How do i go about a "nursing marathon"

I want to know how to go about this "nursing marathon" i have read on here before...What do i have to do, what is the routine like and for how long? I have been supplementing with formula b/c of my babies failure to thrive (gain weight fast enough) and I have to admit, although I was so against starting formula b/c i KNEW it would be the begginning of the end, I have found myself slacking off a bit and my milk production has gone down. Also, my nipples are cracking again and after my very painful and anxiety producing start, I just can't bear them on my nipples when they are cut like that... I have been pumping and giving them ebm most of the day and nursing at least once, telling myself that they are going to have to get used to it b/c i start working in a week. But I know that pumping does not keep supply up like nursing does.

At times with everything i have gone through, i think i wanna quit, but then i remember my babies on there and how they look so relaxed and content on momma's boobs and it breaks my heart...not only that but one of my boys gets really phlemmy when he drinks the formula and stops and shreiks like he has a tummy ache or gas or something. When i give him ebm only it doesn't happen. Damn formula! I'm just so down about bfing b/c when istarted i was, as someone here cleverly said, a bf snob, but like i mentioned b4 my boys took a really long time to recoup bitrthweight and all my friends were practically wanting to force feed them formula, I was so defensive, standing up for bfing and explaining that bf babies take longer to gain weight, but when i look at the pics of that first month... I swear, they did look like they were dying. I never saw them like that. They look so different in pics. Maybe I was in denial. It just kills me. I must have looked so stupid defending bfing with them looking like that. When I started suppl. they put on weight much quicker. When my nipple cracked again, i got so scared and anxious that i started pumping. but the other day when i nursed them again after like a day and a half of straight bottles of ebm and formula, Brandon was atthe breast cooing, almost like purring, he loves it so much. Despite me going to the LC 3 times, they still geive me lipstick nipples and they pull back on them latched on and they just kill me. Since my supply has gone down it's like they are sucking like there's no tomorrow trying to get more milk i guess. I feel bad, and quite frankly i don't know what to do. I feel like maybe i should do the marathon even though i know it will be painful again. ugggh I wanna cry. Why is it so hard? I know bm is the best and it won't make them phlemmy or so gassy. I want what is best for them. I just don't wanna be so anxious about it that I miss out on this part of their and my life. Has anyone btdt?

 

Have you tried nipple shields? That may give your nipples a chance to heal and still let you get them back to the breast. I would also SLATHER lanolin on as much as possible to help with the cracking. You can also get something from the pharmacy called APNC - all purpose nipple cream that would help!

As for the marathon, you basically just CAMP OUT on your bed/couch for a few days and nurse. Let DH be in charge of diapering, burping, bringing you snacks, etc. You just nurse the babies as often as they are wanting/willing to nurse. It will give your supply a big boost too!

Good luck and please ask any questions you have

 

You're really working hard! I'm not sure how to answer some of your concerns because I don't know age/weight of your babies. I do know my girls were 4 and 5 lbs when they were born. They were small tiny itty bitty's. I look back on pics now and can't believe they are the same babies. In the first month or two, I nursed obsessively to get them to gain weight...and they did. I look back and am proud...formula could not have done as good of a job as BM did with my two. Even if it did take a bit longer.

I don't know what type of encouragement to offer. I want to say cut the formula, BF your babies, get nipple shields and all the ointments and power through, its the best for them and you want them to have it. On the other hand, if you want some sort of modified BF plan that would work too. Many moms successfully BF and FF.

Can you give some more info...age? Weights?

I think you're doing amazing - for what it's worth.

 

What they said! :hug99: I hope it works out!

 

sorry,

my babies are going to be two months old May 27th, which makes them 8 weeks old as of yesterday. Their birthweights were 6lbs 9.5 oz and 5lbs 14oz. In the first week they both dropped 9 oz to 6 lbs 1oz and 5lbs 6 oz.

At their two week appt, the bigger baby (Brandon) gained only 1 oz
and the smaller (Sebastian) gained 2 oz.

I am telling you I was bf nonstop it seemed. the milk would drip from my breasts at their feeding so milk supply was not the issue. They had the right amount of pee and poo diapers. I had them weighed at the lc b4 and after feeding and they were drinking approx 2 oz at each feeding at 3 weeks (they were born at 37 weeks 2 days so adj age was nb really) so the amount they were eating was great. They latched on and stayed since the beginning, so no prob there except the first night they came home they had gotten circumsized that same day and were only consoled by nursing which meant i stayed sitting on my bed with the ez2nurse pillow, on my episiotomy ALL night which tore my nipples up. No amount of lanolin would help. I got mastitis...it was awful. I kept praying to the Lord He give me the strength to push through and I did even with a pantry full of formula which my sis in law (who tried to bf her one and was also pressured b/c her baby was thin too and he was full term) gave me b/c she had gotten too much through WIC. I did it xclusively through 1st month. So when i went to get them weighed at that 2nd week at doc and 3rd with the lc and they had hardly gained, I just cried. The doc looked at me like I was starving them and the lc's were puzzled when i told them all i was doing to get them to gain. They didn't know what to say and THEY suggested i supplement. That's when i considered it b/c for a LC to suggest formula, they must have been real concerned too. They week they started formula top offs (1/2 oz extra at each daytime feeding), they went from Tues to Tues from 6lbs 7 oz to 7lbs 6oz and from 5 lbs 12 oz to 6lbs 14 oz. over 1 lb in a week...they didn't gain that in 3 weeks! It made me doubt bf so much b/c Lord knows i did everything i could that i had researched to do. How could formual get better ( superficial) results than bm? God created BM and there can't be anything better than what God created for His children. This made me not so motivated to continue to KILL myself like i was. For what??? so that they don't gain anything? and i defeated the whole purpose of that commitment to do it xclusively for the first month. I am a very involved person and it is hard for me to bf twins xc, especially w everyone pressuring me to go to formula, but i did and wanted to anyways, but now i have that "bad taste in my mouth from it". I still want to do it, but to do it xclusively? I just don't know if i can. And who's to say that if i drop the formula that they won't drop back to the 2 oz per week weight gain they had in the beginning? If my milk wasn't enough to make them gain then, what difference is there now? It would be easier to do one or the other. it is so time consuming to prep bottles or formula and pump and bf. I am just so heartbroken and frustrated.

