things to do while breastfeeding

Well my little guy is 2 months old and I’m still breastfeeding which is a bit different to the last few babies and I’m enjoying it. I think that taking things a bit easier on the home front has played a part. So what to do while breastfeeding or bottle feeding your little baby………and obviously it’s a given that you are looking lovingly at your baby but when you spend this much time on the couch you need a bit of entertainment too so here goes.

1. Pinterest

I’ve managed to pin a lot of things to my pinterest boards with the app on my phone over the last few weeks. I love that one of my friends has just joined pinterest and said to me ‘is that on twitter?’. If you’re not yet on pinterest then sign up and start pinning. I find searching for things I love like family dinners, white kitchens, knitting, sewing, quilts or putting in search terms like ‘girls dress patterns’ or ‘easy finger food’ will help you find a whole lot of new ideas. Rename your boards to make them something personal and remember you can always add new boards, change the names of your boards later on and just have fun. When you are starting out find your favourite websites, magazines and blogs on pinterest and follow them. A few of my favourite people to follow are A Beach Cottage, Six Sisters Stuff, bee lori, Half Baked Harvest, SF girl by bay, Decor 8, Nova, Hostess with the Mostess, blossom and bright, emily henderson, wee birdy, babyspace and red pepper quilts and that’s just off the top of my head. I honestly buy less magazines thanks to pinterest as I can find so much on there.

2. Read a book

I’ve got a few on the go at the moment as it depends on my mood but reading is something I can struggle to find time for. My favourite book at the moment is Large Family Logistics which I managed to track down on amazon for a great price. Just having the book on my kitchen counter has made me organised….no really it has. I’ve read a bit and more motivated to get housework done.

I prop some pillows under the arm feeding the baby and prop the book to the other side of me on a pillow and read away. Sometimes I’ll grab a pile of cookbooks or knitting books and make a list of things I want to make. Whether I get around to it is another thing. Also great to read to the other little members of your family and supervise reading of the readers for the big kids at school. It’s always a great joy when we’ve moved on from readers to their own choice of books and novels that are more interesting.

3. watch your favourite shows and movies

Now might be the time to get stuck into my Big Love DVD collection. I also love to pre-record all of my favourite tv shows and watch them late at night when everyone is in bed. It’s a great escape from Frozen and Toy Story which we’ve watched to death.

4. craft

I’ve been working away on a cardigan for my big girl and love to do some knitting while feeding. Prop baby on some pillows or your breastfeeding cushion with another pillow underneath and then circular needles out in front of you and off you go. It does hurt my arms a bit more and obviously keep the needles away from baby but if you love to craft then it’s a great time to be productive while on the couch.

5. eat and drink

I pretty much grab something to eat and something to drink before I plonk myself down on the couch. I also can sit at the dining room table and have something to eat or drink but it’s not too comfy after a while.

6. call someone

I sit down with my phone and love to text or call someone and get through a few things on my to do list.

7. online shopping

I’ve nabbed some great buys on eBay lately, bought baptism outfits, ordered things all from the comfort of the couch. Hot tip if you’re like me and gaining weight while breastfeeding or struggling to find something nice to wear or just struggling to get to the shops you’ll find some fabulous things on eBay and I’ve paid no more than $10 or $20 for some great skirts and simple dresses. I can’t bear to pay full price when I’m not my regular size so discovered buying and selling clothes on eBay when I had keira and have been a fan since.

8. play 

in the morning I usually do a feed on the playroom floor with my little ones. We might get stuck into the lego or do some drawing and the kids feel happier if they are next to me. We are obsessed with drawing stick figures in our house and it’s a great way to work on pencil grip for those little people who are spending maybe a bit too much time scrolling through phones and ipads. Afternoons when the weather is nice I like to sit outside and watch the kids play and some of my happiest moments of our school holidays were just being outside in the warm sun and watching the kids play….happily and nicely. My favourite type of play is without fighting, of course:)

9. go to the park, stand up, unpack groceries, make dinner, be at a party…..

Yes since having lawson we’ve been to the park for playdates or a party and I’ve had no problem standing and feeding with a muslin wrap to cover up. It’s amazing what you can do when you have to and probably the best thing about breastfeeding this time around is how easy it’s been to do our usual things with little man on me. Or maybe it’s been out of necessity………………….