Maybe this isn’t your first go at breastfeeding. What is it like to breastfeed a baby when you have one or more other small children running around the place that you need to care for too? Well, it ain’t always a piece of cake! It’s not your quiet, peaceful bonding moment that it was with baby number one. Truthfully, I think with additional children, those middle of the night feedings are easier and sweeter, because you and baby can finally get some one-on-one, peaceful time with each other!
There are pros and cons. One of the pros is when your other children get a little older, 4 or so, they make good helpers! While you are sitting, trapped, nursing a baby, they can fetch you things like the phone or a burp cloth or remote and such! One of the cons are, there is often a lot of noise, which can be distracting for the baby and make nursing more difficult to keep them focused, especially when the baby gets a little older and wants to see what’s going on! Latching on and off and on and off is not very fun!
Another problem is if your other child needs you. Maybe they need a refill, or they fall down and hurt themselves, or there are discipline issues that need immediate attention. Sometimes it is hard to choose which child needs more immediate attention! It is a give and take. If the two are close together in age, it’s hard to explain to the older one why the baby has to have your attention right now. They don’t really understand why you can’t just put the baby down and get them some more juice. All they understand is that they are thirsty and you are not getting them a drink. Of course this is an example, but sometimes whether they understand or not, the older sibling just has to wait. On the other hand, I have learned that it doesn’t kill a baby to cry! Pretty incredible huh. The baby will not starve to death if the feeding has to be stopped or delayed for a couple of minutes if your older child(ren) need your immediate attention.
I’ll give you an example that happened to me. While nursing one of my babies an older sibling was about to do something that they were told not to do. The baby was a couple of months old, so they knew the routine that I was stuck in the chair and couldn’t do anything at that moment. I told them firmly not to do what they were about to do (which for the life of me I can’t remember what it was!). They gave me a look that said ‘you can’t do anything about it!’ and did it any way. Well, I popped that baby off my breast, laid it down in the pack-n-play and dealt with the sibling. Obviously not every discipline issue needs immediate attention and there are times when the sibling simply gets an I’ll deal with you later.
There’s also mischeif. While you are nursing your baby is a prime time for a sibling to get into mischeif. This is the time that you will find them dumping four all over the floor or squeezing all the toothpaste out of the tube or things of that nature! It’s always good to keep and ear open if you can’t see them!
Us mommies are not all powerful. We really don’t have x-ray vision or eyes in the back of our heads! Things are going to happen. Just be ready for them to happen so you will be less likely to lose your cool when they do. Spills will happen and will just have to sit there until you are done. The sibling will enjoy playing in them in the mean time! There will be times that older child needed you, but at the moment you couldn’t leave the baby and they had to wait. The important thing is that when you do have the time, like during the baby’s naptime, you make the most of your time with your older child(ren). Sometimes you just have to walk across the house with the baby attached to your boob! Though I try not to do it often, there were times when cartoons were my friend as well.
Do whatever works best for you. I know it can be done and it really is still fun, just in a different way than baby number one. There were times when I had a baby nursing and two other kids just curled up in my lap. Sure it was a juggling act, but we were all together and those were sweet moments for me. Just enjoy your babies. All of them!
If you have any sibling stories I’d love to hear them! Feel free to comment!
Succeed when you breastfeed 