or so...I promise that goes away. Also, it doesn't work for everyone, but it is worth a try if your doc recommends it!

http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/maple-syrup-0309

Another benefit of pumping is that you waste VERY little milk. Have I mentioned a little site called KellyMom.com (I am obsessed, I know)? They have great guidelines on how to store and handle expressed milk but here's the skinny:

- Fresh pumped milk can be stored at room temp for about 6 hours. 

- Fresh milk (that hasn't been frozen) can be stored in the fridge for 3 days. Frozen milk that has been dethawed is good in the fridge for 24 hours. 

- Fresh milk or milk that has been in the fridge for 3 days can then be frozen for up to 4 months. Using freezer bags is the best way to label and store your milk in the freezer. Also, remember that milk should always be allowed to thaw in the fridge before using. 

http://www.geekosystem.com/guy-survive-wifes-breast-milk/

Seems kind of complicated right? It really becomes second nature after awhile but something that helped me was this magnet from Medela with all the storage info. Just make sure to label all your storage containers with dates/times and refer to the magnet as you go!

So you still want to give it a try? Good for you! Although pumping is tough to figure out at first, I promise it gets easier. After about 4 weeks of exclusively pumping, I felt like a pro and started building a great supply for my little one. 

If you have any questions about exclusively pumping that you can't find the answers to on KellyMom, please feel free to contact me at naptimetales@gmail.com. I know exactly how little information there is out there for us "pumpers" and would be happy to help encourage and support any Momma who chooses this route! 

Happy Pumping!

UPDATE: We have received SO many emails, comments and questions over the last few months from this post. We decided to do a couple of follow up posts:

- Why is my supply decreasing?  

- Tips for increasing your milk supply 

- Pump it up - revisited (will baby #2 nurse?!)

Funny Friday: This Is What Happens After You Have a Baby???

Top 10:  No One Told Me THIS Would Happen After I Had a Baby!!

1.  You have to wear a HUGE pad diaper for a WEEK post-delievery?!??


2.  You have to squirt your hoo-haa with a water bottle instead of using toilet paper...and it actually feels GOOD!


3.  Peas on your cha-cha never felt so good. 


4.  You just had a baby but still LOOK 6 months pregnant.   And you will probably continue to look pregnant for at least a month post-baby.   (Those pre-pregnancy jeans can stay in the back of your closet for a while longer.)


5.  You crave more food AFTER delivery than you did durning pregnancy.  


6.  That dark line you developed during pregnancy is still there....and will be for a while.


7.  Your hair starts to fall out...just when you thought things couldn't get any worse!

8.  Gravity takes a toll on your body.  Sorry, but your skin doesn't pop right back to how it was!

9.  If you swelled during pregnancy, you will need new shoes!

10.  Your belly button may even have stretch marks.  And if you had a belly piercing beware of what your belly button will look like afterward.   (note to 18 year old self:  DON'T GET BELLY PIERCED!....or tattoos)  

BUT.....it is ALL so worth it!!!!

A New Online Fav- BabyLi.st

Addicted to Pinterest? Expecting a baby? Need to create a registry? Well I've got some great news from you! We recently were contacted by Natalie at BabyLi.st regarding their registry program and I have to say...I'm head over heels for this site! 

BabyLi.st is kind of like Pinterest but for baby registries. Parents-to-be create a free account and then add a browser button (kind of like your "Pin it" button from Pinterest) and search away! You can search any website, that's right folks ANY WEBSITE and select items you want on your registry simply by hitting your "Add to BabyList" button on your browser. 

Now let me tell you why I think this is SO awesome (seriously, why didn't I think of this?!). First, more and more stores are moving away from doing an "in-store registry". This not only takes a lot of fun out of registering (let's be honest, you can't beat the rush you feel when given a laser gun) but also means you have to visit 100 different sites to figure out where to register and what to register for. With BabyLi.st you can add items from everywhere...Amazon, Target, Babies R Us, Walmart, even Etsy...if they have an online store, you can add items from that site to your registry.

This not only makes things easier for you, but also for your friends and family. It is a one stop shop to go to your unique BabyLi.st registry and either buy online or they can print it out and take it to whatever store they'd like to shop in.

What are you waiting for? Sign up for a free BabyLi.st registry today and tell us about your experience!

