Breastfeeding:

• Eat oats to increase your milk supply.
• Don’t drink body armor.
• Drink as much water as possible.
• Eat a well-rounded diet.
• But eat LOTS of protein.
• Make sure you’re getting your fiber in.
• Don’t forget the calcium.
• If the baby gets a bottle, you HAVE to pump.
• Breast is best.
• If they take a pacifier, they won’t take your breast.
• Pump at least 3 times a day to make sure you’ve got a freezer stash just in case.
• Don’t eat in calorie deficit or you’ll lose your supply.
• Take sunflower lecithin to avoid clogged ducts.
• Lactation cookies should help with that supply.
• Take your baby to a dentist to check for tongue and lip ties.
• Cut out dairy.
• Cut out anything that upsets your stomach.
• Feed them every 2 hours.
• Feed them on-demand.
• They’re not sleeping through the night because they’re not getting enough food during the day.

Sleeping:

• Don’t swaddle.
• Do swaddle.
• Keep their hands covered so they don’t scratch their face.
• Keep their hands and feet exposed so they can discover them.
• Don’t give them a pacifier.
• Give them a pacifier, but only a certain kind that’s good for their teeth.
• Don’t let them sleep with their mouth open.
• Don’t nurse them to sleep.
• Lay them down drowsy but awake.
• Wait until they’re in a deep sleep before putting them down.
• Make sure the room is at the perfect temperature.
• Make sure you get a sound machine, black out curtains, and have a routine.
• Use a sleep monitor to catch SIDS.
• Don’t use a sleep monitor because it’s anxiety-inducing.
• Use a bedside bassinet.
• Don’t use a bedside bassinet.
• Discontinue use of bassinet at signs of rolling.
• Discontinue use of bassinet once already rolling.
• Let them cry it out.
• Never let your baby suffer.
• Contact napping is great for you and your baby.
• Don’t contact nap too much, they should be able to sleep on their own.

Parenting:

• Make sure they’re getting their wake windows in.
• Are they hitting their milestones?
• Are they staying on their growth curves?
• How much tummy time are they getting?
• Make sure their head isn’t getting any flat spots.
• Don’t put the baby down, time moves so quickly.
• Put the baby down, you don’t want to spoil them.
• Make sure you’re doing things with them to expand their brain.
• Don’t make them over stimulated.
• Talk to them a lot, but not in baby talk.
• Weigh your baby to make sure they’re on track.
• Don’t weigh your baby, it’ll stress you out.

It’s not supposed to be this hard. Look I understand where all of this is coming from, but it’s so confusing as a parent to know what is right and what is just noise. There’s so much bullcrap out there and it’s so stressful as a parent trying to understand what’s fact and what’s fiction. The number one thing I’ve learned as a parent is that there are very few things that are scientifically proven to be important to do: feed your baby, make them sleep flat on their backs at night with nothing around them, and CARE.

**If you’re so inclined, Cribsheet by Emily Oster has really helped me quiet the noise.**

Next Serve, Nicole