Noise is Your Friend

I remember before our wonderful bundle of joy arrived we (I) worried about how she would sleep because we live in an apartment. In all honesty, having a newborn in an apartment can be somewhat terrifying because you can't control that much of the environment. For instance they tell you to control the temperature on your hot water heater--that just isn't an option for most apartment buildings.


But the most troubling for this control freak is the noise control. We live in one of the entry way apartments, which means you hear most of the comings and goings. This was amplified by the fact that, until recently, our entryway door had keys perpetually getting stuck in it. For some reason people thought banging the door against the frame was the most efficient way to remove them; sorry, folks, a little jiggle should do the trick. Our apartment also faces the street, so there is a steady bustle of cars and people walking.

I guess what I'm saying is that our building, that I would characterize as fairly quiet before, becomes excruciatingly loud when you start thinking about a sleeping baby. So I figured out a way to combat this problem: television (our any noise) is your friend.


Even at the hospital, I always had the television on and she didn't leave my room. Then once we arrived home, we have constantly had the television on. I'm really not exaggerating much--we turn the TV off right before the hubby and I go to sleep. I know it sounds simple and ridiculous at the same time. But I didn't want strange voices, door slams, loud hustle and bustle to freak her out. Not to be boastful, but I have to give myself a pat on the back: Noise has never been an issue for her sleeping habits.

But noise isn't really a new idea. Most baby books recommend playing some sort of sounds to soothe sleeping babies (i.e.: white noise, womb sounds, rain, etc). We also do the womb sounds on her snuggle nest and bassinet. Recently she's started "engaging" with toys (she looks and talks to them, but not quite grabbing). So in that regard, we play these sounds with a pink and purple seahorse and a Sleep Sheep.

In all fairness, though, she's my daughter--she likes noise of all kind. I sing to her constantly (poor kid!); and even though it's unintelligible, she's already a chatterbox. Plus, I like being on the go, and having a noise resistant baby makes outings so much easier.

Breastflow Bottles

So, my week for "mommy time" was a little longer, namely because of the 4th of July. It was a nationally holiday and I enjoyed time with my family over a LONG weekend, sue me! 


Any who! We're back on schedule. My mommy must have this week is a the bottle: First Years Breastflow Bottle. For the record, yes, I'm still breast feeding; but occasionally you need a break or you indulge in something that requires you to take a break. 

I know I mentioned in an earlier post about my fear of giving of giving Thia a bottle to early because I didn't want her to have nipple confusion. I also talked about how I overproduced and was in pain/exhaustion and the hubby gave her the first bottle at about 2 weeks old. I was horrified that I did this, but I had to for my sanity and sleep schedule. 

This was that first bottle!

Before little miss Thia arrived I did my research on bottles. I read about the ones that reduce colic and then you have bargain brands. But during my breast feeding class (yes, I took a class), the instructor mentioned the Breastflow Bottle; so I included it in my research. I will admit, it looks a bit complicated with it's two nipples; but it's truly a Godsend for a breast feeding mom (and not really complicated, just put the blue nipple in the grooves). 


The Breastflow Bottle mimics the feel of actual breast feeding in a couple of ways. The first is the size of the outer nipple. It's overly sized to mimic mom's breast. The second reason is those complicated two nipples I mentioned. The dual nipples create a similar suction to the breast. Both of these make the bottle fantastic for a breast feeding mom. Each feature keeps your baby from getting lazy with a small nipple or an easy flow nipple. 


I'm not saying that only breast feeding moms should use the Breastflow Bottle. It also claims to reduce colic (I have to believe that's accurate because my child is not colic-y). Plus they aren't badly priced at the full set at the beginning of the post only costing $16. But I also think this bottle is fantastic must have for moms who are having trouble with breast feeding at first and aren't quite there yet. It gets the baby used to the work of feeding, which means moms can just focus on the latch!

Obviously this is just what worked breast  best (ha!) for me. Every baby is different and you have to do what works for you and your baby. But I know the Breastflow Bottles give me a peace of mind that I wouldn't have with a different bottle.