Committing parenting sins and how it can work for you

March 28, 2020March 4, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Here are some parenting sins I commit on a frequent basis, but I’m proud to say they work for me (and hopefully makes you feel better if you experience the same)

iPad/iPhone time: you’re not meant to give your child too much technology. But when you’re trying to have a proper meal at a restaurant or cleaning up the dishes/house, sometimes giving your child YouTube is a blessing and a win win really. Thank you YouTube for entertaining my son when I really need it! Just try to limit it I guess ha
Late bedtime: there have been plenty of times where Bub is put to bed late. As much as we try to prep meals, clean up quickly and efficiently or say that we’ll leave by x time, life and fun gets in the way. But if this happens, I’ll try and let Bub get up later. Kudos to those who can maintain consistent bedtimes for their children-I’m just getting by ha
Sweets: yes I am guilty of letting Bub have ice cream, cake, biscuits and other guilty pleasures. Why? Cause he loves it and I don’t want him growing up deprived and then unleashing and binging. But I do try to limit it – everything in moderation!
Secondhand goods: I’m not made of money nor can I justify paying over $20 for a tshirt which he is going to wear for a couple of months. So I am open to receiving hand me downs for Bub – not only is it economical and environmentally friendly (reuse!), but who can resist free stuff?
Eating the good stuff: so sometimes if there is a nice piece of cut up fruit or meat etc, rather than give the best to Bub, I’ll eat it. Why? Because I deserve something nice sometimes and he’s not going to know or care.
Lack of routine: I tried, but it was too hard to get Bub into a full blown sleep, eat and repeat routine so I just go with the flow and if he’s tired, he’ll sleep. I find this has worked well because we can still go do things without having to be restricted because his nap is due at x pm
Not super prepared: I’m too lazy and short of time to pre prepare healthy snacks and meals when we head out. Instead I’ll let him have chips or whatever we’re eating. I’d rather get him used to doing what the rest of us is rather than feeling like he is entitled to a lot of speciality treatment

So yea that’s my top 7 parenting sins and how it works for me. I think I’m actually a great parent and I love my son beyond words. I hope the above shows you that you don’t have to be perfect to get it right 🙂

Losing my Lao Ye (maternal grandpa)

March 16, 2020March 19, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I recently lost my grandpa. It is another powerful reminder of what and who truly matters in life and how important it is to treasure the present moment and the joy you can find in this. We really don’t need much in life except our health, family & close friends. Everything else is a bonus.

I’m also reminded of how quickly time flies – makes me really try to ‘be’ when I’m around my son because one day he’s going to be older and his needs different.

I’m so glad my grandpa got to meet and spend time with Bub.

Dear Lao Ye,

You left this world yesterday. I’m glad you could go peacefully.

When I was small, there was no baby high chairs and you would sit me on your lap for dinner. You helped us leave China for better life opportunities during the Tiananmen Square protests. It was so hard to get out and you did what you could to make it happen. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to let your child and grandchild leave for another country – that takes a whole other level of emotional resilience and sacrifice.

Despite us being so far away and not growing up together, you always treated me & my brother as if we had always been there with you. I remember when you and grandma came to live with us in Australia. The first time, I was in primary school and you would walk me home from school. The second time you would always cook at night-you made the same dishes day after day. It was hard to continue eating the same thing ha. I also remember practicing tai chi together.

The last 2 times we visited: I really enjoyed playing mahjong with you. You said this might be the last time we see each other. I was glad that we got to see each other and spend time together.

Thank you for being the best Lao Ye that you could be. I hope you have are at peace and may our souls meet again.

Rest in peace dear Lao Ye

Parenting sins and how they can work for you

March 4, 2020March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Here are some parenting sins I commit on a frequent basis, but I’m proud to say they work for me (and hopefully makes you feel better if you experience the same)

1. iPad/iPhone time: you’re not meant to give your child too much technology. But when you’re trying to have a proper meal at a restaurant or cleaning up the dishes/house, sometimes giving your child YouTube is a blessing and a win win really. Thank you YouTube for entertaining my son when I really need it! Just try to limit it I guess ha

2. Late bedtime: there have been plenty of times where Bub is put to bed late. As much as we try to prep meals, clean up quickly and efficiently or say that we’ll leave by x time, life and fun gets in the way. But if this happens, I’ll try and let Bub get up later. Kudos to those who can maintain consistent bedtimes for their children-I’m just getting by ha

3. Sweets: yes I am guilty of letting Bub have ice cream, cake, biscuits and other guilty pleasures. Why? Cause he loves it and I don’t want him growing up deprived and then unleashing and binging. But I do try to limit it – everything in moderation!

