How can husband help with feeding?

Are you side lying when feeding? If your husband is willing to stay up during feeds maybe try side lying and then you can rest while feeding. He can wake you up at around 15 minutes so you can switch and then he can put the baby to bed so you’re able to get rest. Newborn exhaustion is real and can be soo dangerous

Hi! I combo fed for 2 weeks nursed her during the day as well as pumping i was able to create a pitcher for night feeds.. here and there i would give her formula as well. u could also fully nurse her all day and formula at night until your supply increases

If you feel overwhelmed with spectra I definitely suggest a wearable pump. My first pregnancy i was unsuccessful with breastfeeding and pumping because i was super overwhelmed and exhausted from pumping to cleaning all those parts.. now i have a wearable i can even go outside with it! Easy to clean in 5 mins sterilize it twice a week

Commenting for advice too. I still haven’t figured that one out with my first and I’m about to have baby #2. First didn’t take bottles or even pacifiers so we weren’t even able to have babysitters or anything!! Want it to be easier this time around if possible. First is still nursing and will be 3 years old in August.

Do what’s best for your mental health. For me EBF was just too much, I can’t be 24/7 with baby. I felt the exact same way as you. I need my husband to help me. I usually BF in the morning and pump in the afternoon/ night. I also give the occasional formula at night which is great because it keeps my baby asleep longer stretches so I can rest. I pump at night and early morning since that’s usually when you make the most milk & bottle feed baby in the afternoon that way my husband or family members can help.

Also when you bottle feed babies sleep longer my son can sleep up to 4-5 hours when we give him bottled breastmilk

Hi mama! First off you’re doing a great job. Breastfeeding is a full time job and is exhausting. It’s totally up to you and your schedules - but what helped me most was having my husband take our baby in the AM so I could sleep in. He would take over around 6am, give baby a bottle of haaka pumped milk when she was ready for her next feed, make breakfast for me, then wake me up at 9am when he had to take off for work. He slept in another room when she was a newborn to ensure he was rested and could get up before 6am if needed when i was really tapped out. Learning how to nurse sidelying in beed was also a lifesaver. As was having a diaper changing station in a bassinet next to the bed so i didnt have to walk around in the middle of the night. We ultimately ended up bedsharing because i got the most sleep that way. Look up the safe sleep 7 in case you ever have to bedshare

We co-sleep and feed side lying so I latch baby and go back to sleep. Perfectly safe as long as you set the bed up for bed sharing following the safe sleep 7. Much safer than accidentally falling asleep out of exhaustion unplanned

I would suggest your husband feeding baby either last feed of the day so you can go to bed early, or first of the day so you get a lie in- depends what you prefer! I find 5am-8am the worst time of day to be woken up so really value my husband doing this shift a few days a week. Ny daughter is 20 weeks and had about a month of refusing the bottle, that we're just emerging from. My husband took her out in the pram for some naps, so I could nap too. Maybe another way for you to catch up on a bit of sleep. Good luck!

Look into co sleeping / side lying while feeding! And if you can pump enough for one nighttime feed to put in a bottle for your husband to do that would help immensely

Every time baby wakes in the night he can calm her, change her nappy and then pass her to you for breastfeeding. After the feed he can resettle her. This means the ONLY thing you are responsible for during the night is the actual feeding and means you still get to EBF but it is way more manageable. This is the set-up that worked for us for both our babies x

@Melissa I agree with this! Very firm on the moms only job is to feed

If your baby hasn’t taken a bottle yet by 7 weeks you need to make sure the baby will take a bottle first. Try giving the freezer milk today and get on the pump girl! It’s not bad.

Could do 1 bottle a night from husband of breastmilk to allow you to sleep a bit. He can do nappies etc too