Thrifty Thursday - Baby Bargains on Amazon

We LOOOOOOVE Amazon! 
There are SO many ways to save money on this site, so be prepared to see lots of Thrifty Thursday's revolved around Amazon.

This week we want to share with you their Baby Bargain Monday campaigns. Each week Amazon hosts a bargain period where you can save some major money on things like diapers, strollers, clothing, toys...basically anything you could want or need for baby! 

So make sure to check it out every Monday and tell us about any great deals you find! 
 

Eating and Nursing

WHAT?!?   

You mean you have watch what you eat while you are pregnant AND when you are nursing?!??    

Yes, my friends.  It is true.   And to be honest with you, I actually wanted to be MORE cautious with what I was eating while I was nursing.  (Maybe it was because I knew everything I ate was going directly into my milk supply....or because I could actually see my baby.)

It is basic:  Eat a healthy diet.  And make sure you are consuming enough  calories so your body can produce the quality and quantity of milk needed to meet your baby's needs.  If you are not consuming enough calories, your milk supply will deplete. Woman who are nursing require an extra 200-500 calories a day than woman who are not nursing.  So....if your body says you are hungry, EAT.  (I was STARVING the first few weeks after having baby.  I also craved way more food nursing than I did pregnant....the baby needed it-oh boy!)

It is also important to drink LOTS of water when nursing.  I mean a shit-ton.  You need to consume at least 16 cups of water a day.  I think I consumed close a gallon...I was DYING of thirst....every time baby started to nurse, I felt like I was welting away.  

I. NEED. WATER. NOW!!   

Lots of water will also boost your milk supply. 

Guzzle up!!

Since I nursed both of my kids for a year, I learned valuable lessons in what I could eat--and not eat while nursing.  I learned quickly that I could not eat any vegetables without causing some MAJOR gas pains to baby.  (No problem, I replaced carrot sticks with Twizzlers and lettuce with chips.)  Spicy foods also caused my babies' tummies to get upset.  However, some experts say that babies enjoy a variety of flavors in their breast milk.  

Source: http://www.babycenter.com/0_diet-for-a-healthy-breastfeeding-mom_3565.bc?page=4

I have some friends who had to cut out some very critical items to their diet to ensure baby did not have adverse effects to breast milk.   For example:  No caffeine.    

I don't think I could have done it.   It was hard enough to watch my caffeine intake each day.  You should consume no more than 300mg of caffeine a day when nursing.  

Source:  http://www.babycenter.com/0_diet-for-a-healthy-breastfeeding-mom_3565.bc?page=4

Now, if you know me, you know I enjoy my evening glass of wine.  I already went 9/10 months withOUT drinking...What the heck do you mean I cannot drink while I am nursing?!???  

Here is the down low:  After consuming an alcoholic beverage, it takes about two to three hours for your body to eliminate the alcohol in one serving.  You need to time your drinking and  nursing sessions correctly. (I would pour myself a drink as soon as I was done nursing at night and baby went to bed.)  

Source:  http://www.babycenter.com/0_diet-for-a-healthy-breastfeeding-mom_3565.bc?page=4

So, to wrap this all up....You are not just giving your body up for 9/10 months.  You are giving it up for as long as you decide to nurse for, as well.  In my situation, I gave my body up for 22 months.  

(Pregnant for 9.  Nursed for 13.)  WOW....


You will figure out what works for you and your baby while nursing.  Keep a food diary, pay attention to baby's behaviors, and trust your instinct.  
Mommy knows best!

    

SIDS- How to reduce your baby's risk

SIDS (or sudden infant death syndrome) has no cure, no means of detection and no known causes. With 2,000+ cases every year, most occurring within baby's first 6 months, it is a parent's worst nightmare. 

http://www.parentingstartshere.com/index.php/2011/10/30/unraveling-the-mystery-of-sids/

Although there are no means of detection, there are ways to prevent SIDS. Babycenter.com has a great list:

- Keep up with prenatal care.

- Do not smoke, use alcohol or drugs while pregnant.

- Place baby on back to sleep.

- Use proper bedding. This means a firm mattress with no blankets or bumpers in crib. 

- Sleeping in the same room as baby or frequently checking on him/her. 

- Keep baby warm but not hot. 

- Keep baby away from smoke. 

- Make sure baby gets all vaccinations. 

- Breastfeed if you can. 

- Let baby use a pacifier when sleeping.

