I’m babymooning. Sugarbaby and I are doing very well, now 12 days postpartum. I’ve been trying very hard to take it easy and respect this postpartum time for myself and it has been paying off. Over the last almost 2 weeks I’ve been simply enjoying my baby, my family, and resting. Cherishing this newborn time that goes too fast has been my priority.
I wanted to share some observations I’ve made during my babymoon, maybe you can relate and I’m sure you can add some of your own.
You know you’re the mom of a breastfeeding newborn when…
- You finally get to take a shower and within 10 minute of getting out you already have leaked milk all over your clean shirt.
- As much as you like the longer, thicker hair you grew during pregnancy, hacking it off with a dull pair of scissors is starting to sound like a good plan between the frequency of showers you get, the death-like grip of a tiny handful of hair your baby is capable of, cleaning spit up out of it several times a day, and the nagging fear of a hair tourniquet.
- You wonder why you didn’t invest in more yoga pants and are certain you will never wear blue jeans again.
- Your favorite food is: “anything someone else made.”
- Any time someone hugs you any way but with a side hug you wince.
- The old adage “never wake a sleeping baby” doesn’t apply when your boobs are rock hard boulders crushing your chest. Yes, you will wake your baby for some relief.
- You wish you had jedi powers for every time you forget to grab a drink of water before you sit down to breastfeed… again.
- “Sleep when baby sleeps” seems like a good plan but you wonder when you’d get to pee or brush your teeth or eat. Then you realize that sleep trumps everything else and decide you’ll pee, brush your teeth, and eat while holding your baby.
- Something seems really funny and you laugh hysterically only to forget what was so funny 5 minutes later.
- Shirts are “clean” unless the smell is too bad or there is obvious spit-up or poop on them, dried milk leaks don’t count as “dirty.”
- The stash of reusable breastpads that seemed so impressive before giving birth is used up in one day after your milk comes in.
- You’d rather sniff your baby’s head snuggled on your chest than even your favorite flower any day.
The Leakies on The Leaky Boob Facebook page had plenty more here and I hope you’ll add your own in the comments below. Now back to my baby head sniffing!
Yeah…I think I am in love with number 4 lol! In fact, the whole list is perfect =p
This is perfect & so true!! I’m happy to know its not just me for a lot of these things! I’m already 10 wks pp and I still wince at hugs from my husband lol he forgets and smushes my boobs against his chest and I’m like ouuuuch!!
These all ring so true, but #10 made me really laugh!
#10 is my favorite! and they are all so true!
I love it! Just about 12 wks pp for me and still go through a lot of what you have described (so eloquently I might add). I love smelling my baby girl. Did it a lot to my son (5.5 yrs) when he was first born too. Didn’t know how much I missed that baby smell until I had her in my arms. Congrats to you again!
Yes! My second little man was born just a few days before SugarBaby and I can relate to all of this… Except thank goodness his big brother (20 months) is still nursing, I don’t dare wake the baby when he’s sleeping if I get engorged- let the toddler take care of it with the added benefit of no choking, sputtering baby when I let down!
Such a true list (from a 5 day pp mama). Have to say I am so grateful for my tandem nursing 2yo. She is more than happy to help out when mama needs some relief.
I would add… you figure out how to throw up while sitting on toilet and holding sleeping newborn. All with out waking up babe, tot or husband! Lol.
Thanks for this post! I am three weeks into my babymoon. And I agree with all these. #3 made me laugh, #4 is so true, and #12 makes me get teary-eyed because my baby (#4) is my last.
Jenny
I love this! My boo turns 1 this month, and thanks to the breastfeeding I still smell his sweet milky breath and I get to remember him as my newborn. One of my favorites during the baby moon was being to desperate to put him down or hand him off, then immediately after missing him.
I felt the same way Monica!
Oh my goodness this is so true!
Aaahh bless, you make me smile 🙂 baby 6 and still she takes your breath away 🙂
I am still in this state of bliss only just shy of 4 months, she is my 3rd and just as
breathtaking as the first two 🙂 aaahhh the moments we remember forever xxx
No. 7 was my favorite – it happened to me all the time and I felt like I was drinking a small lake every day. I was not a boob leaker (just big and soar), I was lucky!
My DD is only 20 weeks and I’m already missing the new born baby bit!
Might just have to twist the DH arm into letting me have another!
Even tho we already have 3!!!
She is beautiful huni thank you so much for sharing her with everyone xx
I’m so sad my babymoon is drawing near towards to end. 🙁 Thursday will be 5 weeks. However, almost all of these still apply to me! I have found though that a 3 year old who thinks he’s spiderman is better than jedi powers when you forget your water when you sit down to nurse.
Me- “Spiderman! HELLLLP!”
Christian- “What’s wrong??!!?!?”
Me- “I need my water! Hurry,spiderman,hurry! In the kitchen!”
Christian- “Ok!! I hurry I hurry!!”
[he then runs and brings me a bottled water]
Me- “Ohhh thank you spiderman! You’re my hero!”
Christian- “And Ian’s hero too!?”
(Ian’s the baby)
Me- “yes,baby, Ian’s hero too.”
