A TS member who ran into some problems breastfeeding her twins had a great idea: creating a sticky with all the nitty gritty of how you succeeded at nursing twins. If you have a minute, it would be great if you could contribute, whether you've been nursing weeks, months, or longer. Pumping moms, it would be great to hear your experiences too! TIA. This is what I did before the babies were born... This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... This is what I did the day after the babies were born... This is what I did when they would not latch... This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)...
This is what I did before the babies were born... I bought a EZ2Nurse pillow. I should have researched breastfeeding twins, but didn't. I did buy Mothering Multiples (book). This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... I had a c-section, so after my full-term babies were born, they got taken away to get cleaned & stuff. I was put in a recovery room but was still under the influence of the spinal. When the babies were ready, they were brought in and I tried to nurse them individually. I don't remember much but I don't remember much success that first time. For my singleton I had a vaginal delivery so he was in the room with me. After he was cleaned up and we got to hold him, I tried nursing. He was about 30 minutes old. He did VERY well. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... We had the babies room in with us 100%. I relied on the nurses coming in to tell me to try to breastfeed. The nursing staff was excellent in that they assisted me with pillows & latching every time. They encouraged me to try feeding them both at the same time because I had help there. (great advice) This is what I did when they would not latch... When they wouldn't open their mouth wide enough, I was told to make them mad. It worked. Their mouth came wide open and plop.. insert boob! I just kept on working on it until they latched. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I didn't know what to expect as these were my first kids. The nursing staff was extremely helpful. That was a true blessing! I was told to call if I needed help and I took advantage of it! The one thing I wish I would have known was to start pumping sooner. It was suggested on day 3 I think. Every little drop is worth it's weight in gold. I didn't get any help from my pediatrician in the hospital. No one pushed formula when the babies lost weight. My milk didn't come in until day 5, my release date. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... I would nurse them. They got colustrum before my milk came in.
This is what I did before the babies were born... I attended a BFing class, bought and EZ2 nurse pillow and a pump (since I was going back to work), read a ton on the BFing forum This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... I BFed in the OR (had vaginal birth but was in the OR), I told the nurses that what I wanted, they didn't offer. I kept the babies with me except for the bath and check by docs. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... I had the babies room in at the hospital. The LC came to see me and showed me how to do the syringe feeds through the tube while the baby nursed - they were concerned about her since she was a little small for full term. This is what I did when they would not latch... My DS was a lazy lizzard!! He loved the breast, just for a pillow. He wouldn't latch so I had to pump and give him a bottle for a few days. I would then give him a suck or 2 on the bottle and then try to quickly switch to the breast. He figured out the latch within 4-5 days. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I expected the nursing staff to respect my decision to not offer any formula and they were great. My pedi was wonderful, though she did try to let me know it was okay to supplement (she just wanted me not to feel like I failed if I needed to) it just made me more motivated. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... I just kept offerring the breast.
This is what I did before the babies were born... Read sveral bfing books, including Mothering Multiples, spoke with several moms who bf twins at my local twins club, talked with my cousins who bf, had dh read about bfing twins, basically was obsessed with bfing my babies This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... I was a mess!!!! Mine were born on different days, over 7 hrs apart, so I could not bf ds while still waiting for dd to come out, then after she came out I was more than exhausted and my eyes were swollen shut. But I still made them bring the babies to me every time they needed to be fed and refused ALL bottles This is what I did the day after the babies were born... still recuperating, but continuing to bf them on demand, they were very lazy as most newborns are but would latch This is what I did when they would not latch... we had to go back into the hospital for jaundice for dd, learned she was only taking in 10ml's from the breast (I needed someone to help me wake them up to bf, as I could not even see at this point and was not in the best frame of mind!), so we started doing some bottles with her. This caused her to stop latching and I hired a LC to come and help me, we then started using nipple shields and they both nursed better and ALWAYS took the breast when offered with them on. i used nipple shields for 3 months with ds and 6 months with dd. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I expected them to respect my wishes in regards to MAKING bfing work for us. There were no if's and's or but's about it, I was going to bf these two. The nursing/LC at my hospital were horrendous and had me tears, so I hired my own LC, best money every spent!!!! My pedi has alaways been a huge cheerleader for me bfing and was awesome What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... You keep bfing silly!!!!!!! And if need be pump some after feeding them. But it can take days for it to come in (5 days in my case), but the more you bf the better for your supply when it does come in!!! I often say that bfing is 90% confidence, you will doubt yourself so much in those first few days/weeks and sometimes your "help" will make you doubt yourself even more. You need to trust that the human body is truly amazing and it will feed those babies!!!! The key is to bf on demand, meaning almost constantly in those first few weeks, it will pay off big time in a great supply and super efficient/fast nursers :good:
