https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 07 May 2026 01:22:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1446152 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:01:57 +0000 erinpye 1446152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I actually don't regret nursing to sleep one bit and am happy to do it with my newbie, but I do think I over-thought/ worried about things too much with DD1. For example I felt like I constantly had to nurse her before we went anywhere, even if she wasn't acting hungry. I also woke her to nurse every 2 hours all day long. This time I'm way more laid back about it and have a much more settled baby, that I nurse when she lets me know she's hungry. I also realize that sometimes she wants to be nursing all day long, sometimes she will nurse one side for 5 mins, other times both for 20, and I just go with it rather than worrying she should be nursing both sides for a certain amount of time, and only be nursing every few hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1446012 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:31:32 +0000 TJBee 1446012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlek: @travelgirl1: Can someone please explain to me how you DON'T nurse to sleep? MY DS falls asleep while I'm giving him his last bottle of the night. If I put him to sleep before that, he wakes up an hour later hungry….? I'm genuinely curious! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445785 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:17:44 +0000 KT326 1445785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not letting anyone else do bedtime. Which also ties to pumping earlier. I will definitely be having DH split bedtimes with me which means I will need to start pumping earlier to build up a stash. It took almost a year before LO would let anyone else put him down for bedtime! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445758 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:08:48 +0000 travelgirl1 1445758@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will try SO hard not to nurse to sleep. My 15-month-old still needs it for naps and we are having hellish meltdowns trying to break it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445709 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:44:36 +0000 bushelandapeck 1445709@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@edelweiss: This. I was obsessed with writing down everything he did during the day (feeds, poops, sleep) in an effort to figure out how to get him to sleep better. I was so stressed about it, and in the end, he STTN when he was ready and there wasn't much I could have done to change that. </p> <p>Next time I will also let DH do more of the feeds, even if it means pumping more. I'm going to try not to micromanage everything this time around :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445694 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:39:23 +0000 littlek 1445694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would not nurse to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445628 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:25:20 +0000 Alivoo01 1445628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bpcmarj: I cut the tip of DS's finger too!! OMG!!!!!! There was so. much. blood!!! ahhhhh! For the first time, I felt so nauseous that I would faint. I still shudder thinking about it!!! And still cringe when I need to cut his nails now. Why do they grow so dang fast any way?!</p> <p>What are these safety scissors you talk about?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445454 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:39:07 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1445454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish I had pumped during those days when my milk first came in and I had too much. I wasted so much milk! My midwife told me not to pump because it would stimulate production, but little did I know how much milk I was wasting as a result. And it sure would have helped with the pain and building my stash. </p> <p>It would have been a lot easier to regulate supply when breastfeeding was established once he was 1-2 months old, rather than a few days old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445419 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:33:23 +0000 Amelieisme 1445419@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pump earlier! It was hard building a stash to return back to work because I started so late. I hope to have a better supply this time so breastfeeding is less stressful! </p> <p>@matador84: I'm hoping my transition to two goes as smoothly as yours! I will find out in about 4 weeks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445222 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:44:54 +0000 cascademom 1445222@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mjane: I gave up on the whole 2 hours thing when LO cluster feed and took forever to eat. I remember tweeting once that LO took longer to eat than DH which is historically slow. I remember the first few weeks where he was on the boob for an hour, then would crash after that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445221 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:44:40 +0000 Mamasig 1445221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm going to try not to worry so much and not listen to the "guidelines." It's not wrong just because he doesn't fit the mold! I spent way too much time wondering why he wasn't sleeping, etc. I won't worry about creating bad habits. Babies change so much that no habit lasts forever. I just want to enjoy babyhood without worrying about doing something to screw him up! He's alive, growing, &amp; learning - he's doing great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445191 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:38:37 +0000 illumina 1445191@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like other posters said, I heard to feed every 3-4hrs--so if she started to fuss like an hour after feeding I would assume it was tiredness and try and get her to sleep...it didn't occur to me that she might be hungry again. This was especially the case at bedtime--we would feed at say 8pm and then keep trying to put her down and she wouldn't settle. I should have offered more often. It didn't help that my parents would always ask when she last ate and use that as a guide to when she would next be hungry...so they'd tell me she's just bored rather than hungry again.</p> <p>Secondly, I would have accepted that I needed to hold/wear her for naps until she was old enough to settle herself at around 12wks. Next baby, I would get lots of DVD boxsets in and plan to sit infront of the TV or take lots of lovely long walks and just wait it out a little longer.</p> <p>So glad to hear experience helps and #2 is easier in some respects! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445189 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:38:25 +0000 TJBee 1445189@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mjane: +1! This is the advice I give all of my friends who are having new babies. If they're crying, try feeding them first. Even if they just ate 30 minutes ago. I didn't know about cluster feeding until WAY too late, and it meant 1 or more hours of trying everything else before I tried feeding him, which was the problem all along!