BF versus FF with a toddler

I have 7 week old twin boys and a 2 1/2 year old little girl. My question is, is it easier to FF or BF with a toddler running around?. I ONLY BF with my 2 year old and sometimes feel a little guilty about FF the boys at all, but I just can't do 100% like I did with my little girl. I used to pump if I was going away from her, but with the boys, I have to pump at least 10-12 oz for them to have a feeding, and with them eating every 2-3 hours it's very difficult to get anymore then 2 oz at a time. So, it takes me 2 or 3 days to get what I need. I get very frustruated, and I'm not sure which way to go. How did you do it?

 

Well you made it further than I did bf'ing twins!!

At around 4 wks I started not quite making enough milk. I also have a 2.5 yr old (and a 7 yr old), but with me, my toddler and the twins at home alone, I just wasn't eating/drinking enough to make enough milk. So I started supplementing the twins.

At 5 wks my dd developed nipple preference and refused to nurse. So I put her on formula and tried to keep nursing my ds. 2 days later he decided he liked the bottle better too (we were giving him a bottle before bed so dh could help, and I could have a bit of a nursing break).

So by 6 wks I quit nursing. FF takes up time because of making the formula and bottles, but let me tell you it's much easier to take the bottle away and lay the babies down to deal with my 2.5 yr old than it was to unlatch babies, unravel from the mound of pillows/blankets I used to nurse, deal with the toddler and then get everything set back up again to continue nursing!

I make a jug of formula at night for both babes, fill 6 bottles to get me thru the night and put them all in the fridge. The next morning after the bottles are gone, I fill 6 more which uses up the rest of the jug of formula and put them in the fridge. I take 2 out for each feeding, pop them in the microwave for 37 seconds, and am good to go.

 

i can't speak to having a toddler as my girls are my first, but i'm not sure there is one way of feeding that's "easier" - i think they both have their pros & cons & you need to pick what will work best for your family.

i would say though that if you're finding it too much to pump for them for when you're away, don't worry about it - give them formula at those times & only pump to maintain your supply/comfort level.

have you checked out the BFing forum here? there's lot of great ladies there who have done all combinations of BFing/FFing & who have older munchkins running around as well. they may have some suggestions for you.

 

I cannot speak for having a toddler around, but I can speak about how difficult how is was to BF my boys. I felt like I could not run my house, spend quality time with each of the boys (to include DH) and maintain my friendships. It played with my mental health.

Another reason why I went to FF was I did not make enough for both of them. Both boys rejected me after two weeks and trying to BF. They liked the bottle best. Then I pumped and was tied to the darm thing. After pumping every two hours, I would only get 4-6oz each time. When each boy eats 4oz, that means I had to supplement.

Now that I am completely weaned off the pump, I could not be happier. My mental health is so much better and I have the life I wanted and desire.

You wil make the best decision for your family.

Jenn

 

I would also suggest asking in the BF forum, as there are plenty there who have been through this struggle.

My only thought is that at 7 weeks, 5 or 6 oz bottles are really big (they may suck it down, but that doesn't mean they need it - babies like to suck). That might take some pressure off the pumping...but I agree that if you're supplementing, formula for when you want to get away makes lots of sense!

Whatever you do, no guilt! Twins are harder - or at least different - in so many ways than singletons. Making good choices that work for all of you is the key.

 

QUOTE(Zabeta @ May 14 2009, 03:03 PM) [snapback]1313876[/snapback]
Making good choices that work for all of you is the key.

I totally agree! I tried bfing, but I spent every moment on the couch feeding a baby and it wasn't working for the rest of my family, or me, for that matter. I only made it a week.

 

I bf my babies with two preschoolers (just turned 3 and 4 in the early, non-stop feeding days) and found it worked out fine--it was less work than preparing and juggling two bottles would have been. With the EZ2nurse pillow I could set both babies up feeding and then have my hands free to read to the big kids if they weren't otherwise occupied playing. I didn't pump, though.

 

Breastfeeding is WAY easier!

My DD was 2 1/2 when the twins were born, and I will admit those first two months are harder to breastfeed. It takes the babies longer to eat and they need a lot of help learning to latch and everything. But it's all worth it because later it is super easy to nurse them!

When I go out with the kids I have enough to pack and bring without having to worry about bringing bottles and water and measuring out formula....I just bring diapers, spare clothes, and go. Whenever one gets hungry it's really easy to let them eat as much or as little as they want without having to wait while I prepare bottles/formula. I don't have to waste the little time I do have washing bottles out.