Christian-” I NOT a baby! I SPIDERMAN!!”
So cute! Way to go Spiderman!
great story!!!
#6 was one of the joys of tandem nursing. The look on my two year olds face when he realized daddy had woken him up and brought him to our bed so he could nurse was priceless (as was the nice empty feeling I got)
Oh #10!! Since having my daughter that has pretty much become my life motto!!!
Absolutely true!!! I was laughing while reading this, because every single one is so true! Love this!!!!
LOVE this list… hit the nail on the head!
I have 6 children as well and all were breastfed. My youngest is almost 8 months old and still breastfeeding. I still love to smell her head as she nurses. Well written mama!
I was definitely all about the #8! Great list!
congrats! I’m 4 weeks post pardem today. great list, would add the need to have dry burp clothes stashed anywhere I might consider nursing b/c I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to yell for husband to bring me one!
Ahh how quickly you bring all the memories back… Anthony is only 6 months old but this seems like forever ago…. how about… the stash of reusable mama pads seemed so impressive before giving birth but were all used up within a day too 😉
Number 12 is my favorite! My boy is 6 weeks old, and head sniffing is a good chunk of my day.
I’d also like to add one: You don’t realize how small your baby really is until you walk past a mirror carrying him/her. You catch sight of yourself with tiny baby and spend several moments ogling your baby from a different angle. 🙂
You go to change your shirt and within a few minutes you get puked on yet again and then decide its not so bad so wipe it up with a semi-clean towel and call it good!! 😛
So true!
Also, how about the completely drunk, satisfied look they get after they’ve fed
It’s so nice to see them getting plump with just what you’re giving them to eat…making your baby took two…growing him takes just you!
I would also add “You give up on wearing a bra and nursing pads when you realize you’re nursing all the time anyway.” 🙂
And a Camel Bak is the perfect solution for the water (it’s a hydration system you wear on your back, with a bite valve tube that comes over your shoulder). That or leave water bottles on every possible spot you could nurse.
Camelbak is excellent, I have one in the side cot so when I roll over in the night to nurse I have a drink too, brilliant cos they don’t leak if you knock them over!
And you always know when the MilkMan comes in cos you feel it in your boobies 🙂
13 months later and #7 is still a problem!
I loved 10 the best! So true : )
My 2.5 year old helped me with my rock hard boobies and loved it! I would say, “Hey… You want mommy milk?!” Her response was always, “Yippee yay mommy milk, mommy milk!” : ) tandem nursing saved me lots of soreness.
Newborn baby= best smell ever! enjoy!
I was actually devastated when I sniffed my sons head and it didn’t smell of baby anymore, can’t remember when he lost it, but I certainly went around everyone whining about how it had gone 🙁
Yes, yes, and YES!
My baby is 3 weeks old tomorrow and I can relate so much.
My husband says we should have invested stock in nursing pads and Lansinoh lanolin. It seems like I send him to the store every other day for a new box or tube!
P.S. Oh, how I wish I had more yoga pants! But now I don’t want to leave the house to go buy them…
Brilliant. And so true. I’m terrible at sleeping when my baby sleeps which is probably why I’m so damn exhausted!
When you wake up to realize you wet the bed….but not the same way you did when you were a kid! lol
I was always waking up soaking wet cause I leaked though EVERYTHING! I finally just wrapped a beach towel around myself! lol
So true! Especially the last one. <3
I am only just starting this journey as I only gave birth last week. But I have to agree with all of these already.
I’m actually 2 years pp now but I remember those early weeks so well… And to be honest, my favourite food is still “something made by someone else!” Great post!
The entire list is spot-on… but #3… to this day with my sweet boy now 7 months old, I wish for #3 so badly!
#12 is SO very true for me…
LOL. All of these are so true! My baby girl is 15 1/2 weeks but I remember all of these from when she was newly born. Luckily, the rock hard boobs are gone, but I still leak! I agree with the peeing and eating while holding/feeding her. However, it’s getting more difficult with her growing so fast! I’ll still snuggle her head and just smell her anytime! I love baby head sniffing!
Yes to all the above. Mine is over a year now but we’re still nursing a lot. I’ll add to the list for newborns: you become expert at picking things up with your toes and lifting them to a higher surface, so that you can reach them with your hand without bending over and disturbing the baby.
This was fantasitc to read…put everything back into perspective, I think.
#4 made me literally lol
#8 I can totally relate to! Yup we did a lot of napping
#10 is still true to this day. The boy child is 18 months and although its not spit up or poop…sand from our daily trips to the park and the occational bit of food that gets thrown at me for “fun” makes its way to my clothing all the time!
ohhh mine is 1.5 years but the list brought back the best memories of my life…. I want number 2 now!!!
Hellz to the no on #8!!!! My husband was busy trying to fix the computer when I asked him to hold our daughter so I could go pee and he told me just to hold her while I went. I said, “Yea fucking right! That’s just weird!” If my husband can’t hold her for me, into the bouncy seat she goes! She’ll be okay for the one minute it takes me to pee, wipe, and wash my hands!