A podcaster, author, and new mom is sharing a PSA on the subject of what no one tells you about breastfeeding a newborn.
As Dana Schwartz (@danaschwartzzz) says in an Instagram post that was liked over 68,000 times at the time of writing, she was aware that newborns need to feed every two to three hours. What she didn’t know? That you actually start the clock “from when the baby starts eating, not when they finish eating.”
The Reality of Breastfeeding a Newborn
Schwartz admits she originally thought the two-to-three-hour window would work well for her as a new mom.
“I was like great. I’ll breastfeed and then I’ll have two to three hours to be a person,” the content creator says in her short video. She’d shower, or “do basic human things like nap or eat food,” Schwartz jokes.
But according to her, the thing nobody tells you is that babies take half an hour or longer to feed—then you need to burp and change them. That process lasts close to an hour, so you’re really dealing with one or two hours until you need to start all over with a breastfeeding sesh.
“It’s crazy. I do nothing else,” Schwartz says at the end of her share, also calling breastfeeding a full-time job. She ultimately encourages everyone to buy a slice of cake for a breastfeeding person in their lives—not that they’d have time to enjoy it!
At Least This Nursing Mom Is Not Alone
Commenters quickly weighed in that they relate hard to what Schwartz shared about her breastfeeding journey.
“And then you have to hold them upright for at least 30 minutes so they don’t throw up, but then they throw up anyway, so you have to fully change them. And repeat,” wrote one parent who is clearly in the trenches of feeding a newborn as well.
“And then there’s the cluster feeding and growth spurts,” reminded someone else. Indeed, this stage of constant feeding sometimes means you only get a half-hour reprieve—or even less—from the baby at the breast.
Meanwhile, many commenters stepped in to note how fleeting the newborn phase is.
“The good news is this stage passes quickly! And the sad news is that this stage passes quickly,” reminisced one Instagram user.
Another commenter encouraged Schwartz to see the light at the end of the tunnel, writing, “They do get faster and way more efficient eventually. I promise it gets easier.”
Finally, several commenters wanted to uplift this new mom, with one writing, “As long as you’re keeping the baby and yourself alive, you’re doing great!”
I can also relate to this and so many other parents’ struggles. Case in point: This morning, I breastfed my 3-week-old before taking my other son to preschool, which is about 30 mins from our house.
Once I got there, walked him in, and returned to the car, my baby was ready to nurse again. I fed him in the parking lot, then drove home. After quickly stuffing a few pieces of toast in my mouth, I sat down to feed him yet again.
I’ll be leaving soon to pick my son up, so I’ll likely try to feed the baby before we go—and once again when we get home. Sigh.
Although it’s difficult to do anything other than breastfeed, I’ll admit that I am also loving this time. Since I have older children, I know how fast each stage goes, and I try to pause and enjoy my son as he is right now, rather than constantly fretting about how demanding having a newborn is.
That said, I have to run. Time to breastfeed.