One thing that both Ash W and I invested in for our babies was an Angelcare Monitor. This monitor does all the things a normal sound monitor does, but it comes with a sensor pad that detects baby's movement (aka- breathing). If it doesn't detect movement, an alarm will sound and you can rush in and check on baby. 

http://www.angelcare-monitor.com/International/en/home

For us, the monitor did go off when my daughter was about 5 months old. We were still swaddling her (pathetic I know) and she got out of her blanket and buried her face in it. When my husband got in there and flipped her over, she took a big deep breath. I've never been so scared/relieved in my whole life.

This monitor isn't cheap...Amazon has it for around $125 (if you want 2 parent units...around $80 if you only need 1). I can't stress enough that every new parent NEEDS something like this. I would have paid so much more had I known it might have save my child's life.

There is more research and funding being provided on SIDS than ever before. I hope that detection and causes can be determined soon so that parents can be given more information on how to prevent a tragedy. For more information on SIDS, visit American SIDS Institute.  

Diaper Debate: Cloth vs Disposable

Using cloth diapers never crossed my mind when I went to create our baby registry. I thought disposables were the easiest and cheapest thing. I did no research on the topic because frankly, the idea of reusable diapers seemed like too much dirty work.

Since then I have met plenty of people that went the cloth route. After having in depth discussions with them (I had to know how they pulled this off), I totally understand why people use cloth and wish I would have looked more into it.

Before I get started, let me just say I'm not going to get into the "green" issue here. It is obvious what is better for the environment...but we are Mommy bloggers so we'll focus more on the cost effectiveness and ease of use factors. In an effort to make Captain Planet happy I will say "looting and polluting is not the way!" so please recycle when you can. ;o)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-weinstein/captain-planet-empedocles_b_561559.html

Here's the low down on how each diaper system works:


Cloth

http://joshandjessicabrown.blogspot.com/2011/06/cloth-diapers.html

Cloth diapers typically come in two parts- the water/stain proof cover and the absorbent liner. When changing baby, take the dirty liner out and replace with a new one. This means you'd purchase more liners than covers since the covers don't normally get soiled (hopefully anyway...). The diapers usually come in two sizes: newborn and infant/toddler. Dirty diapers can be stored in a lined garbage bin.

Cleaning the diapers consists of either tossing them straight them in your washing machine (just wet) or rinsing off using a sprayer attached to your toilet and then putting them in the wash. Sometimes your normal clothing detergent can be used or you can purchase a special soap just for diapers.


 A few great resources for cloth diapers are DiaperPin.com and TheDiaperJungle.com.

Disposable Diapers

http://www.thelearningcommunity.us/newborns-and-infants/issues/diapers.aspx

Most of us are familiar with how disposables work. There are several sizes to choose from depending on your child's weight. Baby gets a brand new diaper each time they are changed. Dirty diapers get stored in your regular trash can or sometimes a diaper pail. Your local garbage company gets the honor of picking up your dirty diapers once or twice a week with your other trash.  

The Cost
So now that you know the skinny on each "system" let's talk about cost. DiaperDecisions.com has broken down the cost of several cloth diapering systems vs. disposables:

* The average cost (including washing expense) of a cloth diapering system range from about  $381 to $1,600 TOTAL. That range is based on a lower to higher quality of diaper brand. 

* The average cost of disposable diapers (calculating the same amount of diaper changes needed with cloth) is $2,600. This does NOT include costs for a diaper pail and refills for those. 

Weighting The Advantages and Disadvantages
Take a look at that price difference and you can already see what my number one advantage to a cloth system would be. Even with the higher quality brand, cloth diapering comes in almost a thousand dollars cheaper than disposables. And that's just with one child! That's money in the bank with any additional children since you won't need to purchase additional diapers...talk about a nice beginners cushion for college funds! 

Another advantage of cloth is that your child may seem more comfortable in a natural feeling diaper. Babies with several diaper rash issues or major skin sensitivities can really benefit from going cloth. 

I know I wasn't going to mention this but come on...it really is better for our environment to use cloth. 

Although there are some major advantages to cloth, there are some pretty significant inconveniences. Cloth diapers tend to be a bit bulky taking up lots of precious space in a diaper bag or when traveling. Speaking of traveling...vacations with cloth diapers would be a serious pain without the convenience of your home sprayer and a washing machine. And going out in general is a bit of a pain because of the chance you'll have to carry around a dirty diaper until you get home.

