Before I had Leo, I thought that feeding times would consist of us looking lovingly into each other's eyes, reveling in our newfound mother-son bond. WRONG. Feeding Leo was quite the stressful experience and I eventually came to believe that to look at Leo while he was eating was to effectively erase our chances of a good nursing session. I began looking anywhere but Leo and he would look at the world around him while eating. Since we weren't staring into each other's eyes and riding off into the sunset on a horse called Nursing, I came up with lots of other things to do with this time. Here's some things to do while feeding:
Look at each other. Even though this didn't pan out for Leo, Seth and I do enjoy the occasional staring contest while he's lunching. I like to sing little songs and make faces and talk to him about how he's choking me with my own necklace. This doesn't usually seem to distract him much to my surprise and it is a nice way to have some bonding time.
However, it is unrealistic and a form of corporeal boredom to expect that you will always love to stare into your baby's eyes. Luckily, we have other options on the menu!
Watch TV. This is less applicable when your baby becomes a more efficient eater, but in the beginning, bow down to the altar of Netflix Instant. Eating sessions at the beginning take about the same amount of time as an episode of TV (coincidence? I think not). A good show to watch while feeding a baby is a non-startling drama - i.e. no laughing, no jumping, no sudden movements or noises of any kind. I found The West Wing to be my best bet.
Play on your phone. This is totally my go-to activity most of the time. Being at home with two kids, I have come to think of the time when Seth is nursing as my "me time" otherwise known as the time of day when I can be on Facebook and not feel bad about it. I usually roll up onto the counters of Facebook or Instagram, but I also have a blogroll that I like to read. This particular pastime can become problematic once your baby is old enough to spot the bright screen that you yourself are currently obsessed with. That's when it's time for:
The faces game! I don't watch Game of Thrones, but a while ago I saw a screen grab of a mom nursing her baby(maybe it was like a 10 year old? does that sound right?) with this totally fierce, don't mess with me face. I began making this face for my own amusement while nursing Seth and the faces game was born! Some other faces to make include:
- Loving mother face. Stare contentedly at your child and imagine you are the Madonna and child.
- Discontented "What happened to my youth?" face. Look off into the distance as if you are recalling your younger days of sleeping and high metabolism.
-Terrified face. This is a fun one to make as you imagine that there is a
lion/tsunami/zombie Apocalypse headed your way.
- Roaring 20's "Life is grand!" face. Hugh smile and laugh gaily as though
someone just handed you the best cocktail.
Whatever you do, just make sure that your baby doesn't spit up all over you without you noticing for 10 minutes because you were so involved in a Buzzfeed article about 25 movie stars who haven't aged well. Spit up doesn't last well.
Look at each other. Even though this didn't pan out for Leo, Seth and I do enjoy the occasional staring contest while he's lunching. I like to sing little songs and make faces and talk to him about how he's choking me with my own necklace. This doesn't usually seem to distract him much to my surprise and it is a nice way to have some bonding time.
However, it is unrealistic and a form of corporeal boredom to expect that you will always love to stare into your baby's eyes. Luckily, we have other options on the menu!
Watch TV. This is less applicable when your baby becomes a more efficient eater, but in the beginning, bow down to the altar of Netflix Instant. Eating sessions at the beginning take about the same amount of time as an episode of TV (coincidence? I think not). A good show to watch while feeding a baby is a non-startling drama - i.e. no laughing, no jumping, no sudden movements or noises of any kind. I found The West Wing to be my best bet.
Play on your phone. This is totally my go-to activity most of the time. Being at home with two kids, I have come to think of the time when Seth is nursing as my "me time" otherwise known as the time of day when I can be on Facebook and not feel bad about it. I usually roll up onto the counters of Facebook or Instagram, but I also have a blogroll that I like to read. This particular pastime can become problematic once your baby is old enough to spot the bright screen that you yourself are currently obsessed with. That's when it's time for:
The faces game! I don't watch Game of Thrones, but a while ago I saw a screen grab of a mom nursing her baby(maybe it was like a 10 year old? does that sound right?) with this totally fierce, don't mess with me face. I began making this face for my own amusement while nursing Seth and the faces game was born! Some other faces to make include:
- Loving mother face. Stare contentedly at your child and imagine you are the Madonna and child.
- Discontented "What happened to my youth?" face. Look off into the distance as if you are recalling your younger days of sleeping and high metabolism.
-Terrified face. This is a fun one to make as you imagine that there is a
lion/tsunami/zombie Apocalypse headed your way.
- Roaring 20's "Life is grand!" face. Hugh smile and laugh gaily as though
someone just handed you the best cocktail.
Whatever you do, just make sure that your baby doesn't spit up all over you without you noticing for 10 minutes because you were so involved in a Buzzfeed article about 25 movie stars who haven't aged well. Spit up doesn't last well.
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