My mood while writing this blog:
Ok

Of my own personal experience, the first eight weeks you are in survival mode. You are tired, perhaps sore nipples and you feel like your body is not your own. The good news is that despite all this you can cope with tiredness because the joy of having a new baby out weighs the tiredness.

For first time Mums it can seem forever and you may even think that this is how it is going to be for ever and ever. Rest assured there is light at the end of the tunnel. I often find that after about 8 weeks baby/Mum settles into a routine ( I encourage routine, I'm not big on demand feeding) Even if you do not routine feed, baby tends to become more settled and predictable.

My Routine:

I tend to adopt a flexible routine. I am not bound by the clock but use it as a guide. I find I very quickly can distinguish my babies cries because I know where he is at in his routine. Here's my routine in very basic form:

1) Baby wakes, I feed him
2) Keep baby awake for a while, nappy change, play, bath etc (Feeding and wake time take about 1.5hrs)
3) Baby goes to bed (sleeps about 1.5 hrs).

In total it is about a 3hr cycle give or take half an hour between feeds as sometimes baby has a grow or is unsettled.

So to really summarize, I feed every 3 hrs to start with in the first few weeks but may be flexible depending on baby having a growth spurt. The routine mustn't rule you but it gives you a good guideline of what to expect when. I wouldn't do it any other way.

I choose to feed baby when he first gets up rather than to nurse him to sleep as I find Nursing to sleep can become a habit that is very hard to break later on. I like my babies to be able to fall asleep on their own with the occasional nursing to sleep if unsettled.

So there you have it. That's how I have done it for all 5 babies and I wouldn't change it if you paid me. I have seen too many Mums run ragged with demand feeding. Some people love demand feeding and have the time and energy to feed their baby every time he cries and it works for them. It's not wrong to demand feed but I do think it can tire you out very quickly. Everyone will have their own opinions on this and although I encourage routine I do not encourage being bound by routine but I also don't encourage your baby ruling your life. With 5 other children this baby has to adapt to how life is in this particular home and fit in. I cannot expect the other kids to give up everything just because a new baby has come into the family. He will be a welcome addition and we look forward to welcoming him.

This may seem like a funny topic but believe me, there are so many people out there that believe they have all the knowledge there is to know about birth, babies and parenting. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly things that we can advise people on but the way it is done is so important.

After 5 kids and being pregnant with no6, I do not claim to have all the answers about children and pregnancy. I do however have experience that I can draw on that has worked for me and I am happy to pass this onto anyone who asks or is interested. I have never had a C-section so am far from being able to give advice on this.

Just remember that after being pregnant or having a baby does not make you a sudden expert in all areas of child raising. Here is an example that happened to me and came back to bit me in the bum. My first born daughter started to get teeth at the usual sort of age, no crying and being unsettled, she just one day had a tooth and then another and another. The conclusion I drew from this was that other mothers were blaming bad sleeping habits, crying etc on teething when really it was probably more of a parenting issue. I never said this to anyone but my husband but I did think that I had made an accurate assumption. No2 baby then came on the scene and boy did I learn a lesson. She began teething late, at almost 1 year of age and she was miserable, drooling, crying, waking at night. You name it, she did it. I had to take my assumptions, screw them up and realise that having one experience with one baby did not make me a teething expert.

Every child is different and although there are definite skills and tips we can learn on the way we are always learning. Remain teachable and listen to others, never judge or give advice unless asked or given permission. There is nothing worse than a know it all mother. Share what has helped you and what you have learned but do it tactfully. Mother hood can be a very sensitive issue for some.