4. Secondhand goods: I’m not made of money nor can I justify paying over $20 for a tshirt which he is going to wear for a couple of months. So I am open to receiving hand me downs for Bub – not only is it economical and environmentally friendly (reuse!), but who can resist free stuff?

5. Eating the good stuff: so sometimes if there is a nice piece of cut up fruit or meat etc, rather than give the best to Bub, I’ll eat it. Why? Because I deserve something nice sometimes and he’s not going to know or care.

6. Lack of routine: I tried, but it was too hard to get Bub into a full blown sleep, eat and repeat routine so I just go with the flow and if he’s tired, he’ll sleep. I find this has worked well because we can still go do things without having to be restricted because his nap is due at x pm

7. Not super prepared: I’m too lazy and short of time to pre prepare healthy snacks and meals when we head out. Instead I’ll let him have chips or whatever we’re eating. I’d rather get him used to doing what the rest of us is rather than feeling like he is entitled to a lot of speciality treatment

Breaking up with breastfeeding

January 16, 2020March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recently over the Christmas/New Year period, I experienced a sad farewell to nighttime breastfeeding. This story will hopefully bring you some hope as an example of ‘natural’ weaning, but also some important lessons to keep in mind.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. At the start of my boobin’ journey, I found it super difficult to get the hang of it. But after weeks and months of persistence, pain, emotional breakdowns and a bout of mastitis, I got the hang of it!

Breast is best – this is the mantra that as a new mum is honed into you. The not so good things about it:

-Your boobs feel like they’re on loan to your baby and you’re a milk machine

-You’re restricted in having a night out and have to be there on call for your Bub

-Overnight feeds = exhaustion and interrupted sleep

-When Bub develops teeth….good luck

The good bits:

-You feel special – this is something only you can give to your child

-Helps to bond with your baby

-You are amazed by how your body aka YOU can grow a human from your own ‘fluids’- this stuff helps Bub grow and protects them from illness. Apparently when you’re sick, your body starts making antibodies that get passed to Bub to try and help them avoid getting sick. Amazing huh!

I weaned Bub off of daytime breastfeeds before going back to work when Bub was 9 months. But we’d stuck with nighttime feeds as it was easier to settle him. There were plenty of days when I’d pine for the day that Bub wouldn’t need the boob. I’d look up different ways to wean, but they seemed to involve too much sleep sacrifice and I was pretty used to and lazy to change to be honest. Then I joined this Facebook group about natural weaning and one of the mums reassured me that they will naturally grow out of it and usually happens after they are 18 months.

However, the 18 month mark came and went and there was no indication of Bub giving up boob. So I started looking for ‘natural’ ways of weaning and thought the best time to try would be over a 2 week break from work.

However, leading up to this, I started feeling sad and nervous. Was this the right decision? Would I be harming Bub’s development? Would it work?

It wasn’t until after Xmas eve when Bub chose to stay over at his grandparents (covered in my previous blog post), that I realised how attached I was to breastfeeding. I realised that it wasn’t so much Bub who wasn’t ready, it was me.

After 2 separate nights with grandparents, I stopped offering boob and instead sung his favourite songs over and over until he fell asleep. Initially he still wanted boob, but seemed happy to listen to my singing until he fell asleep. If he woke up overnight I would hold and pat him and after awhile he fell back asleep. Now he is able to go to sleep without too much singing. He does like to touch the boob before sleeping but he doesn’t seem to want it (I secretly offered to him recently but he refused!).

I was surprised how ‘easily’ he seemed to take to this change which showed me that he was ready. For me, it was like experiencing a breakup. I realised something that only I could provide to my son was no longer needed (brings tears to my eyes even now).

But the 2 biggest lessons I’d like to share with you from this are:

1. TREASURE where you are now. Those moments good and bad with Bub, they will pass and one day be no more. And you will definitely pine for just one last time (that Last Time poem is so true!). So where you can, be present in that moment, enjoy what it has to offer and feel grateful for that moment.

2. There is NO RULE/FORMULA to follow for this. If you’re not ready, don’t force it just to meet other people’s expectations or what other Bubs have done. Each child is beautifully unique and develops at different stages. Do what works best for you and your baby.

