Again, Jane and I appreciate ALL of the comments above! The amount of help Jane and I received here is amazing – thank you all so much. This has all been helpful and has made both Jane and I feel a lot better. Instead of doing another blog post, we felt that the above comments (90-something of them!) has enough info for us and our readers on the questions we asked. However, we have many more questions coming I’m sure!

Today Jane has been on Twitter and posted a blog post. She’s back! Yay! On Twitter she has asked additional breastfeeding questions – and the answers from everyone there have been so helpful as well!

What I’ve learned through all of this so far is:

1. Breastfeeding takes time to learn; both for baby and mommy.

2. I need to always make sure that Jane is eating enough and drinking enough water. (And I am)

3. I need to remind Jane to take naps. (And I am) She has a hard time sleeping during the day – even with one of those masks that covers her eyes… but in time I’m sure she’ll get there. Maybe naps take practice too?

4. I need keep supporting her each and everyday with her breastfeeding. (And I do) There 100 times more to it than I ever thought and many more things that I’ll never know or understand.

5. We’ve learned that there is a TON of support out there for woman who breastfeed. It’s like an exclusive club that Jane belongs to with many woman there all cheering her on and willing to do anything to help support her. No joke! We were amazed at the number of people who emailed us or Twittered Jane with their phone number!

6. Postpartum blues: Serious stuff. Jane will be posting a new blog post on this subject very soon. I’ve learned that the husband REALLY needs to educate himself (which I did) on what to watch out for and be there 110% for his wife (which I am). Jane is doing SO MUCH better and is feeling so much better – pretty much back to herself – but we had some very rough days that you’ll soon be reading about from Jane.

Stay posted on more news about breastfeeding… I know this is a subject that we’ll both be discussing a LOT over the coming weeks and months!

Thanks again everyone!

“Sleep whenever the baby sleeps.”

But of course sometimes you may have to sacrifice (all or part of) your sleeping session (when the baby is sleeping) to quickly do some important household chores. That’s unavoidable!

Jane has SO MUCH to say including her much anticipated labor and delivery post that she *MAY* be posting today. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to read it!

Oh, and I highly, highly recommend a sling .. they’re gorgeously comfortable for both of you and great for bonding.

I have one bit of advice that might not seem particularly helpful, but in the long run is probably the best thing that I’ve learned.

Do what you feel is right. Its so funny because once you have a baby EVERYONE and their monkeys uncle has advice. And basically their advice revolves around their beliefs and what works for them. I would in fact love to give you a list of nursing techniques, and attachment parenting ideas and sleep ideas that worked for me. But I won’t because well out of all of my friends, my way of doing things totally never worked for them. Did I do it wrong? Nah I don’t think so. I have two well behaved thriving boys who I’m very proud of. But my friends ways are totally different. And their babies personalities are totally different. I digress.

What I would like to say is, continue to do a great job. If it feels right go with it. Don’t second guess yourself, there is no right or wrong. Have fun, support each other, and cherish every moment.

Congrats on little monkey!

I answer some of these from experience and others from advice from professionals on my forum

1. Are the crazy cycles: eat, change, put down to bed, wake up 30 minutes later hungry, etc. normal? Do they happen often or is it happen just every once in awhile?

It may take 6 weeks for monkey to settle for longer. Evenings were always niggle time for me when my one was teeny. I resigned myself to sitting down and feeding her practically non-stop from 5.30 till 11 for the first few weeks (months even!). This may stop monkey from waking up all night, or monkey may just be getting milk supply up to his needs, in which case it’ll pass (and then come back on the next growth spurt possibly)

2. We do know it takes some time for her and Baby Monkey to get used to it and learn, but are there any shortcuts you’ve learned or anything Jane can do that you found useful?
I think the best advice anyone can give is to relax. It is natural. Give Jane lots of cups of chamomile tea to help her to chill out. Also, have you got one of those V-breastfeeding pillows? Those were a lifesaver for me at first. Also feeding lying on your side in bed is great. Give Jane’s shoulders a rub, breastfeeding can strain the back a bit.

