No such thing as sleeping when the baby sleeps...

I have learned this firsthand, and I will share it with whoever wants to hear it, the concept of time changes the moment you become a mother. Every minute is valuable, every second counts. In the entire time you watch, care, feed, and play with your little baby, you are probably thinking about 19 other things. “Did I order the diapers”, “Is it size 2 or 3”, “But what about nighttime ones”, “Wait, how did I forget about the wipes,” “Is there even space to store 16 packs?”

There is one thing where you can just sit back, relax and pray the seconds to stretch out longer, and that is the beauty of nursing. I say this having gone through the hard part, the days and nights when the baby would wake up hysterical to eat, not be able to stay on to eat, so you get hysterical and now are in a crying match with a 13-day-old. Absolutely helpless, you turn on your pump and get all the parts going so that you can bulk the baby up so you don’t have to go back to the pediatrician, once a week is surely enough. And then comes the cleaning, the most dreadful part of all. Trust us, we’ve tried it all, nothing is doable when you have to pump after every feed, which is about 9+ times in a 24 hour day. Those were the days.

So when I say there is nothing more beautiful than sitting on the couch, pillow behind, feet up, and baby settled while nursing, I mean it. It’s so peaceful and perfect that if I am not relaxing with my eyes closed, thankful I can just stay put, my hands are almost confused as to why they’re not doing anything. Sure, I’ve spent many hours scrolling and scrolling, but there is always something more useful they can be doing. In comes, eating while nursing. Gone are the days of “sleeping when the baby sleeps,” which only happens in those few blissful days after delivery when nurses flurry in and out of your hospital room, but eating, is doable.

There’s a science I’ve learned. Ambidextrous people have been cut out for this life from the start, but for the rest of the population, it’s all about choosing the right food and the right timing. Nuts and handheld healthy snacks are no-brainers, spaghetti, and soup are out of the question, but the real MVPs are portable meals. Big plus if you can whip it together towards the end of the baby’s nap so you can finish up as you hear the whimpers. Successful meals have so far been, burritos and quesadillas, salad bowls believe it or not, and a good old-fashioned pita sandwich. Anything you can stuff in your face while taking your much-earned break is fantastic, but the fact that you can do it WITHOUT giving up other time that might be valuable towards something else, might be even better than cuddling your little sweet baby.