Each week DaddiLifeForce brings you inspiration curated from the community, to turn average time into more winning dad moments. This week we’re delighted that Marquis from The Unfit dad is taking charge, and changing the way we think about the night feed. Over to Marquis.
I’m a dad to 16-month-old twin boys. My wife and I live in a small beach town an hour outside of Toronto, Canada and when we’re not wrangling toddlers and saving them from falling down stairs, off a couch or eating the dog’s tail we can probably be found watching Netflix, renovating some room in our house or sleeping, cause like we already know, we’ve only got limited time.
If you’re like me then you’re probably guilty of the fact that you’d roll your eyes every time someone uttered the words, “Better get some sleep now, while you still can!” As soon as we announced to the world that we were going to be parents that’s pretty much all we heard. Then we found out we were having twins and the comments became more numerous. It’s almost like they were telling you to save up sleep and bank it for when you really needed it. Oh if only it worked like that.
We’d later come to find out that the baby night feed was a beast that was not easily tamed. We started to realize that with the onslaught of comments, one thing was true, they were all right and the world as we knew it was about to change forever. Our precious cat naps and Sunday afternoon slumbers disappeared. So, heed my words, get some sleep now, while you still can ?
Today, I’ll be sharing some tips from myself and other dads on how to get through it and will be opening up the comment section to hear about what worked for you when you were on feeding duty.
I hope you enjoy today’s post!
Two are better than one
I’m going to give this to you from two angles. To the parents of multiples, you’re both getting up to feed the babies. Guys, do not leave mom to do it on her own. Remember, getting back to bed is the most important thing here. When we brought our boys home they were 50% breastfed and 50% bottle fed. My wife would either feed them both or one at a time depending on how the feed was going. When she was done we would trade and I would top them up with the bottle.
Out of frame is my wife pumping for the next feed. (For my eyes only)
Dads of singletons, you’re not totally off the hook. “She breastfeeds the baby so there is nothing for me to do.” Trust me, there is plenty you can be doing. Keeping in mind she wants to get back to bed just as badly as you – it’s key to work as a team. Here are some ways you can assist in a speedy feeding:
- Grab her a drink (breastfeeding moms need to drink lots of fluids)
- Offer to bottle feed baby breast milk while mom pumps (if this is something you do)
- Provide emotional support. Talk to your doctor about this one as I’m not qualified to give professional advice, but one thing that worked for us was to breastfeed during the day all while pumping so that on the overnight feeds we could give the boys warmed breastmilk in a bottle. This is great for when mom needs that extra rest, dad can tackle the feed on his own and not feel on the outside. This is a great bonding opportunity with your baby, as well.
Here is what some other dads had to say
If you’re not alone it’s less of a battle – getting other significant others involved
or even get the pets involved (!) haha
Why not make the most of your time and learn something new?!
At the end of the day, the day is over and there are a million different things you can do to get through the night feed. The most important thing is to (try and) remember to cherish those moments. As frustrating as they can be they’ll be gone soon enough and those little cuddle monsters will turn into running screaming terrors that want to break everything in your house. Hold onto it while you’ve still got it.
For more tips like these related to night feeding CLICK HERE!
Until next time, lads. Thanks for having me as your DaddiLifeForce Ambassador this week!
Marquis (The Unfit Dad)
