Co sleeping/sleep training

LONG POST

My baby is 8 weeks old today and I’m already anxiously looking at what sleep training will look like eventually.
For context, I started out of the hospital bottle feeding & BFing and eventually it evolved to EBF. We don’t have a crib, we have a pack and play where we mostly change him. The first week my MIL stayed with us and was extremely helpful and he would sleep in the pack and play or be held by grandma while (she’s in love). When she left, it was just me with him by myself all day while his dad works 70+hours weekly and is gone more than 12 hours a day.
With me being on unpaid maternity leave, our funds have been limited and we’ve allocated funds to urgent, in your face needs like rent, light bill, transportation, food, etc. Everything else has been relegated to the back. With me EBF we definitely are saving on formula and I only have a manual pump. I gave up on pumping the second or third week because I felt like I was either pumping or feeding. I just didn’t have time to do anything else, including resting.
My anxiety is coming in because I know eventually I’ll have to leave him with somebody (like his grandmother) while I’m gone for hours and he absolutely refuses bottles now. I’m supposed to go back to work the first week of December, just 2 days/weekly and 12 hour shifts and I’m uneasy. I keep telling hubby to get me an electric pump so I can start prepping him for when I go back to work.
Now to the sleeping issue. We have been cosleeping since I gave up on pumping because it’s easier to just turn around and pull a boob out and he’s healthy. My issue is that I want to make it easy for whenever his grandma wants to keep him for the weekend and progressively get him to sleep by himself. We take contact naps throughout the day and if I get up and leave him there he wakes up within 5min. When I say I have a Velcro baby, I mean it. I also feel like he nurses literally at least twice an hour. I’ve been trying to make sure he needs something before I put a boob in his mouth but most of the time it’s hunger for real. Even my family has nicknamed him mr Greedy for that very reason. There’s very little to nothing I can do most days. Not to mention my goal while pregnant was to get him out of our room around 6 months and I just don’t see that happening. This is my very first baby and of course my mom and family has all given their opinions but I was wondering if anyone has any advice, insight from experience?
Sorry for the long post.

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I fed my LG at 8 weeks every 2 hours and she’s feed for sometimes 40mins but mostly 20-30 and sometimes she would have a snack after an hour of about 5 mins I just fed on demand and now my Lg is 23 weeks and is a great weight and size and feeds every 3 hours. I also did loads of contact naps and still do them but probs only once a day. I no you don’t like pumping but I found pumping at 3am and after the first AM feed the best time and I could only pump enough for a day in advance so maybe try different time for pumping ? I used the mom cozy electric pump and it’s fantastic
As for the sleeping I personally waited 15 mins before walking away for anything I’d not I always stayed in the room my Lg napped in and then I got a camera so if she stirred I could be there if she opened her eyes. I duno if any off my woffel has helped but that’s just what worked for me. Xx I also still do sleep when it get tough

So first … don’t stress your baby not taking a bottle rn … he loves mommy but when you go back to work and he’s on hour 5 hungry .. he will take the bottle 😂 .. the funny thing about good grandmas (sounds like you have a good one) they make ish happen .. I would not stress in the slightest what will go on there while you’re at work .. grandma will get baby to sleep and eat and keep him nice and happy . Google aeroflow and sign up see if you can go through them to get a free pump through insurance if they don’t work with your insurance figure out who does you’ll get a free electric Breast pump . You do need to figure that aspect out if you won’t be using formula because getting your baby to eat formula from breast milk is an entirely different ball park .. you’ll need to have a good stash so granny won’t run out .. it’s way more difficult now because how tinie tiny he is but by 6 months he’ll be a completely different baby . I baby led weened every single thing

Follow baby’s cues and be in the moment ! Fuck alllll that other shit it will figure itself out . You are putting wayyyyyyy toooo much pressure on yourself and these types of things lead to PPD you’re in the thick of it enjoy the skin to skin and snuggles take things one day at a time and right now .. just work on getting your pump through insurance. Boom one thing off the check list.

Thank you !! ❤️❤️ That’s super helpful I didn’t think about it this way. I’ll see if I can pump enough for a bottle to start with.
I had 3 min to spare 2 days ago and I pumped 4oz in 3min so I’ll try again when his dad is here at night.

I’m only now seeing all the rest of the comments so let me reply!
I do not have insurance so I do not qualify for any free pump through it although the hospital offered to rent me a pump and I declined it cause I was thinking about the funds. (Hubby got on me about declining it lol. He said he would’ve figured it out).
I will try sticking to a specific time for a start!
😂😂 We just talked about this! Maybe it’s because I’m around! And yes, I definitely do not want to introduce formula unless I absolutely have to cause I don’t want my supply to be drastically affected.
I’m definitely enjoying the cosleeping. I’m so in love. Even though I’d like to be able to do other stuff sometimes lol.
Thanks ladies for the encouragement! I will take it day by day

ohhhh shoot well .. there is options out there don’t think you need one that’s hundreds of dollars they all work pretty much the same . I promise you that’s what it is .. as a mom you’ll find yourself saying “this mfer” a lot lmao I’ll say “ooohh nooo sorry my daughter hates pickles” here df random lady in Publix goes giving my daughter a pickle and she fucking eats it .. makes me look like a liar .. kids are completely different around mama then anyone else it gets annoying sometimes. But it’s not even about your supply the baby gets sick as fuck for the first few days of the switch .. I mean not all baby are the same of course but it’s a shock to the tummy difference in ingredients you don’t want to do that to granny lol

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