3. Do you have any ideas, thoughts, suggestions on anything that helped you with postpartum blues? I drank loads of chamomile tea & put lavender essential oil in my bath. Raw chocolate (pure cocoa) is meant to be really good for lifting the mood…not regualr chocolate as it has too much sugar and will pick Jane up and then throw her right down again.

4. Someone told us at the hospital that you need to wait 4-6 weeks and a friend told us that Jane could be doing that now. Which is correct and/or what did you do?

I pumped from day 3 with absolutely no problems. If monkey is hungry then pumping is not going to deplete milk but increase supply…so no problems there! I pumped one boob with a manual pump while feeding on the other….plenty of time for both to make more milk!

much love to you both and try to enjoy monkey without over analysing everything. Mothering/parenting is natural and instinctive…listen to what your heart and your little dude tells you! xxx

What she is feeling is normal. She is exhausted and it is easy to not want to eat and just to sleep. This is bad though because it starts a cycle. Half of a sandwich is better than nothing…just make sure she has lots of protein and use whole wheat breads and pastas since they are like protein and will help keep her blood sugar regulated.

What helped me with my PPD before I was able to get help was that DH was more than happy to let me talk about my feelings. Even if they were scary. I wasn’t judged, nor was I told I was a bad person for feeling the way that I did. We had very open communication and it helped to know that he loved us and would stand by me even if I was thinking crazy things. Be supportive of her and don’t judge anything she says. Of course if she talks about hurting herself or the baby you need to call the Dr right away…but sometimes just saying, “I think this was a bad idea and I don’t think I can do this” can help A LOT. You can always come back and admit your own feelings to her as well good or bad. Just getting them out can help and knowing that you are there for her will help too.

Let her sleep as much as possible…get someone else to take care of anything that needs done around the house if you can’t do it. Sleep deprivation can lead to depression as well.

Hope it helps. and good luck and congrats to you both!

I started pumping right off the bat. *For me*, I would pump right after a feed. Just ten minutes on each side. It helped with my supply. Again, that was my experience. Everyone is different. Jane may find that she has a “snack boob” and a “dinner boob”. One of mine produced way more than the other. Tell her that’s normal. She’ll come to learn her own output. Trust me, by this time next month? Jane is gonna feel like a Super Starbucks minus the espresso and it’s awesome.

Regarding PP blues: I had a really hard time after my 1st kiddo made her grand appearance. I didn’t really know it until she was 4 months old. I think right now you are doing the right thing by watching her. Unless she has any dangerous thoughts or reactions, give it a couple of weeks. If she still feels like she can barely keep her head above water, so to speak, then she needs to call the OB. With my 2nd baby, I ended up on a course of Zoloft (safe for breastfeeding). Talk about night and day. I actually started feeling like a human in no time.

I haven’t read the other comments, but the things that helped me so much were these. Take a shower every day. Put on fresh clothes (even if it’s just PJ’s). Throw on a little lipstick. Does wonders.

You guys are doing great. If you ever feel that you need to call the Ped or the OB, don’t you hesitate or feel like you are bothering them. That’s what they are there for!!!

I have a medical disorder, and I had the same issues…getting comfortable was hard. I found it best to pile comfy pillows under him and my arm and sit with my legs up (under a pillow) on the coffee table.

But seriously? Breastfeeding in bed saved my life. I was able to lay down comfortably, and Nolan was able to get a good latch because I was comfortable.

Because Nolan was in NICU for two-three weeks, I pumped like crazy and that seriously helped with my milk flow AND having storage of milk. Drinking beer also helps, but make sure she doesn’t drink TOO much and it is a brand with very high yeast.

And I’m not sure why he was up THAT often, I’d say he had a very insecure night. Nolan got those, where he would NEED to be in my arms. Know what helped there? A mobile/music box that had a heartbeat feature.

Hope my comment will help in some way! Keep up the great work, tell Jane she’s doing awesome and so are you of course!