So farewell breastfeeding, thank you for the hard but rewarding lessons you’ve taught me along the journey. Now it’s time to move onto other ways of loving my child and I can’t wait to learn these lessons.

Mama body journey: update

January 4, 2020March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on how my perspective on my ‘mama body’ has evolved since having Bub and wanted to share some hopefully helpful lessons.

Reading my first mama body post, I remember how before Bub, I was so focused on exercising x times per week, eating ‘clean’ and being so fit. Why? Because I thought if I looked a certain way, I would be ‘good enough’. I didn’t have much self love and would internally criticise myself when I couldn’t meet my unrealistic physical standards.

After having Bub, I really started trying to practice self love. I still had some of the previous mentality in place though and wanted to get back in shape quickly. After doing Kayla Itsines and the adrenal reset diet, I found it hard to maintain. I started getting pain in and behind my knees. The physio told me as you get older, your body doesn’t recover as quickly anymore and how important it is to let your body rest. Also as I was still breastfeeding at night, one the of hormones produced called relaxin, results in your body needing to use more to hold yourself together when you exercise. I started foam rolling and focusing more on good stretching post workouts.

In Oct 2019, my work had a mental wellness month and I attended 2 sessions by wellness gurus. They emphasised the importance of going back to basics with food and exercise, listening to yourself and how intermittent fasting may be a good way to help your cells regenerate and reset. I’ve been trying that and also been meditating everyday for 20 min for some months now and doing a lot of internal growth work.

So now I have a wellness routine rather than a fitness routine:

-I do HIIT swimming twice a week: this is low impact and a great workout. I love being in the water and enjoy getting into the sauna afterwards

-3 short sessions of strength training to help keep my body strong and especially to help alleviate the pain behind my knee. Apparently it’ll take at least 6 months for the muscle to recover (lucky for me don’t require knee surgery) and it’s a combination of foam rolling, targeted stretches and strength training

-Food wise: I fast from after dinner to lunchtime most days during the week. For me, it really feels like my body does get to properly digest the food from the night before and I feel more ‘cleansed’. Also I don’t count my carb/protein intake and choose to eat whole foods where I can (fruit, veg & meat). I am still working on eating mindfully though as I tend to eat quickly and then feel too full haha

So my biggest lessons learned:

1. Practising self love is hard, but worthwhile. I’m still on the journey, but as a result of the above (especially meditation), I feel more at ease with who I am, confident in my self worth and kinder to myself. As I’m more relaxed and do things out of enjoyment rather than pressure, I feel like I’ve actually lost weight – taking away the need to tick the ‘fit’ box has helped me get to a comfortable, happy state.

2. Take the growth opportunities that arise from challenging situations (ie having a baby) and make the most of it. I honestly believe I never would have gotten this far without having to go through the baby journey. It’s still and always will be a work in progress, but very grateful to keep a growth mindset and power on.

No more booby?! A powerful lesson on being present

December 24, 2019March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recently I experienced a very powerful lesson on being present and wanted to share with you all.

Bub is 20 months and has been boobin’ to sleep and when he wakes overnight. For us, it’s been the easiest and quickest way to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve always talked about weaning him off, sought advice on how to do it and read about a multitude of natural weaning ideas.

My husband and I said that around Xmas 2019 when I’m on a 2 week break from work is when we should officially stop the boob. However the closer we got to this point, the more I realised something: it’s not Bub who needs weaning off, it’s me.

Last week, we were out late and had left Bub with grandma. As he had fallen asleep by the time we got home, we let him sleep over. It was SO weird without him and missed him terribly (although it was nice to have my first ever night of uninterrupted sleep after 20 months!). More recently, as we were leaving my parents’ place, he didn’t want to go home. Despite trying to entice him with booby, he was still adamant on staying so we let him have another sleepover.

This second time really hit me. I balled my eyes out from driving home and before bed. This is when I truly realised 2 things:

1. I was the one who wasn’t willing/ready to stop night time boobing. Despite the fact that it can be tiring and you miss out on being able to do other things like stay out late at night, this is one thing that only I could provide my child. What is a very lovely bonding time was ending. Also, it was a bit of a shock to realise that he was now making decisions and didn’t choose mummy. I felt rejected and of no use to him. Breastfeeding for me was so difficult to get right and now the journey seems to be ending-can’t help wanting to still hang on.

