My DS is two weeks old and overall breastfeeding is going much better than expected. He wakes up 3-4 times at night to nurse and we are up for about an hour each time. I am nursing sitting up in bed and find myself falling asleep unless I'm reading something on my phone. But, I'm feeling guilty about it because I feel like I should be looking at my baby AT.ALL.TIMES. Just wondering if anyone feels the same and what you do about it?
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Why do you feel like you should be looking at your baby at all times? For safety or because you are supposed to be savoring the moment? I definitely would read my phone to stay awake.
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Lol, nope! I pretty much lived on my Kindle for the first couple of months!
You're feeding your baby, that's the most important part. Whatever helps you is a good thing.
(Posted from the aforementioned Kindle while nursing my 13 month old!)
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Um, nursing my LO now! Don't feel guilty. Catch up on HB. Haha. In all seruousness, you will be spending a lot of time nursing if you continue to breastfeed. There is plenty of time to state into that sweet little face. Night nursing is all about not falling asleep, and not staring at the clock and wishing you and LO were both asleep! Enjoy every (other) moment with your little bundle of joy, I say.
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Umm, no? As I type with one hand on iPhone, in bed, nursing my 7 week old who is already up for the first time. Ha.
Especially at night I need the phone to stay up.
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Occasionally I did, but that's silly. I actually had to stop looking at my phone during motn feeds because the light would make it harder for me to fall back asleep after, but once she hit a certain age I couldn't even look at her or it would wake her up more anyway. So no guilt!
I did feel guilty about the two times I dropped my phone on her...
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Noooo don't feel bad! Even at 3 months I'm still spending 3+ hours a day nursing. I hate the bright light from the phone at night and sometimes it makes it harder to fall back asleep - but I fall asleep nursing when I don't have it!
The worst is when I don't bring my phone up to the nursery bc I don't intend on nursing but then I give in and nurse anyway and then I'm stuck there for half an hour trying to keep myself awake lol.
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@Foodnerd81: I dropped my phone on her a couple nights ago lol, bc I was falling asleep and my hand went limp. Thankfully she didn't notice!
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@travellingbee: definitely the savor every minute!
@Rocker2014: @Astro Bee: @hellobeeboston: thank you for responding!! I feel better
and I am impressed with your typing skills while nursing!!
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There were times (and still are times!) when tandem nursing my twins was the only chance I had to look at my phone. My guess is that you spend most of the day admiring your beautiful two week old. There's absolutely nothing wrong with staring at your phone through some of (most of or all) of the million nursing sessions newborns have!
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@Foodnerd81: @buttermilk: I did drop my phone on him last night, so maybe that's why I'm feeling extra guilt haha. He definitely noticed!
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Not even a little bit guilty. If all goes well and you want to, you'll have plenty of nursing sessions to spend staring at him. Stay awake!
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There was some study or AAP recommendation or something recently that scolded mothers for watching TV or looking at their phones while breastfeeding, when they obviously should be bonding with their babies by gazing lovingly at them. I nearly asphyxiated laughing. I'm sure that they are hard at work coming up with the next set of recommendations that will chastise us for showering, peeing, and eating when we should be lovingly staring at baby sleeping.
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That would be a big fat NOPE! The only reason I didn't look at my phone in the middle of the night is the backlight made me wake up too much, and I had a hard time falling back asleep after nursing. However, I almost always read on my kindle. Especially in the early days when you're chained to the couch, I can't imagine NOT reading/being on your phone/watching TV!
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@Foodnerd81: Exactly what I was going to say. I have a 4 month old and I've dropped my phone on her head twice now and wow did she scream. Apparently not enough for me to stop though.
I agree with PPs, keep going! Especially while your LO is so little and it's taking so long to feed them! They don't remember anything before they're at least 3 anyhow! -
Thanks everyone! No more mom guilt over this issue. I can read hellobee at 3 am with no more qualms
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Oh lord. I'm pretty sure dd thought the milk didn't work unless I was holding a phone!
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Nope, never- at first I was at it for 6ish hours a day, some people watch a show I hang out on HB
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Easiest time to get HB time for sure. Night time I always needed something to occupy myself.
In the day it was tv or reading. In those early days I got lots of reading done.
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I do this all the time. The major issue it that he became so enamored with the phone that it often distracts him from eating.
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No way! I would have been bored to death without my phone. It's one of the main things that got me through those early days!
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@Foodnerd81: samesies, down to dropping the phone on R. Haven't dropped the phone on DD2 yet but we're only 3 weeks in.
Although this time around, for MOTN feedings, I barely look at the time, much less my phone. I'm trying to get all the shut eye I can! But I don't feel guilt about multitasking while BFing!
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My phone and hellobee were my saviors during those late night/all night nursing sessions. I do think eventually it made it harder to fall back asleep. But I needed to be fully awake at first. Once I stopped using my phone, I would fall asleep in the glider which freaked me out! Then I transitioned to cosleeping.
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Oh and last night I dropped my kindle on my baby. He woke up and I felt so bad!
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like other people said--definitely don't feel guilty! I only keep myself off the phone motn if I think it's going to keep me from sleeping when lo gets back to sleep. I watched sooo much netflix from my phone when lo was little/before she noticed it, I think I binge watched almost all of Hart of Dixie while nursing lol
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@Zbug: Lolol yup! When she got older she was upset if I didn't have it for some reason like the battery was low.
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Heck no! My phone was my best friends during those lonnnng nursing sessions!
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Fuck no, that's crazy talk
2 week olds are so boring.
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@blackbird: love.
No guilt here - especially at night. Do what you gotta do to stay awake! I'd said I wasn't going to look at my phone (the light makes it difficult for me to fall back asleep), but I can't just sit there for 30 minutes!!
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I remember feeling super guilty about it at first but it was the only way I could stay awake and also it's a lot of time to fill - especially in those first few weeks/months!
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@mamabolt: ha yep! Mine would bring my phone to me when she wanted to nurse
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No way! There will be a time when the baby starts looking at the phone or grabbing for it if you try to look at your phone while nursing, so enjoy it!
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@blackbird: haha it's so true!
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Uhh... is this a thing? LO is 3 months and all I can say is how did ppl have kids before smartphones?! Nursing/rocking (when he's asleep/falling asleep) is mama's Facebook, Twitter, HB, etc. time...LOL. And I would seriously fall asleep without it.
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I felt a little guilty about it. My mom told me a couple times I should be focusing on LO (savoring the moment) instead of being on my phone, but I think that was more because I was obsessively googling about milk supply or sleep and stressing myself out. Also, my mom weaned her babies earlier than I did - over 19 months I had so many special nursing moments and memories that I cherish! I managed to do that and still look at my phone 95% of the time.
But, I felt A LOT guiltier about looking at my phone snuggling her or when she is trying to play with me
I have learned to leave my phone in the other room at those times - but of course that's when DH always calls!@Zbug: Haha!
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No freaking way!!! I would be so bored without it and I sort of consider it "me" time!
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i only felt bad or regretted it because looking at the phone in the MOTN would make it harder for me to fall back asleep after i was done nursing. during the day i never questioned it.
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No way! My attention span wouldn't tolerate just staring!
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@daniellemybelle: I'm glad I'm not alone!!
and I am impressed with your typing skills while nursing!!
I have learned to leave my phone in the other room at those times - but of course that's when DH always calls!Reply
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