Tuesday, May 15, 2012

How To Date: Nursing Mama's Edition

If you ever read my first blog then you'd know how Adam and I feel about comic book movies. If you didn't then I'll give you the short version: we're huge nerds and we're seeing every one of them. In fact, when we found out my due date, one of the first things referenced was how we'd manage to see The Avengers, as it came out mere weeks after our daughter would be born. 

And now, many many months later, I give to you the 'how to see a movie in theaters while breastfeeding an infant' unofficial guide:

The obvious answer is to take your baby with you to see the movie. Newborns, if you're lucky, can pretty much sleep through anything and have no idea if you're watching something kid appropriate or not. However, the infant movie date is generally more successful for a matinee and possibly at a movie that's been out for a few weeks. I used to take Reed with me to the movies all the time and he'd nurse for the first half and sleep for the second but I was never brave enough for a crowded new release movie.

And, if you know Adam, we weren't waiting for a movie like The Avengers to die down. It's been out for two weeks now and it's still huge. So we had no choice but to enlist the grandparents and come up with a plan. 

Side note: I'm lucky this was Amelia, who is a solid 2 and a half hour eater at three weeks old. Reed nursed way more often so if your baby is a frequent eater, you may have to wait until they can go the length of the movie.

Adam decided he wanted to experience Joss Whedon's take on Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Marvel gang through the magic of 3D so we went to a 6pm showing at the Paradiso. My in-laws graciously met us there at 5:40 where I promptly nursed Amelia in the backseat of my car until just after the Coke commercials were over (Adam grabbed snacks and seats well before I started to nurse her). Then my in-laws took Reed and a sleeping Amelia to dinner at the McAlister's right next to the movie theater.

Adam and I saw the whole movie (including the 2 extra scenes before and after the credits) and I made it back to Amelia before she even woke up hungry.

Granted, a huge portion of this hinges on the involvement of someone else that you trust to take care of your baby. If you're lucky enough to have someone like that in your life, take advantage of it, at least every once in a while. 

Leaving your baby, especially if it's your first, can be heartbreaking but your relationship/marriage/whatever needs some attention too. And your sleeping baby won't even know you left but your boyfriend/husband/partner will certainly know that you were with them, and only them, for a short period of time. 

No comments:

Post a Comment