Making Time for Other Kids While Breastfeeding

Hang on there! Your baby is only 1 week old and as you know their schedules/feeding/sleeping needs change from day to day. Try reading to your other kids or have them read to their new sibling. Bust out the video camera and video your children creating movies or putting on shows for their sibling to watch later in life. As the baby grows, and starts sleeping longer hours at night you will have more to pump early in the morning and that can help free up more time to spend with your other kids. We tend to put this guilt trip on ourselves most of the time...but the kids often don't seem to notice as long as they have a healthy relationship with their parents to begin with. Good luck with everything!!!

adjusting to 3 is a challenge in itself. hooray for you breastfeeding this time around.

you can also be reassured that your older kids are not acting out. it's an adjustment for them too. but while you feel that you're not spending the kind of time you want to with them, your newest baby needs this kind of time with you right now.

moms get so wrapped up in taking care of others. you just had a baby 1 week ago! your body's still healing too. I think that's one of the reasons newborns want to eat so much. so their moms will actually take the time to sit down.

before you know it, you'll be able to breastfeed and do other things @ the same time. you cam get a wrap or sling carrier. that way, once both you and baby are ready, you can latch while in the carrier and then be able to play with kids, cook or clean.

I the mean time, have the kids read a book besid you while you nurse. or you can read to them. sit and feed where they are. when the baby's not eating give time to bond and you time with the other kids.

Congratulations on your new baby! I can relate to the challenge of nursing a newborn and trying to play with and take care of other children at the same time. I am still nursing my 9 month old son, and my daughters are 2 and 4. I can tell you that the first few weeks of nursing are the most intense. Your newborn will settle into a more predictable routine soon.

I admire your commitment to play with your kids, particularly only 1 week post-partum!!!!! Nursing isn't for everyone, but I have found it to be extremely rewarding. Even though you are an experienced M., it sounds like you are relatively new to nursing, so pumping and nursing sessions are still pretty new. Give it a little time to see how things settle out. Your newborn is nursing so much because she needs time to bond with you and that is her way to ask for your nurturing. I know her demands may feel minor compared to the more dramatic demands of your older children, but they are just as important. Even if you were formula feeding, it is likely that she would want this nurturing from you.

Anyway, when my son was really little and could easily nurse without being distracted by his sisters, I found I could nurse using a boppy pillow and play card games, do puzzles, or build block towers with my older kids. This takes some practice, but it can totally be done. I also admit that I relied on TV and movies, which we would watch together (and still do).

This is just the beginning of a very long relationship between your children, so be careful not to let your kids start to feel resentful of the baby for taking you away from them. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job and that you are a very conscientious M.. Give yourself some time to bond and nurture your baby, and after you settle into nursing, if you decide that it isn't for you, then you can move on knowing you gave it a good effort. By the way, I wasn't able to produce much milk through a breast pump until my babies had started sleeping for a couple hours for naps. Until that time, I didn't have enough time to build up a supply.

Good luck to you!!!

While I nursed, my daughter and I would read, sing songs, play with little toys, color, watch TV together, play I Spy. There are things to do, just get creative. Buy the kids clipboards or little TV or bed trays and they can come to you with their things. It will be easier when the baby is (hopefully) on a regular schedule
I wasn't able to nurse my daughter so I would pump and bottle feed. It took about 1 1/2 weeks to get the milk going good in the pump. This was great so my hubby could help too and have his special time with her. When my son was 6 weeks I started to alternate pumping and nursing since I would be working at night. My daughter was so delighted to be able to feed her little brother.
If you are stressing, your milk supply will be effected. Relax as much as you can and go with what works best for you. Don't feel guilty if nursing doesn't work out. You have to look at the whole picture, not just one part.

Hi Robyn at the risk of another M. out there, accusing me of not knowing what i am talking about, or calling me rude, this advice that I am going to give is for you, and it is not about anybody else. You have 2 great kids and a little baby, and you don't appear to be happy, you didn't breast feed your first two, are they healthy? are they happy? if the answer is yes, then why not bottle feed this baby, so dad can feed the baby while he's home and you can interact with your other two kids, feeding time is a very bonding time, and moms whoexclusively breast feed, husbands don't get a chance to help and bond in that way. I am a 51 year mother of 3 all grown, all formula and bottle fed, all grew up healthy and happy, and because I did bottle feed my first born was able to help feed my second two so they were envolved and then my first 2 which were boys were able to help feed their little sister, and my husband feed our babies almost as much as I did, so by bottle feeding, the whole family was able to bond in that way, and it did free up time for everyone to have quality time for everyone else, I don't know if that makes any sense to you or not, I've been there done it. I have nothing against breast feeding, I don't believe it is the right answer for everyone, it's apersonal choice, for you sweetie the guilt that you are feeling about your other 2 kids, is zapping the joy of breast feeding this baby. What does your husband say about it, ask your M. what she thinks. can't hurt. Good Luck J. L.

I want to say it will get easier, but that's not necessarily true, you will learn how to deal with it. I have found that sitting in my son's room while he plays and just talking to him makes a difference (while breastfeeding) or going outside and watching him play while I breastfeed also makes a difference. I have also learned to breastfeed when the baby is in the Bjorn, which makes moving around much, much easier. Good luck and just try to give everyone time to adjust to your new lives :)