</p> <p>Also, I wish I had pumped more in the early stages when I had an over-supply. My supply regulated around 8 weeks and I could barely pump anything, which meant that leaving DS with his grandparents for a date night meant an entire week of pumping just to get one bottle. I could have stored that stuff early and been golden for months! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445179 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:36:58 +0000 mjane 1445179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@matador84: Why do they tell people that?! I am very excited to rid myself of this harebrained idea if/when we have another! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445154 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:31:19 +0000 808love 1445154@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Her pjs were way too warm. It looked and felt right to me but she was way too sweaty. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1445131 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:25:01 +0000 matador84 1445131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mjane: ditto! Our hospital says 2-3 hours at day and 3-4 at night. So I did only that! Mistake!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444922 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:24:12 +0000 Bookish 1444922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jump Rope: yep, we're having the same issue. If she's not totally asleep from her last bottle when we put her down, cue hysterics. Blegh! </p> <p>I'm sure I made a lot of mistakes (and will continue to make some!), but I think the biggest one was not accepting more help in the beginning. I had some baby blues and felt very isolated and helpless on maternity leave. I wish I had gotten out, visited people, or at least just asked someone to come over so I could shower. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444921 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:24:08 +0000 Smurfette 1444921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would like to skip nursing to sleep next time.</p> <p>And I wish that I asked for help with the #1. I was so burned out but I hate asking for help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444917 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:23:23 +0000 mjane 1444917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't understand that she might just need to breastfeed the whole damn day. And because it seemed so implausible to me, I spent a lot of energy trying to placate her when I think she was often just hungry. I think if I'd resigned myself to this, it would have saved us both a fair amount of grief. I had this "eating every two hours" thing in my head, and it was not helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444907 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:20:45 +0000 Beebug 1444907@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first line of your post is very awesome to hear!! I hope it is that way for us!</p> <p>I think I did okay as a rookie Mom, the biggest thing for me was letting others influence me and not going with my gut. Listening to so many and letting it mess up with what was actually working. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444898 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:17:24 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1444898@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will be more open to co-sleeping as well. Although we did try with #1, I just realize how much better she sleeps when she's with you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444892 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:16:41 +0000 edelweiss 1444892@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i was totally and completely obsessed with his schedule, both feeding and napping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444882 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:14:03 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1444882@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not sure if this is a rookie mistake, but I won't be letting the next baby fall asleep at breast/bottle. Chloe would NOT sleep unless she had a bottle, and weaning her &amp; breaking that habit was pure torture. </p> <p>I'd like to skip that problem all together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444823 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:54:15 +0000 lamariniere 1444823@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I too have been surprised at how easy it has been, so far, with two. Experience definitely plays a huge roll, but I also think my babies' personalities are totally different. My 12 week old DD is so much easier and laid back than my DS when he was an infant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444812 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:46:09 +0000 bpcmarj 1444812@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the only thing that I would do differently with the next one (if there is one) is working on introducing a bottle and letting DH handle bedtime. LO was literally attached to me all night long until about a year and I was unable to do anything without fear of her waking up screaming for milk. We tried to get her to take a bottle and it rarely, rarely worked. Maybe twice when she was about 6 or 7 weeks old and then no more.</p> <p>Oh, and I cut the tip of her finger off when I was trying to cut her nails. Next time I will use the safety nail scissors from the start and not even bother with the tiny baby nail clippers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444806 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:41:57 +0000 Mae 1444806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>following :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444805 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:40:59 +0000 mrsbookworm 1444805@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't give him a bottle until he was 3 months old and then he wanted nothing to do with it! Also, I picked him up every time he made a noise while sleeping. I now realize I was probably the one waking him up and creating sleep problems. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-rookie-mom-mistakes-did-you-make#post-1444800 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:35:27 +0000 matador84 1444800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Holy cow, having two kids has been a breeze so far. I really realized how many FTM mistakes I made and I think that's why it's so much easier the second time around. </p> <p>Mistakes: I waited to nurse my first until he would cry. Too late!!<br /> I was obsessed with a schedule. I didn't pump to relieve engorgement. Actually I didn't pump at all until 6 weeks in and I went back to work at 8. I did crib from night one and although it worked, we are co-sleeping now and we are both getting great sleep at night. Not necessarily a mistake, but I wish I hadn't been so stubborn on crib from night 1. </p>