This is what I did before the babies were born... not much, to my chagrin. i read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which had lots of great information in it, but nothing specific to twins, which is what i really needed (looking back). i was not in the least prepared for what it was going to be like. This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born...slept! i was so tired & the girls were both taken to the NICU right away, so i couldn't see them for a while anyway. after i woke up, the nurses asked if i wanted to start pumping & so i did, every 3 hours. then i would take what i pumped over to the NICU & spend time cuddling the girls. most of their early feeds were by gavage tube, but it wasn't long before they were strong enough to try bottles (of EBM). This is what I did the day after the babies were born...more of the above. they weren't really strong enough to try BFing yet. i did do a lot of kagaroo care though & holding the girls skin to skin. i don't think we actually tried BFing until they were almost a week old. This is what I did when they would not latch...latching was the bane of my existence for weeks! i met with so many different LCs & got lots of conflicting suggestions - i found i often had to sift through the info given me & make my own choices about what was best. we used nipple shields for both girls until they were about 8 weeks old. i found that was frustrating though because it would take them so long to nurse, often 40+ minutes & i wasn't tandem nursing at that point. also, it was painful, because they weren't good at latching. i got lots of blisters & cracks & ended up with mastitis the week after they came home. it was brutal. i wanted to give up so many times! the turning point for me was actually finding this website & reading all of the success stories in the BF forum sticky. realizing that lots of women had dealt with the same problems & gone on to BF for months, and sometimes years, was the best encouragement i could have gotten. once i was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, things started falling into place. i borrowed an EZ2 pillow from my local twins club, i started tandem feeding & i weaned the girls off of the nipple shields. now it's all going great! This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me...i found that everyone was very respectful of my desire to nurse & eager to help as much as possible. i thought everyone was great! What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)...as the PP said - keep nursing! that's the only way your milk WILL come in. babies are born with enough nutrition to survive for FIVE days without ANY additional food, so just keep stimulating those nipples! if it's been more than 5 days, then i would call your doc & see what they suggest - there are lots of options available that allow you to keep BFing.
b]This is what I did before the babies were born...I bought Mothering Multiples, attended La Leche League meetings and spoke with a nursing mother of twins. I also made sure that I was in the care of midwives (IMO, so much more helpful than doctors or nurses) at a "baby friendly" hospital (as in, not funded or in any other way controlled by formula companies). This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born...Allie was vaginal and Sarah was a c-section, so they both were taken away to be cleaned and measured. As soon as I got out of the operating room I began demanding to see my babies. DH accused me of being "that patient," but for me the most important thing was to start nursing as soon as possible. They both latched on right away, with no problems. This is what I did the day after the babies were born...Made sure that I nursed them every chance I got. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me...I expected the nursing staff to be fully supportive (they were-but in order to be "baby friendly" hospitals have to go through a fairly rigorous training, and are expected to be supportive of breastfeeding). No one has ever questioned my decision to EBF my twins. My pediatrician is fabulous, but I knew prior to the twins birth that she would be fully supportive of EBF. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)...[/b]Just keep putting them to the breast. Even if it's every 20 minutes, that's the only way that your body will know to produce milk. Also, you won't be nursing them every 20 minutes forever, think of it as a phase that will end.[/quote]
QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 24 2008, 08:23 PM) [snapback]996143[/snapback] A TS member who ran into some problems breastfeeding her twins had a great idea: creating a sticky with all the nitty gritty of how you succeeded at nursing twins. If you have a minute, it would be great if you could contribute, whether you've been nursing weeks, months, or longer. Pumping moms, it would be great to hear your experiences too! TIA. This is what I did before the babies were born... This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born...nothing...and that was my biggest mistake. I had nursed two older children but with twins, especially preemies, it's completely different. I wish I had done more research/reading in advance. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... started pumping. They were in the NICU, I tried to get them to latch but their mouths were so small and they were so sleepy. I started pumping right away and continued to try and latch when I could. This is what I did when they would not latch... used a nipple shield, continued pumping, and continued practicing whenever I could (several times per day). This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... from the nursing staff at the NICU, complete support and assistance. I did not expect much from my pediatrician's office, except support for breastfeeding, especially when my DD had weight gain issues. I mostly did receive support from them. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Talk to an LC in the hospital. If the babies are full-term and healthy, stick to your guns and continue nursing them often (at least every 2 hours), and don't supplement. If they are premature and/or in the NICU, continue pumping and practicing bf'ing, but realize that if they have formula now that is okay. They need to eat to get bigger and stronger so that they can effectively nurse, and if you're not pumping enough to feed them then it's okay to supplement. If you want to exclusively bf, however, stick to that and get off the supplements as soon as they can!
QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 24 2008, 07:23 PM) [snapback]996143[/snapback] COOL IDEA! This is what I did before the babies were born... I really didn't do much. I read a little and visited this forum. I was in my ignorant bliss of thinking it was all going to be a breeze. This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... My girls were a month early. We were lucky enough to get donor milk for their short time in the NICU so I pumped for a few days. I did latch them from day one, but they didn't do much feeding on the breast until day four. I pumped and pumped and nursed and nursed. I felt very overwhelmed with it all. I decided in the first day that I needed to make a 6 week commitment because it was day one and I already wanted to quite. I'm stubborn once I put my mind to something so I made a commitment of 6 weeks and didn't look back. Also in the hours after they were born I was puking from the surgery meds so I didn't do much in the way of BF that first day (or I don't remember every thing I did) This is what I did the day after the babies were born... The day after I did much like the first. We put them on a 3 hour around the clock schedule. I was wheeled to the NICU to nurse every three hours and then I pumped right after. That day the babies came to the room. This is what I did when they would not latch... I was very lucky. Mine latched just fine from day one. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I expected my pediatrician to know what BF was all about. She is a mom and she supports BF so she was very helpful. She encouraged me in my efforts. I also saw and LC that helped a lot. She made me feel like I was a super hero for nursing twins! What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Again, my girls being early and having a short 24 visit to the NICU helped us because they got donor BM. I pumped and waited for my milk. I was always sure it would come in because I BF my son. It came in on day 4 as I was leaving the hospital, but was really REALLY in on day 5. My girls never seemed extremely hungry until they were a few weeks old. In the beginning I was waking them to feed. Those were the days! However, at times I have wondered if they were getting enough. I always counted diapers. It's the only sure way to know if they are getting enough because you can't measure a BM feeding without a scale. I learned to trust my body and my instincts. [/b]
Great responses! Keep 'em coming! Here's mine... This is what I did before the babies were born... Thought, Gee, I should really read up on BFing. And then procrastinated and didn't get around to it. :blush: This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... Both babies went straight to the NICU after the c-section. DD was intubated because she couldn't breathe on her own, so I couldn't try to nurse her yet. DS was at high risk for NEC and his intake had to be very carefully controlled, so I couldn't try to nurse him yet. All the doctors and nurses I'd talked to before delivery had said I'd be able to start pumping right away. In fact, the earliest that a LC could come and set me up with a pump was the following morning. So I spent the hours after delivery pestering the nurses for a pump and getting ticked when they said "Oh, don't worry, hon, you'll be fine." This is what I did the day after the babies were born... A really nice LC brought a hospital-grade pump and showed me how to use it and clean the parts. I got started pumping about every 3 hrs, and whenever I woke up at night, per her instructions. At first I was just getting tiny beads of colostrum, but before I left the hospital, my milk was coming in. Also, DD was off the respirator after a couple of days, and the NICU nurses encouraged me to try nursing her. She managed to latch on pretty well. I nursed her in the NICU as often as I was up to it, and when she came home after 2 weeks, she was nursing like a champ. This is what I did when they would not latch... For quite a while, I couldn't attempt to nurse DS (it could have caused complications if he'd taken too much at a feeding). Once I got the green light, I gave it a try, and he wouldn't latch. He'd either root frantically even though the nipple was already in his mouth, or latch but then not do anything. I was so overwhelmed with both twins and PPD that I didn't work very hard on his latching for quite a while. But over time, I kept offering the breast. And it kept not working. But after a few months, one afternoon, it just clicked. He latched on and nursed beautifully. From there, I gave him more and more practice until I had both babies tandem nursing all the time. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I expected to be able to pump right away after delivery, and that didn't happen (but should have). I expected a lot of help and coaching from the NICU nurses, and they were wonderful - they gave me a great crash course in the basics (latch, positioning, etc). I expected my pediatrician to be fully supportive of BFing, and she generally has been. She always gave a lot of encouragement, never hesitated to bring the babies in for a weight check if I was doubting my supply, and also did NOT do dumb things like suggest formula at the drop of a hat. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Nurse, nurse, nurse, as often as you can get them to do it, and try pumping to help jump start the process. Remember that all they need in the first days is colostrum. If nurses (or even doctors) are pushing you to give formula, it's worth consulting the AAP Policy Statement on Breastfeeding to get a better idea of whether supplementing is truly medically necessary.
