What will you do to keep yourself awake during nightly feedings?

AmmyBelle · March 2016

I am not sure about everyone else, but the closer I get to bringing the baby home, the more people poke fun at me about the whole no-sleep-feeding-every-three-hours thing, which is annoying but also made me wonder what to do during that time?

I mean, I don't think I need to stare at my baby's face the whole time she's feeding in order to do this right (correct me if I'm wrong STM?) - so I imagine I'll be binge-watching Netflix or reading while she feeds. Which then made me wonder what you guys were thinking of doing, so I decided to ask!

Here are the questions:

What will you binge-watch, if you intend to binge-watch?
What will you read, if you intend to read?
What other things my tired brain can't think of will you do to keep yourself awake?

I plan on finishing Murder, She Wrote and all the original run of The X-Files myself, but when that gets tiresome (and it will given the amount of nightly feedings x the length of time she will nightly feed) I have the entire Agatha Christie collection on my e-reader for starts.

yogahh · March 2016

FTM here... but I don't plan on reading or watching tv. Light can be disruptive to baby from what I have been reading, and can make them going back to sleep harder. STMS, if I am wrong, please let me know so I don't die of boredom during nighttime feedings!!

NB817 · March 2016

Noooooo don't watch or read anything!!! Don't even turn on the lights! Unless you want baby to be wide awake after the feeds???
I would use the time to look at stuff on my phone but that's the most light you'll want to have. That's my advice as a STM.

lalala2004 · March 2016

I agree with PP, nursing sessions won't necessarily be that long, especially at night if you keep it dark, they may even fall asleep while nursing. Plus, I won't be able to go back to sleep after if I'm stimulating myself, much less the baby.

NB817 · March 2016

Also something a friend recommended before I had DD was that when baby wakes in the middle of the night to eat, change their diaper first then feed them. That way if they fall back asleep while feeding you're not waking them up with the diaper change and you can all go back to sleep faster.

kami09 · March 2016

Feeds took us 30 minutes every 2 hours. So, I put my headphones into my phone and watched this very cheesey Australian dance show- I actually forget what it's called now. Like 6 seasons of it? No problem going back to sleep...and it actually helped with the waking part because I really wanted to watch the next episode (they were each 30 min so it was perfect)

MsIan · March 2016

I've read that reading on a tablet reader is good because then you don't need both hands to hold the book and then the page. I plan on trading in my Nook HD for the black and white reader to keep the light and gadgets low.

cortney626 · March 2016

With DD#1, I never watched anything, but she was a quick eater.

kbrands7 · March 2016

Definitely change the diaper first so if they drift off, you can put them to bed! Also, MOTN feedings tend to actually go more smoothly if you're not staring into your baby's face the whole time; the interaction wakes them up more. (Eta: I had a really hard time with that at first until one night when it basically turned into a two hour staring contest!) I tended to either plan out stuff in my head, or read on my phone with it as dimly as it would go and turned away from DS's face as much as possible. The light can and does interfere though, so I generally only went for it if I was convinced that I'd fall asleep sitting up otherwise. At first, feedings can take a while (DS averaged 45min initially). Then, they speed up some.

Eta: once DS got to around 4mo, he and I bedshared. It was more or less open buffet all night, but I was able to go back to sleep nearly immediately after each nursing and he always fell asleep unless there was a complicated circumstance like teething keeping him agitated.

Knottie64278661 · March 2016

FTM here. I have talked to other moms who have done what I plan on doing. I have a bassinet that connects to our bed with rails so baby won't fall. I plan to have diaper supplies under the bassinet to change her when she wakes and then breastfeed her next to me in bed and slide her back into the bassinet after she's done eating. I think this will be the best method for all of us to eat and sleep the best at night. Hopefully it works for us. (fingers crossed!)

Also, I 2nd the night-light suggestion. Only a light bright enough to change a diaper without keeping her awake or myself.