2. Nothing lasts forever and how important it is to be present in the moment. I’ll admit there were plenty of times I would be on my phone whilst Bub was boobin’ away and waiting for him to fall asleep. Now looking back, I wish I had put the phone down and watched the beautiful transition from awake to sleep knowing that he felt safe and comfortable being close to me. There is a beautiful poem which I’ll put below about treasuring the moments with your child because you never know when it’ll be the last time that moment will happen. Looking back at photos of Bub, he has changed and grown so much and although it felt slow at times, overall it has passed so quickly.

So the 2 lessons learned:

1. Don’t let others dictate what you should do as a parent. Do what you feel is right. For me, not sure if this is the ‘natural’ end to nighttime booby, but if it is, I like to see it as the fact that I’ve given Bub enough security and love at night so he feels ‘empowered’ and confident to not require it anymore.

2. No matter how mundane the moment may be, anchor yourself to the present moment and enjoy. It may be the last time you get to experience it.

The Last Time:

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, you will never be the same.

You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.

But don’t forget …You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed

your baby for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day

And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,

And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night

And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.

They will hold your hand to cross the road,

Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,

And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus” and do all the actions,

Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,

The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.

They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time until there are no more times.

And even then, it will take you a while to realise.

So while you are living in these times, remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.

For one last time.

Milk teeth & low hanging frenums

December 14, 2019March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Wanted to share some of the dental knowledge/experience I’ve gained recently.

I’m big on dental care – I have this annoying gap between my back teeth on the right side where food gets stuck and causes havoc. In order to manage, I floss everyday. Plus it’s nice when the dentist recognises your efforts at the half yearly clean haha

Habits form from repetition so when Bub’s milk teeth started coming out, I wanted to start getting him used to basic dental care (hopefully when he’s older he’ll be so used to it, it will become second nature). Started out with a baby toothbrush and just left him play with it in the morning and before bed. He took to it quite well, but during the heavy teething period, really didn’t like having it in his mouth as he was already teething and in pain.

After Bub turned 18 months, he was able to start on baby toothpaste. He likes the sweetness of the toothpaste and eats it more so than uses it to brush his teeth. He also won’t let me or his dad brush his teeth and is focused on doing it himself. But hey what can you do-forcing them will make the experience unenjoyable and they won’t want to do it at all.

It’s also recommended that once their teeth come out and after 18 months of age, you bring your Bub to visit the dentist. This is to start getting them used to the dentist. At Bub’s first appointment, the dentist just quickly used his finger and checked Bub’s teeth. He said milk teeth usually don’t get much plaque compared to adult teeth and to not worry if Bub doesn’t brush properly. Apparently once they turn 4 they will be able to understand and start having dental cleans, floss etc.

For us, the dentist also said that Bub had a low hanging frenum. A frenum is a band of tissue between the teeth and gums. Bub’s one hangs quite low between the top two middle teeth. Apparently this could impact Bub’s speech and cause that gap tooth look later in life. That freaked me out a bit initially as I don’t want Bub to be disadvantaged, but the dentist said no to worry. Once he’s around 2.5 years can assess and if it needs to be removed it’s apparently a 5 min procedure with a laser and no stitches.

So yea that’s my mini tutorial on milk teeth.

Lessons learned so far:

1. Dental care is important so start them early. Don’t force, let them explore and you should practice what you preach!

2. Take Bub to the dentist once their teeth come out and they’ve hit 18 months, you might learn something about their teeth to watch out for early on!

Emergency, emergency!

November 30, 2019March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Recently I got the dreaded call that Bub needed to go to emergency. This was the first time it happened and I wanted to share my experience for any other first-timers to be.

Bub had caught some virus and had the usual fevers and feeling unwell. We’d been treating with good ol Panadol and Nurofen. However on the day of the incident, my mother in law was watching him and noticed that after a nap, Bub was shivering and had blue lips. She immediately called my husband (who was home) to take Bub to hospital. When my husband called me, I was just finishing up my lunch break at work. When I heard ‘blue lips’ and ‘emergency’, shock hit. I organised to go straight home (grateful to work in an understanding team). On the way to the hospital, I had mixed feelings: shock mixed with nerves and some anxiety, impatience to get there and see the situation for myself and hold my baby. Overall I felt in my heart Bub should be ok as it was likely to do with the virus and he was going to get help. So I wasn’t in massive breakdown mode, but perhaps it was also some disbelief that this was happening.

