breastfeeding/pumping question

to be honest, i do not think i am going to attempt breastfeeding. especially with twins. i was kinda never into it but then once i found out i was having twins i couldnt even imagine it. (please dont yell at me!)
i was *THINKING* about pumping and using bottles instead; this way they are getting the nutrients they need and im selfishly burning extra calories.

does anyone have experience with pumping? i dont want to register for a pump and then not like it. i hear you can rent the pumps?

 

QUOTE(newtothis @ Jan 28 2009, 08:59 PM) [snapback]1166719[/snapback]
to be honest, i do not think i am going to attempt breastfeeding. especially with twins. i was kinda never into it but then once i found out i was having twins i couldnt even imagine it. (please dont yell at me!)
i was *THINKING* about pumping and using bottles instead; this way they are getting the nutrients they need and im selfishly burning extra calories.

does anyone have experience with pumping? i dont want to register for a pump and then not like it. i hear you can rent the pumps?


First-congrats! I'll first start off by saying there is an AMZING support group in the breastfeeding forum here-that also helps with pumping-be sure to check it out. I understand what you are saying about not really being into bf'ing. I'll admit-me either. So I get that! I went into it like this-I would attempt to bf. If it worked-great. If not-I would pump. It was just something I would do for my boys, especially because I had them in October, and the winter, and the amazing benefits of breast milk. So-bf'ing did not work out for me(latching issues, stress, etc). I wasn't into it 100%. At times, looking back, I wish I tried harder-but I did what I could do, and it's what worked for us.

I pumped for five months. That seemed like an eternity! LOL! I also did formula as well. I never made a ton of milk and as the months went on, my supply decreased. I said I would buy a pump if it worked, but I certainly did not want to buy a pump and not be able to breastfeed(I have PCOS which can affect the milk supply). I rented the pump from the hospital-as with twins-you want the hospital grade pump. I can't remember the price-I think it was $30/mth. Something to that effect.

Look at all your options and do what YOU feel most comfortable with. Even one day of breastfeeding is beneficial! With this pregnancy, I will be honest and say I do not know if I will pump at all. I will try the bf'ing again. But with having two 20 month olds, I am not sure how I would be able to pull of pumping! Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

The only downfall to pumping is that it's not quite as efficient as a baby nursing, so as the pp said your supply can decrease sooner than when the baby is nursing off of you. And it can vary from person to person, some can only go weeks, some can go months or years. It's impossible to know ahead of time.

So with that being said I think renting a pump is a great idea to see how it's going to go! You can either check with your ob or the hospital you will be delivering at and they usually have or know where to rent a pump from

Personally I'm going to try nursing both the babies, hopefully eventually tandem nursing them, but I have a 7 yr old and a 2.5 yr old, I know I won't have the time to pump! So if nursing doesn't work, we'll go straight to bottles using the best bottles for breastfeeding.

 

I pumped for 13 months. If I had had the choice I would have BF. My girls were preemies and were not able to breastfeed. Pumping was hard and time consuming. To exclusively pump and be able to maintain a decent supply you'll have to pump 6-8 times a day, 15-20 minutes or more each time. Then you still have to feed the babies! Plus all the bottle washing and pump part washing is a pain in the butt. I did not make enough milk for both babies and had to supplement with formula. But I was determined to give my babies breastmilk. I am not trying to discourage you, just encourage you to try BF. Kuddos to you for wanting to give your babies the best. You'll find plenty of support here whatever you decide to do.
Congrats on having twins!

btw, if you decide to pump I would recommend renting a medela symphony. Your insurance company may pay for the rental.

 

I had my twins back in 2005. I had no interest in BF so I rented a hospital grade pump. I was getting 10 plus oz at each pumping session. I was pumped for 6 months with the boys. I would have and could have gone longer but we were in the process of moving and I just didnt have time to pump anymore.

This pregnancy the boys were 3 and I figured I would try to BF but I would also pump b/c I have no interest in BF outside of my home.

Pumping is very doable... its alot of work but very doable and well worth it!!

good luck!!

