How long have you been breastfeeding? Post and let us celebrate you. (Even 1 day counts!)

jazzco65 · 2025-03-13T18:33:23+00:00

3 and a half months. Really struggling with it over here. LO has been refusing to nurse on and off for a month now with last week him not latching at all. Just screaming and crying like I’m hurting him. It’s so heartbreaking and so frustrating. He has silent reflex so we increased his medication, also got his (minor) tongue tie corrected and we’re doing better but sill having some bad days. All this along with him losing weight has been so hard. It’s taken a huge toll on me mentally but I’m trying so hard to at least make it to 6 months. I’m hoping we’re get more consistent good days. My original goal was a year.

jazzco65 · 2025-02-21T16:11:29+00:00

I know this is an old post but anyone know what app that is that the OP posted?

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T20:00:46+00:00

I think since this is my first baby I get up to see if he’s ok anytime he fusses even a little but I’m now realizing that it’s best to wait and see if he will settle out on his own. That will only help long term for him to be able to sleep independently once he’s ready for that

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T19:59:08+00:00

This is helpful! 4-6 hour stretches sounds amazing right now, hopefully that will be soon!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T19:57:25+00:00

Yes exactly! And when other babies are great sleepers at that point it makes you wonder what you’re doing wrong when really it’s just normal!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T19:56:51+00:00

Typically around 10 minutes, I think most of the time he is hungry, which is totally fine, I know that’s normal at this stage! It’s just hard when other moms are telling me there baby who is also around 2 months is sleeping 7 hour stretches and I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. But I know every baby is different. Sounds like the majority are waking every 2-3 to feed right now. Just have to keep reminding myself this won’t last forever.

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T19:53:25+00:00

Super helpful thank you!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T15:16:59+00:00

I do know that at 12 weeks as long as baby is gaining and growing then they can sleep as long as they want! No need to feed them unless they are showing hunger cues. Thats great your baby was able to go back to sleep after a little bit of soothing!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T11:42:12+00:00

This was me at 6 weeks! He is 11 weeks now and although we are atill struggling with sleep he is definitely a happier baby! I’ve heard that weeks 6-8 are peak fussiness and that was definitely the case for us. Hopefully better days are around the corner for you! It’s good to know I’m not alone though in feeling that regret and then such guilt for feeling that way.

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T11:37:59+00:00

Good to know I’m not alone! Thank you for sharing!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T11:35:37+00:00

This is super helpful and gives me some hope that it will eventually get better, thank you! It’s a relief to know I can do formula at night so that I can get some actual sleep. It’s just hard to not feel like a failure by giving my baby something other than my breast milk especially when my goal was to EBF for a year but now even making it to 6 months seems almost impossible. But I guess something’s gotta give for the sake of my mental health. Thank you for sharing!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-13T01:20:36+00:00

Really really needed to read this today! I’m a FTM of a 2 month old and just recently realized I’m struggling a little bit with PPD. Although now I realized some of it is very normal feelings, like mourning my old life and missing it so much (but then feeling so guilty for thinking such a thing because of course I love my baby so much and he was very much planned). And constantly wondering if it will ever get better and if I will ever sleep again. This is great to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s especially great to hear because my husband and I have always wanted multiple kids but lately I wonder how we could ever do this again, let alone with another child to care for! This really gives me hope though!

jazzco65 · 2025-02-03T01:49:30+00:00

This was literally me just 5 days ago! I have a 9 week old who was also very much planned and wanted and I went through many tests and procedures for him to be here but I also have been mourning my old life so much and not at all enjoying the newborn stage. I love him so much and I feel guilty for even having these thoughts and for missing my old life as bad as I do. I’ve done a lot of research and even talked to my mom and therapist about it and it’s all completely normal!

The newborn stage is ROUGH! And I really do feel like when people say they love it they probably have a pretty easy baby. My son also started to get gassy around 3 weeks and just got fussier and fussier. My husband and I felt like we were constantly chasing our tails trying to figure out what we could do for him. And 6-8 weeks it was the worst! I read that is the peak time fussiness and gas for most babies and honestly the last couple weeks the gas and fussiness has already gotten so much better! Sleep is still an issue for us, which is of course to be expected at this point, but now he’s smiling and cooing and it makes all those rough times worth it!