Upon arrival to hospital, we were seen very quickly and an initial assessment done. Bub didn’t have blue lips and had a fever instead when I got there, which gave me some comfort that it was a virus and nothing more sinister. After administering Panadol and Nurofen, the hospital staff noted that although his fever had gone down and behaviour more normal, his breathing rate was still quite quick. So just to be sure, he had a chest X-ray and blood test taken.

For the X-ray, I went into the room with him and he sat down against this block whilst I held his shoulders back. As he was grumpy, he kept crying and protesting so it was a bit of a struggle to get the X-ray done. But we got there in the end. For the blood test, he had numbing cream put on so he wouldn’t feel the needle as much. When taking blood, we distracted him with Youtube and one of the nurses also blew bubbles – it was like a party in the room with the singing and bubbles ha!

After an hour, we got the all clear and they did a nose swab just in case Bub doesn’t get better by next week (results would be made available to the GP).

This all took place over approx 8 hours in hospital (we went public). We were all knackered by the time we got to go home.

So my top lessons learned from the experience are:

1. If you’re by yourself with Bub then tend to them. But if someone is there with you or there is opportunity to, take a video of the symptoms. That way, if they stop by the time you get to hospital, you’ll have a record to show staff there and improve the diagnosis

2. Get ambulance cover for Bub-although we didn’t have to use it, I was glad I had this in place (good safety blanket which would really come in use when needed)

3. Bring a charger – if we didn’t have youtube, our already cranky Bub wouldn’t have lasted those 8 hours.

4. Focus on the next step: it’s easy to think the worst on the way to the hospital. You’re gona be worried/freaked out/scared, but try to focus on the next step eg getting to the bus/train/car, driving to the hospital, getting into the lifts etc

5. Going to hospital plus the overall wait involved (for test results, check ins etc) can be draining and it’s easy to develop a negative mindset. I felt overall the experience was quite positive because we enjoyed the moment for what it had to offer – we were able to all be together in a safe place, Bub was showing off his baby shark and monkey on the bed dance moves, we got to learn about the different ways modern medicine has developed to make it easier to treat children and feeling grateful for the right people and things in place to allow us to get help for Bub. So would recommend trying to keep a more positive mindset and find enjoyment in the present moment.

Hope this doesn’t happen to your Bub, but if it does, I hope the above tips come in handy 🙂

Fourth trimester & beyond!

October 22, 2019March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

There seems to be a common misconception that pregnancy and labour are the most difficult parts of becoming a parent. What I found people don’t tell you is that the most challenging part of parenthood is actually once the baby arrives aka the fourth trimester.

Before having Bub, I couldn’t grasp how this could be the case: you’re no longer carrying around a baby and you’ve gone through the agony of labour so surely postpartum is a ‘breeze’?

Nah uh. Why you may ask? Because pregnancy and labour have a defined ‘end’ whereas once Bub arrives, it’s forever 😜 It’s not all doom and gloom and it’s all worth it in the end. But here are my tips for surviving the fourth trimester:

1. Sleep: I miss sleep. Regardless of what people say, I don’t believe it’s ‘normal’ that babies should sleep through the night by a certain age. I think each one is unique and will eventually learn. So it’s up to us to manage and do what we can to survive in the meantime.

Initially how I survived sleep deprivation is to nap or at least just lie down and rest whenever Bub napped. Also handing Bub to parents or in laws in the morning helped me squeeze in an extra few hours of precious Zzzs (every minute counts!). The ‘development leap’ or ‘regression’ periods were the worst. For example, my Bub’s 4 month leap seemed to last until 6 months which was then replaced by the 6 month leap!

I’d like to say there is light at the end of the tunnel (maybe once Bub becomes a teenager?!), but for me, even though Bub is 18 months old now, I still haven’t had one night of uninterrupted blissful sleep. However thats because I still boob Bub to sleep and use the power of the boobie to settle him. So for you, you may be one of the lucky ones who’s been able to help your Bub settle or your Bub was able to sleep through the night at an early age. I’m so used to it now though I can’t even imagine what sleeping through the night would feel like haha

2. Me time: Gone are the days where you could just go do whatever whenever. Too often I’ve been guilty of overlooking myself and will focus on being a parent. At a minimum, I make time to exercise and meditate and not feel guilty. Do the things that will help keep you sane – the better you are, the better a parent you’ll be

3. Keeping the romance alive: your love life tends to take a backseat once Bub arrives. I mean who has energy to cuddle/make love/be romantic when you’ve already spent all of your emotional and physical energy by the end of the day? I’ve tried to schedule in dates and time to be intimate, but it’s really hard to follow through! So I think the resolution for this is to find what works for you and your partner, but keeping in mind that this is a natural consequence of having a baby and that it’s ok to not have every aspect of your life ‘ideal’.