Bluejay3030 · March 2016

I'll probably watch something mindless and trashy like The Bachelor. I'll use headphones and my phone on the dimmest settings. Those initial MOTN feedings can be like 40 minutes long several times a night, and I'd lose my mind if I didn't have something to entertain me.

slfezz · March 2016

Most of the time, I ended up staying in bed and feeding while lying down. DH and I have a system were he changes the diaper while I get set up to nurse (lay the waterproof pad down, get towel for messes, and put pillow on edge of bed to keep baby from rolling off) and DH brings her to me when I'm ready. I doze while feeding and move her to the bassinet when I'm done. It let DH feel more involved since he has a part in the overnight feedings and I was able to still rest while not falling asleep. When I wasn't doing this I would put on an audiobook or read on a E reader.

girlmom2018 · March 2016

stm mom here- I think I just went on my phone on dim light if I became bored. I don't remember turning on the tv. The more stimulated I become- it may be harder to go right back to sleep after.

DanandVan · March 2016

I know cosleeping isn't for everyone, but if you like sleep (me!) you get lots more doing it (safely) and no risk of dropping baby because you dozed off. Nursing releases relaxation/sleepy hormones in BOTH mom and baby, making it even harder to stay awake while nursing.
With our past 3 kids, either DH or I changed them when they awoke (changing table in our room with a small nightlight I could click on and off), then I would nurse them in bed while lying on my side. Latch baby on and we both drift back to sleep. I was up for 5-10 min tops, which means a lot more sleep. Bonus for baby snuggles. Just make sure to follow all the safe cosleeping guidelines.
In case anyone is interested we kept babies with us till about age 2, then moved them to their own beds. With all 3 kids transitioning was easy and made bedtime a pleasant event without tears.

katxattack1212 · March 2016

I'm too scared of smothering baby somehow to even attempt nursing in bed. I ended up an exclusive pumper for #1...not sure how #2 will go.

mumbolino · March 2016

DanandVan said:

I know cosleeping isn't for everyone, but if you like sleep (me!) you get lots more doing it (safely) and no risk of dropping baby because you dozed off. Nursing releases relaxation/sleepy hormones in BOTH mom and baby, making it even harder to stay awake while nursing.
With our past 3 kids, either DH or I changed them when they awoke (changing table in our room with a small nightlight I could click on and off), then I would nurse them in bed while lying on my side. Latch baby on and we both drift back to sleep. I was up for 5-10 min tops, which means a lot more sleep. Bonus for baby snuggles. Just make sure to follow all the safe cosleeping guidelines.
In case anyone is interested we kept babies with us till about age 2, then moved them to their own beds. With all 3 kids transitioning was easy and made bedtime a pleasant event without tears.

This. I plan to do that. Its more dangerous to fall asleep with bub in a recliner chair or on a couch than in bed;-)

finnybooboo · March 2016

Bumping! On my last BMB we had middle of the night check in threads

I was on my phone a lot to try to stay awake. I got a kindle paper white for Christmas and plan to use that too! Much lighter then my old kindle and easier to read with hardly any light emitted.

We also got a light bulb for my bedside lamp that has a switch to a super dim nightlight. That was very helpful.

seasalt123 · March 2016

I hadn't given this much thought yet and this thread has been helpful and informative. I have been on bedrest for months now so I do have some experience passing time - podcasts seem like a good idea after reading about the light concerns. Serial is always a good one if you are new to podcasts and very easy to get into.

vinerie · March 2016

FTM here, so I have no clue how it is going to be. But I really try not to look at screens in the middle of the night as they wake you up. So I"m going to try and stick to no screens during feedings. I'll probably just gaze at his angelic face and dream of all the wonderful things he'll do in life, lol

mmemartinez · March 2016

STM here - when DS was under 3 months old I would change him then nurse him in a rocker while reading on my phone. I had books on my phone or would sometimes read articles. I never noticed an issue with the light from the phone making it difficult for him to fall back asleep. We had a rough month is say in the beginning where I'd have to pump so DH would wake up and change him while I pumped then bottle fed. That was unpleasant but eventually he got the hang of breastfeeding. After three months he slept in the rock n play next to our bed and I'd nurse and put him back in there. After 5 months I started falling asleep while nursing and he just slept with us in the bed. We ended up getting a king bed to accommodate this and nursed and coslept until he was almost two. I needed my sleep so this was the best for us.

With this second one I'm not sure what we will do as we have a different house so different set up. Until he is bigger he will be in a bassinet in our room and I will probably nurse in bed but sitting up. The rocker is downstairs so I may take him down to nurse then back up. I can deal with staying up while on leave but once I go back to work I will probably co-sleep.