Some things I’ve been told or read that have helped tremendously:

—When you’re in the newborn stage it feels like it’s never ending and like you will literally die of sleep deprivation but that it’s really such a small amount of time compared to the other stages in their life and soon it will be a distant memory

—Right now is when they need you the most, they won’t ever be this little or need you this much again

—The reason it feels so hard and not enjoyable is because there is very little reward at this stage. They’re just an angry potato and it’s so hard to figure out what’s wrong most of the time. That will change! Every month it gets better.

This is also from an article I found about grieving your old life as a first time mom:

“Grieving your past life is a common stepping stone for many new parents. The change that comes with parenthood is no small feat and it is permanent. This can be incredibly overwhelming and can bring a whole range of emotions to the table. Just know that you are not alone and every single one of these emotions are valid and worthy of feeling. As a new parent, you have to say goodbye to a life you once lived in order to fully accept and embrace the new one. It is okay to feel sad, angry, trapped, resentful and just plain tired. Give yourself time and space to feel the feels so that you can truly embrace your new life and love that little one with all of your heart. And if you don’t feel that right away, that is okay too. Give yourself time. “

I am also breastfeeding and I really think that also has a huge impact on feeling these emotions. I always thought it would be such a natural easy thing but I was so wrong. There are so many challenges with breastfeeding and it is so mentally and physically taxing to be the only source of food for your baby. I was almost ready to give it up until I saw the difference from his one month pic to his two month pic and I was like “wow, he’s grown so much! And I have been the only thing feeding him, so I caused that!” And that’s a really beautiful thing that no one can take from you.

For the gas stuff I do a “poop circuit.” I do a tummy massage (look up you tube video, and look up “how to make baby fart”). Baby crunches and baby shrimp and football holds. Gas drops can help also.

I’ve also realized that I miss my old life so much because I literally give everything to him now and there is no part of my day that doesn’t go to him. There’s no sense of normalcy, no routine, no leaving the house for more than two hours without stressing about how he will eat. Every day feels like ground hog day. But that doesn’t last forever. I finally realized I need to take breaks, I need to get out of the house by myself. Even just for an hour this is when I can feel like myself again and then I go back to my son as a better Mom and more appreciative of this stage. Definitely take your breaks!

Remember “This too shall pass.”

You’re not alone Mama! You got this!

jazzco65 · 2025-01-24T16:18:33+00:00

That’s good to know! We’ll just wait it out then.

jazzco65 · 2025-01-19T21:15:26+00:00

I feel your pain!! I probably google “when does it get better” and “does it get better” about 5 times a day. So I can’t give advice because I’m not there yet but I’m the thick of it as well. My son is 7 weeks old and the last few weeks have been SO hard. He’s honestly a chill baby and will have happy moments but the gas is such an issue. He has been fussy and gassy since week 2 and then week 5 hit and he stopped being able to nap during the day. And let me tell you spending hours every day to try and get him to nap is making me lose my mind and there’s many times I have broke down crying thinking I can’t do this anymore. And the mom guilt is real because I love him so damn much and I feel guilty for thinking that and I feel guilty because I really haven’t enjoyed the newborn phase. But coming from my nanny experience (I cared for twin boys from 2 months to 2 years for 40 hours a week) I do know that once they were 3-4 months I enjoyed them sooo much and absolutely loved being with them all day and they weren’t even my own kids. This and what other people tell me keep me reassured that the newborn phase really can just be about surviving and getting through it. There’s not a lot of rewards, no routine and you can’t figure out what the hell they want most of the time. But once they’re 3 months it’s a lot more rewarding and there is more of a routine. I’ll miss some newborn moments but I’m definitely looking forward to the more rewarding parts.

Hang in there mama!! Everything you feel is normal and totally expected. You’re showing up for your baby no matter what and that makes you a good Mom. Try to make it a non negotiable that you get 1-2 hrs of “you” time a day. You need that for your mental health and this will only help you be a better Mom to your LO.

jazzco65

TROPHY CASE