4. Body shape: this is one for the ladies and something I’ve posted about before, but it can be difficult to deal with and accept your postpartum body. As hard as it is, you really need to give yourself a break and learn to love yourself because think about it: your body grew a human being. How amazing is that. It needs some time to chill the F out right? So take it easy and you can slowly and surely get back to feeling ‘fitter’ and ‘slimmer’ if that’s what you want. Plenty of time to get there 👍🏻

5. Lifestyle: after having Bub, I had to organise and plan ahead to be able to do things I could’ve just gone out and done in the past. No more last minute dates or shopping trips. It was really hard initially and I missed my previous ‘carefree’ life. But hey you can’t have your cake and eat it too-now I’m responsible for raising a person so you’ve got to take the good with the ‘bad’. How to make this easier: think about and appreciate the things you now have or get to do with Bub in your life. For example, I had a colleague who tried IVF over many years, but were unsuccessful in getting pregnant. I can’t imagine how difficult it can be for some to even get pregnant in the first place.

Some overall lessons learned:

-Having a baby is a life changer – you’ve got a choice: adapt and grow or stay still and suffer. It’s your choice

-Do parenthood your way

-Use this time as a way to positively develop: self love, unconditional love, patience, communication and self awareness

-And finally, you’re not alone. This too shall pass and one day you will look back and think gosh I miss those days when Bub was small or Bub did this. Good luck! 🤗

Bye bye boobie, hello bottle!

August 12, 2019March 13, 2020 by DIY: Babies & Parenting ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For those fellow mamas who are planning to go back to work or ready to stop breastfeeding, here’s my experience and tips on how to transition from boob to bottle:

I went back to work when Bub was 9 months old. I’d read that transitioning a baby off of breast milk would take time so at around the 6 month mark, I started the weaning process.

My initial plan was to wean Bub off daytime feeds, pump at work and feed at night until he settled into childcare. Then I would wean him off night time feeds too.

To wean off daytime feeds, I dropped one daytime feed every couple of days. This allowed my boobs to slowly reduce milk production and that feeling of rock hardness you get when you haven’t fed Bub. It was difficult initially because Bub kept crying and I felt bad, but after a couple days, he adjusted.

Instead of feeding via boob, I tried to use a bottle. He would not take it at all. It was surprising because when Bub was really going and I had mastitis, we used a bottle for a couple days and Bub was fine. It seems the older they get, the more they ‘know’. We also tried feeding from a spoon, a cup and a sippy cup. Funnily enough, what seemed to work well was a clean beer bottle. For some reason, Bub was able to take a few sips from that.

At the same time, I was pumping milk, but Bub still wouldn’t really drink it. So I decided fuck it I will use formula: easier and less work.

Eventually, we got Bub drinking from one of those baby bottles with a straw so didn’t need to use the beer bottle. What also helped was offering it to him between bites of food. However, I found that overall, he didn’t drink much formula. I was concerned, but he was onto solids anyway. Also, one of the childcare educators said most of the time, the babies who started off breastfed rarely take to formula anyway so that made me feel better.

We offered formula until he was 12 months. It was such a waste because he didn’t drink much, but we still offered it to him.

In terms of dropping night time feeds after 12 months, I decided instead to let him naturally wean off. We have a good routine going and popping him onto the boob if he cries overnight is quicker and easier for me to get as much sleep as possible. I joined a Facebook group about natural weaning and was told that a) they will stop needing boob to fall asleep and b) generally happens after 18 months. So for now, it is what it is.

So what are the lessons learnt?

1. If you’re ready to wean off, do it gradually and drop one feed every couple days, then another and another etc.

2. If Bub doesn’t take to a bottle, experiment to find what works. Don’t despair if nothing really works, it takes them awhile to get used to it.

3. If Bub doesn’t really drink formula, also don’t despair. You can supplement with food and for me I found my Bub was fine in the end.

4. It’s a lot of test and learn as well as some patience for Bub to adjust. Likely your plan may not eventuate, but do what works for you!