BeansMom2014 · March 2016

My first had a horrible time eating and our middle of the night sessions would be almost an hour, every 3 hours. I would watch TV on my ipad or check emails.

I watched Suits, Gilmore Girls, the Good Wife, and a couple other shows I can't remember now. I'd love to hear what other moms are looking forward to watching!

This time around I'm hoping he's a better/faster eater but I will still probably watch something on my ipad so I don't fall asleep while feeding.

JoMunson · March 2016

I really love listening to audiobooks, so I plan on getting a few. That way instead of turning on the tv (or lots of lights to read an actual book) I can just turn on an audiobook. I find them really relaxing too so it won't be too stimulating for me.
in case other mamas are curious: if you get an audible account and download the app, every month they charge you $11 and you get one credit, which allows you to download one book off the audible website. Your books are saved to the cloud so if you run out of space on your phone you can download just the one you are listening too at the time.

bookelf221 · March 2016

JoMunson said:

I really love listening to audiobooks, so I plan on getting a few. That way instead of turning on the tv (or lots of lights to read an actual book) I can just turn on an audiobook. I find them really relaxing too so it won't be too stimulating for me.
in case other mamas are curious: if you get an audible account and download the app, every month they charge you $11 and you get one credit, which allows you to download one book off the audible website. Your books are saved to the cloud so if you run out of space on your phone you can download just the one you are listening too at the time.

My hubby and I have an audible account since we both listen to audio books on our commute- it's amazing! I also highly recommend it! Also check your local library for e-audios

TheThornBird · March 2016

Knottie64278661 said:

FTM here. I have talked to other moms who have done what I plan on doing. I have a bassinet that connects to our bed with rails so baby won't fall. I plan to have diaper supplies under the bassinet to change her when she wakes and then breastfeed her next to me in bed and slide her back into the bassinet after she's done eating. I think this will be the best method for all of us to eat and sleep the best at night. Hopefully it works for us. (fingers crossed!)

Also, I 2nd the night-light suggestion. Only a light bright enough to change a diaper without keeping her awake or myself.

Which bassinet are you using? I've been looking for something like this without much luck

Knottie64278661 · March 2016

@TheThornBird we're using Arm's Reach Ideal Arc Co-Sleeper Bassinet. We just assembled it and really like it. The material is thick and soft (not cheap looking).My husband put it together in a few minutes, easy assembly. By itself the bassinet is about 3 inches shorter than the top of our bed so we will be buying the leg extensions so I can have LO at the same level as me for easy access for breastfeeding at night.

jenl1681 · March 2016

I will be trying my best to not fully wake up-make little eye contact, very dim light, little movement. With my daughter we just kept a night light right by my side of the bed and that worked. I like a bassinet right next to my side of the bed and all the supplies sitting right there as well.

MimiT84 · March 2016

Sitting up will be the last resort. I plan to nurse in bed, laying down if possible. Getting out of bed to sit in a cold chair or couch is the pits. I've done it before. I have a bassinet and I'll change diapers and stay in bed. I'll use my phone for entertainment.

emilyj77 · March 2016

STM here. My advice is to do whatever you need to do to safely feed your baby. For some, having baby within arms reach works well. For others (like me) who are light sleepers, having LO so close woke me up every time she moved. I wasn't sleeping at all. Honestly I'd rather get a couple hours of good sleep, then waking up every time she made a sound. Plus I found that all the sleepless nights prior to delivery helped prepare me for the lack of sleep. It also helped prepare me for when I had to return to work and continue to get up in the middle of the night.
In all honesty I smile when I read about everyone's "plans" for what they're going to do knowing what I know now, that even the best made plans change in the blink of an eye when LO arrives. You really don't know what to do until you meet and get to know your child and learn by trial and error what works for all of you. I'm all for gathering ideas at this stage, and I hope that in the sleep deprived, pure exhaustion state of being the mother of newborn again that I'll remember all of these ideas.
To answer the original question, I watched TV with the lights turned off while rocking LO. She went back to sleep easily and so did I. My plans for this time around? I have none. However this time around we have Netflix and I have a smart phone (which I didn't 4 years ago). But I know that we'll figure it out pretty quickly.

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