The Things I Googled
Becoming a mother is crazy. In an instant your world completely changes and it doesn’t matter how much you prepared for that change, you will be unprepared for what’s to come. So, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the things I googled during that first four-week haze. From the good to the goofy, here’s the list. Some of it I hope you will find genuinely helpful, as some of them I’ve linked to articles that helped me. The rest, at a minimum, will hopefully give you a good laugh and let you know that you aren’t the only one looking up “boobs different sizes from breastfeeding” at 3am.
Note: I forgot to keep track of all of it – I was tired, ok? So what follows is only a partial list. Though honestly, it’s probably for the best because I don’t think anyone has the time or care to read through the full list. Nor do I really want to be confronted with how much time I have actually wasted looking up ridiculous things.
Peri Bottle
Best Nursing Tops
Still searching…
Patio Furniture
Big Green Egg
How much caffeine when breastfeeding
After a very brief cold-turkey hiatus that lasted only a few weeks in the first trimester, I continued to have my cup of coffee every day while pregnant. But can I have more coffee now? Now that I’m barely sleeping and having to function like someone’s life depends on it? I’ll let you decide for yourselves what’s acceptable. My take is that I still have my coffee as needed, but I try to really space out my caffeine intake and to also drink a crazy amount of water throughout the day. I have not noticed any signs indicating that the baby is sensitive to caffeine. However, I did notice that when I switched from putting skim milk to oat milk in my coffee, the baby had less gas.
Newborn Baby Boy Clothes
Cradle cap
Baby spit up
Newborn acne
How many weeks in a year
You’d think I’d know this one by heart by now. It’s 52. (I had to google it again to confirm. You’re welcome)
(lots and lots of online shopping. I will spare you those individual googles)
Postpartum Belly
How long does it take for your belly to go down after birth
It varies. And I wish I had relaxed more about it. It goes down in due time.
Abdominal rehab
Do postpartum tummy belts help
For the record, I didn’t end up using one. Nor did I begin abdominal exercises until after week 7, and even then they were minimal. I figured my body just went through a whole lot of hard work and discomfort and it deserved a time to rest and heal. And if that meant having a lumpy tummy for a while, so be it. I’m 9 weeks pp now, and am very glad I made the decision.
When did your newborn become more alert
How to wean off nipple shield (other helpful articles: here and here)
Still haven’t quite figured this one out, despite all the wonderful tips out there. If you’ve had success, let us know how you did it!
10 days postpartum bleeding again
How much should a newborn sleep
Does Postpartum running cause bleeding
Please know I was not inquiring about exercise, as I haven’t gone for a run in over two years and have no intention of starting now. But I left my wallet and keys at a restaurant and as soon as I realized it, ran, in a complete panic, the two blocks back. Thankfully a good samaritan had turned them in. Also thankful my mom was with me and stayed with the stroller so I didn’t end up abandoning my newborn on the sidewalk.
10 days bleeding a lot headache
How to tie the moby wrap
Eff this. I never could figure it out.
How to share an instagram story to a page
Because I am the equivalent of a 94 year old trying to use “the social media.”
Banana Chocolate chip muffins
When do babies start to smile
Can you put lotion on a newborn
We didn’t start using lotion until we started doing regular baths, which admittedly wasn’t until a week or two after the cord fell off. But here’s the official rec I found: “During the newborn stage, babies usually do not need additional lotion on their skin. Some babies have skin that is very dry and splits, especially around the ankles and hands. You can put olive oil, Vaseline, or A‑D ointment on those areas. If you want to use lotion, choose one that does not have perfume or dyes, such as Aquaphor or Eucerin. Bathing and soap are drying to your baby’s skin, so don’t bathe your baby too often and use only a small amount of soap on your baby’s skin.”
UppaBaby infant seat insert
Napping in carseat attached to stroller
I had major anxiety about napping in the carseat, and spent a lot of time googling it due to some recent headlines about how you shouldn’t. My biggest concern was that my carseat clicks into the stroller so our baby falls asleep in it a lot. I won’t tell you what to do on this one, it’s too sensitive a subject and honestly, even after all the articles I’ve read I still don’t feel like I know enough about it. But I’ve decided that for us, if the carseat is clipped into the stroller it’s the same as being installed properly in the car, and thus, if he falls asleep in the stroller I’m not going to stress about it. Though I would never leave him unattended to nap in it.
Oz to Cups
This is just embarrassing. There are 8 oz in 1 cup.
How often to breastfeed
My kid eats a TON and FREQUENTLY. None of the articles really helped because people’s feeding schedules and babies are all different. I decided to feed on demand for the first few months, so that’s what we’re doing for now. It’s working fine, though I think we’re going to try to get on more of a “schedule” around 12 weeks. We’ll see…
Alternating breasts when breastfeeding
Mastitis
I had it. It sucked. If you think you might have it, contact your doctor asap. Though I wasn’t thrilled to be on antibiotics, once you start them, it gets better pretty quickly.
Plugged Duct How to massage breast
For me, massaging in the shower with the help of a wide-toothed comb did the trick. For one of the really bad ones, I actually felt a “pop” and then a release and instantly a lot of symptoms went away. It was crazy.
Also, get Sunflower Lecithin. It really helped me. But be careful, Sunflower Lecithin can cause some GI issues in some. So, though some people recommend taking it for maintenance, I only took to help relieve a clogged duct, and then again whenever I felt one beginning to form.
I don’t feel the letdown when nursing
Leg Twitching in sleep
While awake nursing multiple times a night, I noticed my husband often has a leg twitch in his sleep. I always forget about it by the time we wake up in the morning. To my husband, if you happen to be reading this, you have a leg twitch when you sleep, so this article is for you.
Can baby choke when Spitting up lying down
The illustration in this article is awesome and finally gave me some peace of mind.
Clogged duct vs. lump
Still not totally sure. I’d highly recommend doing breast checks and knowing your breasts before your milk comes in. And doing frequent checks once it has come in.
Travel changing mat
How to clean a baby boy’s penis during diaper changes
Baby vomit vs. spitup
HEB curbside groceries
Lifesaver
Breastfeeding and wine (more official source here)
Mother’s Day 2019
I was so looking forward to our first mother’s day!
Bayou City Breastfeeding
If you are in the Houston area, I highly recommend.
Breastfeeding and alcohol
haha I look this one up a lot, actually. Just to be sure 🙂
Hidden Laundry Hamper
What they say about babies and laundry is true. It’s a never-ending chore. Still haven’t found one I like. Any suggestions?
Are citronella candles safe for babies
Measles outbreak
I am terrified of all of these unnecessary outbreaks. Please, get your kids vaccinated.
Otteroo
Bumbo changing pad
Tongue tie
We have a mild one and still haven’t decided what to do. He’s getting better at latching as he gets bigger, but at this point he prefers the shield so it’s still a struggle…
Baby hasn’t pooped in 24 hours
…and then suddenly he pooped. And it was just as bad as you’d expect.
*SNL skit Emma Thompson mothers day*
This was technically after the 4 week mark but I love it so much that I wanted to include it anyway.
Disclaimer: I do not endorse any of the linked articles, nor do I include them as official recommendations. They are simply the sources I found when googling and that were helpful to me.