Before having a baby I always respected my friends who have kids when it came time to make plans. I knew it was more difficult to get ready, so I always tried to plan around them. I always thought I understood how hard it was, but in reality I had no clue! Now that I am a mom I have now realized how impossible it is to make plans with a newborn. It may seem like I sit home all day eating bon bons and therefore can venture out or take visitors whenever, but the reality of it all is that my schedule right now is no schedule at all!
My life right now is based in 3 hour increments. Wait..I take that back. It’s more like 2 1/2 hour increments. I always knew babies ate a lot, but let me tell those of you who don’t know, that a baby eats about every 2-3 hours. That’s not 3 hours from the end of a feeding…no sir..that’s 3 hours from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. So that means if your baby eats for a half hour, that you are left with 2 1/2 hours before the start of the next feeding. At a first glance it seems that that would constitute a schedule…no sir! Why? Well because it’s not always 3 hours. Sometimes it’s 2, or sometimes it’s 2 1/2, and now that he’s older sometimes it’s 4 hours (which is always nice)! That means when you tell someone to come by for a visit at a certain time based on feedings, or you plan to go out right after a feeding, you really have zero clue when that feeding will come.
A big challenge for me has been going out/leaving the house. Our first attempt was at Christmas time when we went to my inlaws house for dinner. I wanted to be sure he was well fed, dressed, and changed before leaving. They say not to wake a sleeping baby to eat…so how was I to plan when to feed before we go? The answer? You don’t! The baby is in charge it seems these first few weeks.
I had friends who were planning on coming by for lunch a few weeks ago, and I was excited to interact with my girlfriends. When they asked me what time to come by I was at a loss. I honestly had no idea what his feeding schedule would be that day, and I wanted to make the most of our time together. I didn’t want to have a fussy hungry baby, and I didn’t want to be stuck on the couch with him stuck to my boob either. Luckily I have no shame when it comes to breastfeeding, and have no problem whipping them out whenever…especially with the nursing cover I have. Because when they came by I did have a fussy hungry baby, and I did have to sit on the couch and feed while they ate lunch. ahhh…sigh…
I am learning to roll with the punches though. I guess I have to accept it’s sometimes Ok to be late. This will be tough since I am always on time. I have to accept that planning ahead doesn’t always work, and that a schedule is a thing of the past for now. I am told by my friends that eventually it gets easier, and soon I will get some resemblance of a schedule. My job now is just to enjoy the time I have with my boy, and everything else will fall into place. My new mantra?? It’s OK to not be on a schedule…
So if you see me…try to remind me of this. And if I am late? I apologize in advance. Ahhh the joys of being a new mom!
Perfect post! I could have and should have written this post. In fact, I would have if I’d have spent those two hours blogging. Instead I showered, ate, and slept. ? It will get better! At almost 6 months we go 3-4 hours but I don’t feel like I did before. It’s natural regardless of location.
Having been there while you nurse the lil one I’d say you are well on your way to being a nursing pro which means soon you will go out and about, have people over and the feeding times won’t be a second thought. It is just going to take a lil while longer. It is crazy though that this lil person can take up so much time and how things change so quickly!
I think it’s totally ok to feed the baby in front of people and make sure he stays on his schedule. I know that most people won’t mind!