 

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents...I plan on BF and pumping. I BF both my babies up to about 4-5 months but I also had to supplement so my supply started decreasing. I know that it is not going to be easy but my "plans" for now are to nurse for the first few weeks (I don't count on getting much sleep anyway) and then start pumping. I am looking in to the medela pump in style? anyone know anything about this one?? I feel like once I can get into some sort of routine it will be okay...it's free, the best thing for them and who can afford to buy formula for 2 babies!!!

As far as renting a pump, at my hospital it is $60 a month...if you are going to do it longer than 2-3 months you should just buy your own. It will be cheaper in the long run!

GOOD LUCK to us all!

 

First of all, I totally understand your decision so don't think I'm pressuring you. I'm just giving my opinion.

I've BF my two singleton boys and I pumped for the twins. Honestly, for the first few weeks, I found breastfeeding my boys difficult. My guys weren't very good latchers. Still, I entered breastfeeding having had the experience of pumping for the twins for 8 months and there was no way I wanted to do that again. Given the choice between the two, working on breastfeeding for a few weeks is way, way better than pumping. Pumping is very time consuming, is not comfortable at all, is not likely to give you enough milk for both babies for all their feedings (though it may) and is a round-the-clock effort. I pumped every 3 hours for 8 months, including at night because that is what it took to keep my supply up in order to be able to give my girls a bottle of breastmilk at every other feeding.

Once the kids learn to latch well, breastfeeding is actually pretty easy and doesn't require any extra work or equipment. You also get more sleep because the baby can breastfeed while you doze. As you know, breastmilk is better than formula, so I really wanted my kids to get it by any means possible but I don't suggest pumping if you have the choice. You may just want to try breastfeeding and give yourself a month at it and then, if you want to quit, go for it. If you start out doing something else though, it's difficult to get the babies to come off the bottle. Good luck!

 

I bought the mendela in-style one and I lost the bill and it started to get slow ---- so if you do buy keep the bill. I'd recommend renting a pump you will likely know after a month what you will do. I pumped, bf and formula. I did find after 3 months I just hated the pump. good to have some magazines to read while you are pumping.....

 

You should be able to rent a pump from the hospital and you should consider doing that for the first month or so whether you decide to exclusively pump or breastfeed.

I exclusively pumped for 6 months. I don't have another experience with bfing to compare it to, but it is totally doable. Just for the record, I didn't quit because of supply issues, I was only ever planning on 6 months either way. The trick is to find a schedule that works and hope you have at least one baby that is a good sleeper It also helps if you have a supportive DH and can afford to buy enough pumping supplies to make it through the day without washing. I just tossed everything in the sink when I put the milk up and worried about when we did bottles at night.

You have to be efficient, but you will find that's the case with most things. Find a place where everything can stay set up so all you have to do when the babies fall asleep is sit down and hook up and pump. It was downtime for me which was nice. PM me if you have questions cause I seem to be just rambling.

 

I wasn't able to breastfeed my first daughter because of latching issues but I pumped for 8 months. It was the best thing I could have done for her. Yes we missed out on some of the bonding involved in breastfeeding but we made up for it in other ways. It was so important for me to give her the nutrients and health benefits of breast milk from the get go.
The only way to go is renting a hospital grade pump because the ones you can buy at Babies R Us or Target are not strong enough to support milk production for moms that are just pumping. Plus if anything happens to the pump, the hospital fixes it.
Just make sure to keep up on the pumping. Towards the end of the 8 months I would skip a session at night and I would notice that I wouldn't produce as much milk.
I'm proud of you for looking out for your little ones while still being honest with yourself!
Good luck!

 

I just wanted to add, as well, although everyone has given you great advice. With my first (singleton), I had to go back to work after a few months, so I pumped while at work until my son was 9 months. I was able to BF him at home and on weekends. The Medela worked fine for me, and for two close friends who both exclusively pumped for a full year with their babies.

One of them actually chose to pump instead of BF. Her son had some latching issues, but for her it was more that she wanted to know how much milk he was getting because he had a few months of poor weight gain. This was never an issue for me, but I have known other moms who really appreciated the pumping for that reason. They know exactly how many ounces their children are getting.

I agree with everyone else's advice: give BF a good try, and if it doesn't work, pumping is an AWESOME option for you as long as you can do it!! Your babies will enjoy every bit of nourishment you can give them for as long as you are happy/comfortable giving it to them.