In my exhaustion I don't have to constantly be keeping track of how many ounces which one had when. Also, you don't need to worry about guessing how much formula to put in the bottle. I was so glad when we got them nursing full time and stopped worrying about ounces!

Oh yeah, and while one nurses I get time to browse here on TS, and one hand still free to type with.

 

My DS was just shy of 2.5 when the twins were born. The hardest part was the sleep deprivation - I don't think it was necessarily related to BFing - just the nature of the beast of newborn twins. I did not get to build up the freezer stash as I did with my older son. Do what works for you! I had more time with hands free while tandom feeding than any other time. It was really difficult to be able to drink and eat as much as I needed.

Best of luck with whatever works for your family

 

I forgot to mention this in my post, but another major plus with BFing is that the babies get your antibodies so they're less likely to get sick. With a toddler bring home who knows what germs from the playground or wherever, that is a big deal.

A lot of people are mentioning the time involved, but they get really efficient as they get older. By 4 or 5 months old they only needed 10 minutes for a feeding. BFing is all about getting through the early stages so you can coast later on.

 

Well if you've made it 7 weeks and this isnt your first time nursing you're well on your way to an easier time. The nice thing about nursing and the convenience of formula is that BFing doenst have to be all or nothing for the babies (and you) to recieve the benefits. Also most babies go through a growth spurt around 6 weeks so its possible you dont have much to spare right now because they are in the process of getting your supply up to their needs. If you want to pump for extra try doing it in the EARLY morning immediately after they nurse. You normally have the most milk in the morning.

I vote for BFing (as much as possible) and heres my logic:
1. with a todller and twins you already have enough to pack. You dont need to worry about formula, bottles, water etc.
2. the time you are spending SITTING DOWN nursing is the same time you could be spending mixing formula, washing & sterilizing bottles
3. Sitting down to nurse also allows you more time with the twins which is already sparse since theres 2 of them.
4. As PP stated the beginning is tough, but it will set you up for a quick/esay time later on (think back to your daughter)
5. You're setting a great example for your 2.5 year old
6. Formula is so expensive the money you save by doing any breastfeeding at all is money you could spend on something nice for yourself

In the end its a personal choice of course but if you have the willpower and support you need to BF I vote for that

 

I am BF my boys and have been since they came home from the NICU. I also have a 4.5 year old and an almost 8 year old. It's so easy to just nurse instead of trying to measure out bottles. If they're nursing well, I wouldn't give formula.

 

I BF my twins with an 18mth old running wild in the house. I BF him as well and just couldn't see not doing the same for my twins. I hardly ever tandem nursed b/c then I was just too restricted. I did not have my twins on the same schedule for that reason as well so I could handle 1 infant and my 18mth old. My girls are fairly fast nursers so it was not a long time to nurse. I honestly would have felt so guilty BF my singleton and not my twins but that's just me. As far as the antibodies go I notice that my twins are sicker far more than my DS ever was but of course he brings more germs into the house. In the end you have to do what is best for you and you have to take care of yourself. It's so hard to have a toddler along with itty bitty twins but it does get much easier. My DS is now 2.5 and my twins are 1 and it's much easier.

 

I just want to point out that I can wash bottles/nipples, make a jug of formula and fill the bottles to put in the fridge all in 25 mins (I timed myself the one night! ). It was taking me 45 mins to feed the babies each feeding bf'ing. Lots of milk, but slow nursers. The bottles don't take up that much more time and they drink them down faster than I was nursing.

Cost is definetly insane but that's the biggest downfall to formula IMO

 

QUOTE(artemis @ May 14 2009, 07:40 PM) [snapback]1314230[/snapback]
Oh yeah, and while one nurses I get time to browse here on TS, and one hand still free to type with.

That's what I do!
I breast and FF, and for me the pros and cons of both are: 1. with BF I have one free hand. 2. I can do it anywhere any time, and I don't have to go get and heat up a bottle. The cons are: even with not BFing exclusively, I have to drink tons of water or get a really bad head ache. 2. Sometimes I really don't feel like having someone sucking on me. With FF the pros are: I always have enough; no worrying about supply. 2: Other people can feed them too. The cons; 1: cleaning bottles. 2: cost. 3: not as convenient to take with you.