How to survive the holiday season with a baby under 1
S for SUPPORT and SLINGS: SO MUCH to say about this, but in a nutshell. ASK for all the support you can get. You have a baby. You have all the excuses. Make your needs clear. “I need half an hour to clear my head, will you please hold the baby while I go for a long shower/ a short walk/ drink this coffee and read a few pages of my book in peace… etc.” Slings can be a great way to achieve the OPPOSITE: not everyone is keen to pass the baby on (I found it hard to hand over my newborn to even her own dad!) so take advantage of this simply perfect invention: the sling! Baby is now part of you and can’t be separated, prodded and poked, taken away from you against your will. You can BOTH run away together when it all gets too much and take a stroll in the fresh air.
M for Mummy knows best and MASSAGE! Following on from the same theme: mummy knows best, so trust your instinct. If you feel overwhelmed, it’s likely your baby does too. Need a ‘loo break’? Extend it by 5 and enjoy the peace. Of course babies need to come to the loo with us. Every time! 😉 Or otherwise. Hand baby over to a loving relative (perhaps one who knows not to feed Christmas cake to an exclusively breastfed 3 months old) and RUN! As for massage: baby massage is a lovely way to bond, soothe and calm nerves, deal with a plethora of ailments in baby. Learn some baby massage techniques and apply them in those stressful moments or at the end of a busy day. Babies are too young to understand the meaning of topsy turvy routines, the hustle and the bustle and they can easily get overstimulated. Learn to spot the signs and take some deep breaths together (check out my Mindful Breath Instagram reel). Mindfulness… another M! Check out what I offer under Mindful Breastfeeding Services and treat yourself.
A for ALCOHOL. Are you tempted to have a glass of that lovely smelling mulled wine on your walk around the Christmas market, or your favourite Prosecco at your special family dinner? Why hold back? Whether you are a breastfeeding mother or not, you are entitled to relax the way you want to. If you enjoy a glass or two of your favourite boozy drink, you need not feel guilty or hold back. Read the article here for the lowdown on everything breastfeeding and alcohol and CHEERS!
R if for ROUTINES. What did you say? What routines? Ah, you mean your baby never had any of that stuff before? Well, in that case it’s probably not the best time to start. Hold off till after the festivities and just enjoy the chaos. Or at least embrace it. Tolerate it? I would highly recommend reading this article and this book to put your mind at ease. Feeding times may go out the window if your baby is distracted or overstimulated (so more than usual or fewer than usual feeds can happen). Bedtimes will do the same also, as babies also experience FOMO, plus we may not feel like saying goodbye to our guests at 8pm, just because it’s our baby’s ‘usual bedtime’ and we are most likely end up ‘boobie trapped’ upstairs, missing out on all the fun. (Of course feel free to use this as a great excuse to get away from aunt Flo who says “you should start introducing solids RIGHT NOW and anyway STOP picking up that baby every time they squeak as you’re making a rod for your own back”. See above in point 2.) Trust that things will start falling into place when life returns to some form of normality, and you’ll be better placed to introduce little routines and tweaks into your days.
T for TRAVELLING? Travelling with a baby under 6 months is a sort of ‘honeymoon’ period for most. Sorry if you are not in that lucky group of people and your baby HATES car journeys or flying. It’s often a time babies are mostly sleeping and feeding, and so once their basic needs are catered for and mummy is near, they are in 7th heaven. Breastfeeding solves ALL issues: hunger, emotional upheavals, oncoming illness, need for comfort and connection. ‘When in doubt, whip it out!’ as my funny colleague in Australia puts it. Once sitting, crawling and generally more interactive, you need to be a bit better prepared: a box of ‘tricks’: more unusual and unfamiliar toys, Aquadoodle (a genius invention given to us when my ones were small!), some exciting snacks and of course boobs on tap can solve most issues! Do be aware of the risks of ‘Chirstmastitis’ and holiday weaning: watch your babies and boobies a bit more closely as time passes differently with distractions and you might experience consequences. Finding that quiet corner away from aunt Flo will come in handy yet again. Sleeping in a strange environment may knock routines out of the way too, so don’t be alarmed and just try and go with the flow and expect to settle again once back home. Did I hear them say ‘a change is as good as a holiday’? Say it again!