This is what I did before the babies were born... I did a little research on the internet and read some books. I was on bedrest so I had nothing but time! This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... After we all got cleaned up I nursed them, had visitors and then they went to sleep. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... I nursed the girls every 3hrs after they were born until I got to know their hunger cries. This is what I did when they would not latch... I was fortunate and my girls latched immediately, no problems. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I really didnt have too many questions, I was fairly confident in breastfeeding them, surprising seeing as they are my first babies! But I was curious about their weight gain since they were small so I was getting them weighed weekly in the beginning. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Nurse, nurse and nurse some more! If you are still concerned consult your local lactation consultant.
This is what I did before the babies were born... Nursed their two older siblings--experience did help! Read Mothering Multiples, and even called up Karen Gromada and talked to her (she's the local LLL multiples leader, too). Mostly I just needed to feel confident I could make enough milk for two babies. Also I arranged for my sister to come and take care of the house and big kids for the first month so I could just concentrate on feeding the babies. This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... I actually nursed DD while waiting around for DS to take his own sweet time to be born. Then when he came out he got his turn. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... I tried to make sure they woke up at least every three hours to eat. By the time I had fed one, fed the other one, and fed myself, I barely had time for a nap before it was time to wake them up all over again. I didn't tandem at that point except once or twice when they were both desperate to eat. This is what I did when they would not latch... Kept trying, and trying, and trying. It's a skill, and it takes practice. Take off their clothes, tickle them--yes, making them good and mad does help! One night I was trying to tandem feed and DS was just not latching and my DH offered to distract DD so I could just work on one of the time. (A better approach for DHs who want to help than suggesting that you just get some formula.) This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I basically expected the nursing staff to hand me babies and help if I needed to prop them both. And do all the diaper changing until I left--no sense me having to mess wihth that. I expect my pediatrician to support breastfeeding and my other parenting decisions and let me know if something seems seriously out of whack. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)...Keep nursing whenever they want to nurse. Your milk will be there when your babies need it. Your body has fed these babies for nine months, it can keep doing it!
This is what I did before the babies were born... I read tons in this forum about breastfeeding twins, I bought a pump, and an EZ2Nurse pillow. I told most people I knew that I was planning on breastfeeding, so they could start to digest it, as they all figured it was impossible. I didn't want to have to deal with all that after the babies were born, so I wanted people educated before they showed up. This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... I had a c-section, so the babies were whisked away to the Nursery for probably an hour. As soon as they were brought to me I put them to breast. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... I had the babies room in with me and I nursed as often as I could. I would also pump usually after every other feeding. I would have the nurses or DH help me position them and help with latching the second baby. This is what I did when they would not latch... They were pretty good latchers. I would just wait for them to open wide and insert boob. If I had to wait for them to cry to open wide.. then that's what I'd do. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I had gone to a very pro-breastfeeding hospital, and they encouraged everyone to breastfeed. In fact, it was kind of expected. They were very supportive and there were LC on call at all times, as well as the nurses were very helpful and supportive of breastfeeding. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Mom's know best in my opinion. In those early days your babies get colostrum before your milk comes in, which could be referred to as liquid gold! There are always cases of babies not gaining weight, etc. and I would encourage you to gather as much information as possible to make an educated decision. It was very important to me to be able to take my babies home with me, and they would not do this until they started gaining some weight back. I did syringe feed them my EBM, as well as a little formula for awhile to get them to put on weight, so that we could get discharged from the Hospital. I figured I would be more successful breastfeeding them in my own home then at the loud, uncomfortable hospital. I did this after consulting with the LC's and pediatricians.
