Newborn Tips

It's interesting how some weeks fly by and others seem to drag. This one is racing.

Reese and I are getting her eating schedule down. It's nice to have predictability. Have any of you moms with babies used Babywise? About 5 1/2 years ago, I was pregnant with my first born and casually glanced at the books they were clearing out at my local library. Here this was for a quarter.

It has been a lifesaver for my three girls. Just by keeping a consistent but flexible eating pattern during the day, my first two have slept through the night by 6 weeks. My youngest is now only waking once a night. A little more sleep than usual!

I know there's been some controversy as to this scheduling method. However, it has worked wonders for us and we consider ourselves very doting and flexible parents.

I think there is no "perfect" mold when you start out with your newborns. The newborn season is sleepless and hard! No way around that. This book can give you some method amidst the madness, especially for first time parents.

Another topic.

I do wish moms would be more open and honest about their breastfeeding experiences. Maybe it's just something we don't talk about? Perhaps we fear that something so natural like breastfeeding shouldn't have complications and if it does, we're the weird ones? While Katie was a breeze, my oldest and youngest had problems. Brilla had to have formula (I felt like a failure at the time) because she wouldn't latch on for anything. It had been 48 hours and not a drop of anything. Partly it was due to first-time parenting. I wish someone had told me to see a lactation specialist! I wish someone had guided me to a nipple shield, available at the Walgreens down the road! I wish I'd known that a mother's milk can not come in for up to 5 days and that colostrum is plenty enough (5x the protein as mature breast milk) and a newborn's body has liquids stored up until the milk comes.

And then my dear Reese. She struggled as well, even though she was a bigger baby than Brilla. She nursed just fine for the first week, then decided for some reason she didn't want to latch on anymore. I had to start pumping and bottle-feeding her. Only this time I knew about a nipple shield and a lactation specialist. These are essentials when starting out with a newborn just in case nursing is a bumpy road for you at first.

One thing about breastfeeding is that if you push through and seek help, it can end up being bliss for both you and baby. Books are fine but actually seeing a live professional is the best. Don't give up!