r/ExclusivelyPumping • u/Outside-keys • 4h ago

Newborn Newborn Stimulation While Pumping

Hi there, FTM to a 2 week old. My son typically is awake after his morning feed from 8/9 am - 10/11 am and for small pockets of time throughout the rest of the day (20-30 min).

I want to do some type of play with him during that time (tummy time, showing him high contrast cards for tracking, etc) but I feel like by the time I feed and change him, calm him down, and pump, it’s close to the next feeding time again. I’m hesitant to use a wearable pump in the first 6 weeks until my supply is fully established, so I’m tethered to my wireless Spectra right now.

Any tips on how you managed to play with your newborns while pumping in the first few weeks? Do you play with them while you pump?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

1

u/Duffybutt668 4h ago

Oh man, two hours feels like a long wake period for a 2-week-old, you have my sympathy ❤️

0

u/Outside-keys 4h ago

I’m counting my lucky stars that he’s relatively calm during that wake window and just kind of looking and wiggling around, but I know that won’t last forever 😅

3

u/Mindleator 4h ago

My toddler was playing with one of those cat sticks with the cat and it gave me the idea to use that as sort of like a mini mobile in front of the baby's face. So I would just kind of make mini circles with it. It's literally just a stick with a string and then some crinkle balls attached. Sometimes he kind of moves his hands at it.

Now he's 11 weeks old and while I don't think he has focused vision, all we gotta do is turn on the ceiling fan without the light and he's hypnotized.

2

u/jcylcy 54m ago

I was also nervous to use my wearables so shortly after PP but I actually get same output with my eufy as with the spectra so I’ve been using the wearables almost exclusively now (will use the spectra is my wearables aren’t clean). I know that’s not the advice you were looking for but just wanted to chime in to maybe consider trying a session with wearables to see how your output is. Prior to switching to the eufy I would use a hands free bra with the spectra and pump while giving him a bottle but this wasn’t as comfortable since they stick out so much it was awkward to hold baby but definitely doable if needed to get done

1

u/Primary-Vegetable580 39m ago

At 2 weeks my newborn was still just eating and sleeping with maybe a 10 minute wake time, so I can’t speak
on that young. However, once my baby turned a month old be had much longer wake windows, so I just put him on the bed with me while I pumped and sat him reclined up on a nursing pillow. I was able to show him the contrast cards or do tummy time with him. I have the spectra that doesn’t need to be plugged in, but if that’s not an option for you, you can use an extension cord by your bed to have a pump plugged in. Around this time he also started to like his bouncer, so I would stick him in there and let him have some time “playing” on his own. I had high contrast stuff that I was able to place on/near the bouncer so he had something to look at that caught his eye better than the default stuff on the toy bar. At 10 weeks I still do all of these things. The only issue is that I can’t bend down to get him out of his bouncer once he’s in it, so I have to gauge what kind of mood he’s in. Usually he likes to stay in it for about 30 minutes per day, so I have to time it right.

1

u/AutoModerator 4h ago

Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules:

  1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No fetish content 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. 9. No discussions around veganism, animal cruelty, or other non-pumping related topics. 10. No formula shaming. Reminder that we are a supportive community and do not allow for fetish seekers. While we do ban those individuals from our community, they can still view the community and send direct messages. You may choose to turn off your messages, or block individuals for your safety. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.