This is what I did before the babies were born... Took a breastfeeding class and then spent another hour with the LC talking about specific considerations for twins. She told me lots of things which didn't really mean much to me until afterward, like "Your job will be to nurse, pump, eat and sleep. That's all you'll do. Someone else needs to do everything else - like EVERYTHING." I took home and read a great book on breastfeeding called "Breastfeeding Made Simple". I also found a pediatric practice that supported breastfeeding, understood it, and was in the process of hiring an LC. This is what I did in the hours after the babies were born... They wouldn't let me nurse Tom while we were waiting for Jack to make his way out, and then I was pretty much toasted so I didn't see them again for a few hours - they took them to the nursery while they cleaned me up and kept me from passing out. In hindsight, I wish there had been a way to have DH bring them back while we waited so they could try to nurse, but I think they were asleep by then. This is what I did the day after the babies were born... Slept, nursed, listened while different nurse tried to explain what I should do, nursed, talked to a vague and mostly unhelpful hospital LC, nursed, pumped, slept, nursed. I really wish I'd nursed more and asked for more help: not kidding. And i kind of wished I'd not sent them to the nursery at night. It's not like I slept without them, and nurses start getting ideas when they see breastfed twins lying there all helpless and "hungry". This is what I did when they would not latch... They latched really well, but after they'd been home for a few days, I remember someone told me about "suck training" - I'd put my pinky in Jack's mouth and lightly touch the roof of his mouth to activate his suck reflex. Then when he did it, I'd try to get him on the breast again with my nipple touching the same spot. He wasn't the best nurser for a while, but he caught on. This is what I expected of the nursing staff and my pediatrician as far as helping me... I didn't expect much at all - I was counting on the LC for help. In hindsight, when the twin mom nurse introduced herself that first night and offered any help she could give, I should have had them bring the babies to me right then! And every other female who'd breastfed, too - the assistants were some of the most helpful, caring people we met in the hospital. What to do if you think your babies are hungry but your milk has not come in (or if you simply are confused with when your milk should come in)... Remind yourself that babies have evolved to grow and thrive on breastmilk - that means they've evolved to wait for breastmilk. NURSE NURSE NURSE. Babies cry for a lot of reasons, and hunger may be one of them, but they'll be ok - they're designed that way. When the nurse tells you that that brick-colored sprinkling in their diaper is blood because dehydration is causing crystals to break loose and tear up their urethra, tell her she has no idea what she's talking about. (The brick-colored dust ARE the crystals. They are technically a result of dehydration that can be resolved by feeding fluids, but THEY ARE NORMAL and DON'T HURT.) When the nurse wants credit for catching potential dehydration at 12am, tell him you're sure that the baby will be fine for the next 6 hours until the pediatrician comes. Then have him bring the babies, nurse them and sleep peacefully knowing you're right, he's wrong, and your babies will be fine. That said, it is hard to watch a baby who was smaller at birth lose more than 10% of their weight. Formula can be helpful in supporting low birthweight babies if your milk takes a few days to come in - that is entirely yours and your pediatrician's call. But if you have any allergies in your family, be very very conservative - dairy and soy allergies from premature exposure through formula are no fun for Moms! This is what I did when things got rough after a week or two [sorry - had to add this because it was the real turning point]. I called an LC to come to our house and tell me what I was doing right and wrong. She helped me develop a pumping and supplementing schedule, checked their latch (good) and my positioning (not so good), looked at my nipples to tell me why nursing was excruciating, talked to me about my diet, made sure I knew how to use the pump, and probably something else I'm forgetting. Nursing was the hardest thing I have ever attempted, and having her hold my hand for a few hours was absolutely crucial to keeping us going.
