Month: June 2016

Daddy Nursing Tips: You Don’t Got Dem Boobies, But You Got Duties!

1 Comment

DaddyNursingTips

Most mothers know breastfeeding is one of the hardest challenges of motherhood.   Nursing is something most moms want to do, not all can for many reasons, and some give up because of challenges they face.   When you are a breastfeeder- you are the cow…ugh I mean food supply. No one can give you a 2am break to get some needed sleep or a 6pm break so you can actually eat a meal with two hands.   I am very lucky that I have a 100% supportive husband for me being the only one who can feed our child.   One breastfeeding session alone can take around 30 minutes resulting in a lot of lost sleep for mommy and less chores she can do around the house. (Oh darn on that second one). Parenting is a team effort, so DADS here is where you can pick up your end of the bargain with some tips to help your wife through this challenging time.

  1. When the baby cries in the middle of the night go get them first! Yes that newborn probably wants milk but first that little bundle must be changed. This allows mommy some time to go to the bathroom or rub the crust out of her eye before a 3am feeding.
  2. After you have changed the baby and passed them off to mom make sure she has necessities: a drink and entertainment. After my husband always passes of the baby to me, he makes sure I have my phone and a bottle of water in arms reach. There is something about nursing that makes you INSTANTLY thirsty, and I’m not going to lie, if I wasn’t Instagram stalking people at 4am I would fall asleep on the job! He even stepped it up a notch and would put my hair up in a bun for me so it didn’t get tangled in the little one’s fingers. I KNOW he is amazing.
  3. Remember mommy’s job is input, your job is output. Yep, if the baby is dirty just go change them!   Once you’ve master the art of diaper changing and you’re not dealing with a stage ten blowout a diaper change can take minutes- remember breastfeeding can take almost thirty minutes.
  4. Do more chores-laundry, dishes, whatever! I pretty much a psycho when it comes to a clean house. There is nothing more frustrating to me when I am in the middle of cleaning or doing a chore when I have to stop what I’m doing to nurse. Then you just have to sit there for what feels like forever and STARE at the disaster that is your kitchen.   So if your wifey has to pause a job, finish it for her OR even better start before that little gal or little man wants to eat.
  5. When mommy is nursing give a little massage! Breastfeeding can really hurt your back and/or arms.   Personally, I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders when breastfeeding and let me tell you its an amazing feeling when my husband is rubbing my shoulders when I am cuddling my son.
  6. If you’re wifey is a working and pumping mama wash those bottles like nobodies business! Pumping at work is a whole other challenge, then you find yourself home from a long day’s work to your more important job parenthood only to have to store ounces of breastmilk every night and breast pump attachments to wash. Ugh, I’m exhausted just typing the words! Help out mommy, she took time out of her workday, so now its your turn-wash, dry, store, label, freeze.

There are my tips for you dads!  These are also not things I never asked my husband to do, these are things he just did ON HIS OWN to help me and support me through this journey.

Until next time XOXO

Your Redlocks and Shamrocks girl,

Lisa Doyle

Why Redlocks and Shamrocks?

3 Comments

Why Redlocks and Shamrocks?cropped-artboard-1.png

So I know you have many questions about Redlocks and Shamrocks. Why did she name it that? Why even start a blog? What will I read on this blog of Lisa’s? She has two kids and works full time, who has time!? She is crazy!

Well let’s first start off with why I wanted to start blogging.   I have always been a writer of my thoughts.   I’ve kept a journal since I was in middle school writing down the journeys and questions of a crazy teenage girl. In college I first had the major of journalism because of my love for writing, but soon changed it to education to teach writing.   Flash forward to decades down the road to me not having a creative outlet of dancing or writing when the idea of blogging hit me after some people have reached out to me via social media for random advice. I was getting questions from people like, “where did you get that maternity dress?” “What camera do you use?” “Does Logan ever do…..” to “What photographer did you use for your wedding?” So I thought why not start a blog to help others and start a resource for girls to go to, and maybe even for other moms and women to share their thoughts and advice.IMG_4273

The name “Redlocks and Shamrocks” is something that represents me.   My redlocks are my signature “look” and has always made me stand out in a crowd.   Shamrocks is something that represents the Doyle’s, or the beginning of my super cool family.   My husband and I although briefly met years prior to, met on St. Patrick’s Day-dressed in green with love in our eyes.   It really was love at first sight and I knew going home that evening that Kerry was a great catch.   St. Patrick’s Day since then has always been the Doyle holiday.   We even had a St. Patrick’s Day themed rehearsal dinner for our wedding in the middle of June. I wish I could say that I was creative enough to come up with the name Redlocks and Shamrocks, but that was all my talented husband’s idea.

