u/Wonderful_Plum7746

Hi mamas! My baby is slowly sleeping for longer stretches (4 hours now; he is 6 weeks old), and my husband does the first feeding at midnight/1 am so I can sleep longer. Most nights, I breastfeed my baby at 9 pm, then again at 3/4 am. I’ve been waking up with my breast sooo full, and in the past 2 days, leaking on my PJs and sheet.

My question is: should I wake up and pump or use a manual milk collector during my husband’s shift? I'm so afraid of messing with my milk supply, but I need to sleep for my mental health.

I’d appreciate any tips from mamas who went through the same. Thank you!!

Hi, parents. When is it okay to let the baby entertain themselves or fuss a little without trying to soothe them?

Before having my baby, I had many ideas about how I planned to do things and behave, but once I saw my baby, a lot of that changed. I love him so much, and it physically hurts me to see him crying or even being left alone. I’m so afraid of him not having his needs met or feeling neglected that I do everything I can to soothe, or even entertain him when he’s calm but awake. I’m five weeks in, and I love being a mom, but I’m really tired. My back hurts, and I barely have time to eat or do anything for myself. My husband is amazing, and we have family and friends around, but they’re busy with their own lives. I know it’s not sustainable to live 100% for my baby, and I also know that to be a better mom, I need to find time for myself. So, when is it okay to let go a little without “harming” the baby?

Thanks!

Hi everyone! I feel like my newborn (15 days old today) eats so much. Like, he breastfeeds for 25~30 min, then a few minutes later can eat for another 10-20 min, sometimes a full feeding again. I’m exclusively breastfeeding him and the doctors are pretty happy with his progress. He is a little over his birth weight, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m overfeeding him or if I’m teaching him to soothe with my breast only and milk is a soothing mechanism. I mean, I sound terrible because it’s not a problem that he finds comfort in me, and I feel really grateful that I have enough supply and that he is healthy, but I can’t stop wondering if this happens with other newborns as well!!

Also, I’ve noticed that his wake windows are getting longer. He shows sleepy cues and we try to put him down. Most of the time he is calm in our arms but keeps his eyes open. This morning I put him down because I wanted to sleep longer, and he stayed calmly in his bassinet for about an hour until he fell asleep. He is only 2 weeks old.. is this normal??

Hi! I have a scheduled c-section at CHOMP, and I’m preparing my bag and postpartum area for after delivery. Is anyone here willing to share their experience delivering at chomp, what I should bring to make my experience and recovery better, or things I should have at home for recovery that chomp doesn’t provide? Thanks in advance!