Thanks for the feedback I have already gotten!

 

by the way, I don't have another appt until jun 3 but when i get on my scale by myself and then with one of them (naked) they weight goes up by about 10 lbs so i assume they are somewhere around that now...

 

I had an inefficient nurser. I had lots of milk, but she couldn't suck it in enough. she was one who had 2 learn 2 have her tongue down, instead of on the top of her mouth... fusy baby g2g

 

Man, I'm so sorry that this has been a tough start. I can sense that you are really frustrated with the whole thing. I wonder if Jackie is onto something and that they are inefficient nursers. Can you pump and feed them EBM with a bottle after nursing? That would let you know if they were getting more from a bottle than from your breast AND it would be giving them BM instead of formula. It sounds like your supply is great.

I'm also sorry for the pressure from family. Even with the best of intentions, some people can be very discouraging when it comes to BF. I would check out Kellymom.com and keep coming back here. You are on the cusp of getting over the hump from the hard part to the easier part. Babies cluster feed in the first 8 weeks quite a bit. It's exhausting. To this day, my worst memories of BF are of the cluster feeding days/nights.

It does get easier and it's so rewarding when it does. That said, you are doing everything you can. If you want to supplement or do a combo of BF and FF that is completely fine and your still doing great for your babies. Just read all you can about it so you are completely up to speed about the best way to do it. There are lots of little pitfalls with supplementing to be aware of in terms of your supply etc.

Best wishes!

 

QUOTE(girls! @ May 23 2008, 04:51 PM) [snapback]790200[/snapback]
Man, I'm so sorry that this has been a tough start. I can sense that you are really frustrated with the whole thing. I wonder if Jackie is onto something and that they are inefficient nursers. Can you pump and feed them EBM with a bottle after nursing? That would let you know if they were getting more from a bottle than from your breast AND it would be giving them BM instead of formula. It sounds like your supply is great.

I'm also sorry for the pressure from family. Even with the best of intentions, some people can be very discouraging when it comes to BF. I would check out Kellymom.com and keep coming back here. You are on the cusp of getting over the hump from the hard part to the easier part. Babies cluster feed in the first 8 weeks quite a bit. It's exhausting. To this day, my worst memories of BF are of the cluster feeding days/nights.

It does get easier and it's so rewarding when it does. That said, you are doing everything you can. If you want to supplement or do a combo of BF and FF that is completely fine and your still doing great for your babies. Just read all you can about it so you are completely up to speed about the best way to do it. There are lots of little pitfalls with supplementing to be aware of in terms of your supply etc.

Best wishes!

i would love to but i don't have enough milk. that's why i want to do the mrathon. i am currently tapping into my already scarce freezer stash.

 

QUOTE(blssdw/twins @ May 23 2008, 05:18 PM) [snapback]790318[/snapback]
i would love to but i don't have enough milk. that's why i want to do the mrathon. i am currently tapping into my already scarce freezer stash.



Hi, well, the simple answer to "How do I do a nursing marathon?" is: You nurse around the clock for 24-48 hours. Every 1/2 to one hour you offer the breast to both babies. They nurse for as long as they want. Basically, it's exactly as it sounds...a marathon... you let them nurse nurse nurse.

Best wishes.

 

Sorry for cutting off my post. Is there any way you can go into the hospital and see how much they are getting? Go in, have the babies weighed, and then nurse. Weigh them again. I hope you figure something out. A nursing marathon hopefully will do the trick! :hug99:

 

My twins are almost 4 weeks and I'm currently pumping and nursing. I nurse each one of them about twice a day between the 7 to 8 feedings they get. Then I pump for 20 minutes after every feeding. It is a pain but my babies will not tolerate any formula. I've tried 4 different kinds including one of the sensitive ones. One twin has an allergic reaction (eyes get swollen, she seems to be asperating, and formula comes out her nose). So, at this point I don't have a choice about what to give them.

I have worked with a LC and her suggestion to me about increasing my supply (so I ensure that it stays up where it needs to be) was to do a pumping marathan. She said every morning for as many days as I can handle it, to pump every hour for 3 hours, 15 minutes each time. She said this should stimulate a growth spurt. You might give this a try. I did it this morning and my supply seemed pretty good. I'm going to try and do it every morning for the next 4 days. Because in actuality, I would like to be producing 8 ounces at every pumping time. Right now I'm getting about 5-7 ounces depending on the time of the day. The LC also said that you should do the pumping marathons in the morning.

Good luck. You sound like you are doing an excellent job with your boys. One thing that helps me is to remember that I'm not superwoman and everything doesn't go as I planned. (I had hoped to only nurse). :hug99:

 

I don't know how to do the "quote" thing, but in reference to you feeding them 1/2 oz after each feeding and their weight jumped, my LC told me that sometimes they just need that little extra over the course of the day (could be as little as a few oz) and their weight takes off. So that means that bf'ing is working, they just need a little more. Don't get discouraged that it's not working, b/c it seems like they are getting a good amount of bm. How much total over the course of the day do you supplement?

A nursing marathon sounds like it might do the trick, in that if your supply increases 1 oz more per feeding (1/2 oz per baby) then they'll be getting enough to provide great weight gains. This seems very doable!! Best of luck with the marathon... drink lots and lots of water!