Although more expensive, disposables are so easy to get rid of. No waiting for a load of laundry to get done for clean diapers, no spraying (score!) and no bulky diapers to tote around. Need more diapers? Just go to any local store and pick up a box! Disposables might also provide a better fit for your child at some of those awkward weight stages that occur through infancy.

So what's better? Whatever feels right to you! I'll tell you what I wish I would have done- grabbed a couple of cloth and a box of disposables and tried both. That way I could try out the cloth with out the big initial investment, but fall back onto disposables if it wasn't working for us. 

So how did you diaper your baby? And have we made cloth diapers seem "doable"? 

Top Ten Things You Will Miss About Being Pregnant

I bet you didn't think you could get that baby out fast enough....however, here are 10 things you will miss about being pregnant.

1.  NOTHING fits!!!!  Maternity clothes could not get out of your closet fast enough.  Now, maternity pants are too big and your pre-pregnancy pants will hardly make it past your calves, let along your thighs or ass.  Your maternity tops look ridiculous and your pre-pregnancy tops have apparently turned into belly shirts (welcome back 1996).


2.  You need to get rid of the "I'm Not Fat, I'm Pregnant Shirt" and trade it in for "I'm Not Pregnant, I Just Had a Baby" shirt.

I couldn't find that image (I should create it) but I thought this picture would do! 

3.  Your orgasmic dreams are long gone.  In fact, your sex life belongs in a history book.  History will not be rewritten for another 6 months or so.


4.  No one really cares about you and cute little pregnancy belly any longer.  You are now basically invisible. All attention is completely on baby....plan on doing something VERY impressive if you want eyes on you ever again.


5.  Sleep.  Yes, I know sleep was interrupted while pregnant by frequent trips to the potty...BUT, that was a 1-2 minute task.  Getting up multiple times a night to feed baby is WAY more tiring.


6. Knowing baby was safe on the inside.  Now you have to worry about this GREAT BIG WORLD you brought your baby into.  Don't you wish you could create a bubble and keep him in there forever?

7. Eating for two...or at least having an excuse for your binges!  (I need seconds....baby wants it.  Baby wants a Big Mac, super sized!)  No more my friend, this behavior is now inexcusable.  


8.  Your belly.  YES, it got big and uncomfortable at the end.  But, it was hard and pregnant.  Now, it is a mushy gushy mess.  TIGHTEN BACK UP PLEASE! 


9.  "I need to run to Target really fast!"  Yep, that is not happening.  Your Target trip is the ONE THING you get to do today!  And for the twenty minutes you need to be INSIDE the store, it took you ONE hour to prepare for.  


10.  Sleep.  Yes, I know I already mentioned it.  But it is worthy of mentioning again.  

Thrifty Thursdays- Sittercity.com

It's almost Friday which means it is time for Thrifty Thursday! This week we are featuring Sittercity.com. They are offering offering 20% off membership fees by using the code TULIP20 (offer expires May 31st).



I personally have not used this service but have looked into it several times since we moved to Michigan. We have no family in the area and didn't know a single person when we first moved here. AKA- no babysitter!

Sittercity is a site where parents can search for and meet background checked and qualified babysitters and nannies in their area. Searching for a caregiver is super simple - they have a quick search but you also have the option to put in as many qualifications that you'd like. Availability, distance away from your home, age, and years of experience are just a few of the filters you have available. 


Profiles of potential caregivers are easy and FREE to scan. Most include a picture, qualifications, and details on their preferences (think number of children, wage expectations, travel distance and availability). The profiles will also list any reviews the caregiver has been given through the website along with a note on whether or not a background check is available. 


So if you can view profiles for free...why sign up for a membership right? With a membership you are able to not only contact any caregivers that you may be interested in, but you can also view their background checks. 

Sittercity.com memberships come in a 1 month, 3 month or 1 year packages. If you are interested in this service, I would suggest doing a free search of sitters in your area and seeing if you are interested in any profiles before paying. If you find a few that you like, sign up for 1 month and contact everyone that you'd be interested in speaking with. You'll have their contact information for future use should you need a backup or different sitter. A 1 month membership is $28 when you use this link with the code TULIP20. 

Have you or someone you know used Sittercity? Tell us about your experience!