So on to the next questions you have, what will you read on this amazing blog? At any given point I have 1,000 ideas running through my head.   I am no way a perfect parent but I sure am trying to give my kids the best life and I hope to write about that.   I will share product reviews and tips on parenting, beauty, fashion, and hobbies of mine.   I have no idea how to answer the last question, “How will this working mother of two young children do this?” I don’t know, but I am going to give it a good shot and drink lots and lots of coffee on the way!

Until next time XOXO

Your Redlocks and Shamrocks girl,

Lisa Doyle

Lisa’s Tips For Bringing Home Baby #2!

Leave a comment

BriningHomeBaby2

Lisa’s 6 Tips for

Bringing Home Baby Number TWO!

  1. This is more like a pre-hospital tip: give your child a baby dIMG_0087oll when you’re pregnant. My daughter Logan was just 9 months old when we found out The Doyle’s were blessed with baby number two.   We were thrilled, but would Logan be old enough to understand the joys of having a sibling? Yes. By the time she was one, giving her a baby doll was the best idea. We taught her how to hold the baby, give it a bottle, whisper to the baby, sing to it, and most importantly be gentle! This worked out great for Logan.   Although sometimes I think she believes Kohen is her “real baby doll” giving her a toy doll was very successful for our family.

 

  1. Talk to your child about going to the hospital. I was so sad to leave Logan for several days to deliver our new bundle. I wanted so badly for her to come with us, but let’s be honest that would have been a disaster to bring a 17-month-old along in tow.   Although Logan (at the time) couldn’t expresses too many things in words, we always tried to talk to her like a grown up about things that were going to happen.   We told her she would be staying with grandma for a few days and the baby would come home. I’m not sure if she understood this, but reminding her about a “grandma and grandpa vacation” and “a new baby” seemed to help and ease her worries.  We all know as parents, routine is KEY and not only a new brother would change this routine, but the days in the hospital would turn her world upside down.IMG_2282 - Version 2

 

  1. Spoil the older one with big sister gifts. I bought Logan a few big sister shirts to make her feel special. I wish I would have gotten her a few toys and what not but I dropped the ballIMG_2187 on that. My mom did a great job of making Logan feel special when we were in the hospital. She gave her new outfits (Logan’s obsession) and some toys to keep her busy. There are a bunch of fun big brother/big sister books out there too!


  1. When you finally get to bring the older child to meet the baby, make it all about the older child and not the baby. Although you are obsessed with your newborn and exhausted make the first meet-and-greet about the first born child y so they don’t feel scared.   When Logan showed up we made sure not to be holding Kohen and to greet Logan with tons of love, kisses, and attention. She was so confused about the hospital and why mommy looked so crazy. Lol. After she got warmed up to the hospital I held Kohen and we introduced them. Then we let Logan explore the situation and say “hi” to her new baby brother.   We each took turns holding Kohen and allowing Logan to take a peek. Even though Logan seemed like a baby herself only being 17 months old, the moment she held her little brother (with assistance from mom) it was love at first sight.

 

  1. When you get the baby home, give the older one a “job”. So Logan was a late walker (15 months) and Kohen arrives when she was 17 months, so I know what you are thinking “what job can I give them?” I have basically TWO BABIES! Logan feels very important when getting to help me take care of her brother. This job makes her feel included verses left out and helped reduce jealousy because she is apart of the process, not ignored. These are Logan’s “jobs” -retrieving diapers, handing me wipes, bringing over the burp cloth or blanket, singing to baby, and helping me “feed” Kohen (sitting next to me, because this girl was running and climbing all over my house when trying to breastfeed. I’ll post about this later…breastfeeding a newborn with a toddler was a whole other challenge.)

 IMG_2150

  1. My last tip is stick to the older child’s schedule. We all know as parents it’s all about that schedule, schedule, schedule.   Well stick to the older ones! It’s going to be tiring; your up with your newborn from 4-5am and your toddler gets up at 6am. But YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT!   Remember: those first few months are the hardest and they will end because everything is a phase.   Try your best to take shifts with your husband. My amazing husband gets up with Logan at 6 so I can sleep a tiny bit longer since I’m awake more for nighttime feedings. Eventually now that Kohen is five months old he has somewhat molded to Logan’s schedule, they wake up at the same time, go to bed at the same time, and if I am LUCKY nap at the same time.IMG_2732

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Redlocks and Shamrocks: Lisa Doyle