Not a twin mom, but . . .

Hello, all!

I know technically I shouldn't be here, as I'm not actually a mother of twins, but I did deliver twins two weeks and two days ago to two very wonderful new parents who have had a long, difficult struggle with infertility. They were born at 36w5d. The boy weighed 7lbs 8 oz and the girl weighted 6lbs 5 oz.

The reason I'm here is because I need some perspective from folks who actually know what its like to pump for twins!

I started out slow and discouraged, couldn't get any colostrum out, til I did alot of reading in the hospital and found that most women can't use a pump to get colostrum anyway. So on day 2, I started hand expressing, and was able to get colostrum for the babies. My milk came in at about day 4 or 5, and I was pumping every 2 hours, with a 4-5 hour break at night. By early last week, I was actually getting something like 40oz a day.

Then, on Tuesday, we found out the little girl has a very, very rare disorder, and her life is going to be hell for atleast the first year or two as she goes through alot of dr's appointments and procedures to head off the disorder as best and as early as possible. I began to stress horribly about it, worried for the baby girl, and feeling guilty that something I did caused her to have this. Needless to say, my supply dropped. I started getting about 20-25 oz a day.

Now, I'm desperately trying to pick up, as the parents are planning on using the breastmilk probably starting this week (They had taken time off from it with the doctors appointments, stress, and worry and last week the babies were on formula exclusively). I need to really pick up on production, so they will get as little formula as possible, but nothing seems to work. I am pumping every 2-3 hours, getting up once at night, and when I do pump, I sit there with the pump attached for an hour or longer (I have a hospital grade medela symphony with the xl horns), and have started on fenugreek supplements, although I'm not sure how much of it I need to be taking. I would like to avoid reglan if possible, as the side effects sound horrible and also it breaks the blood/brain barrier and that scares me.

Obviously, I don't have crying babies around so let down is pretty difficult, and there is no skin to skin contact. Can anyone please advise me on what I can do?? I'd very, very much appreciate it.

Thank you guys!!

 

Very difficult to do, but the best thing would be to TRY to stop stressing. I was EP for my twins, and stressed beyond belief with having to move cross-country when they were only 6 weeks old. One thing I did, while I pumped, I sat on the computer looking at twinstuff, and had music playing. relaxing music. For me it was jazz and instrumental, whatever works to get your mind off the pump. I would shut my eyes, concentrate on breathing and in general just try to meditate. DO NOT look at the bottles and watch the milk drip in! It won't do your supply any good. Try to use warm compresses on your breasts to help with letdown. If you can get a couple of those microwavable packs, those work wonders and stay warm for a really long time....

Is the horn size correct?? You might double check the horn size with a LC, just to make sure, that can make a difference.

As far as other natural ways, Oatmeal is supposed to help your supply. I ate tons of oatmeal and made LOTS of oatmeal cookies (plain oatmeal, not the flavored variety is best) TONS of water. For some reason I heard Gatorade helped, so I would drink Gatorade too along with water...... Lots of fruits and veggies......

If I think of anything else I'll post again, but that's about all I can think of for now. Oh, on the fenugreek, you're supposed to take enough to make you smell like maple syrup...

 

The pp gave you great advice - I just wanted to say "thank you" for being selfless - giving birth to twins for another family, now trying to pump breastmilk for them!


Can you have a picture of the babies so you can look at it while you pump? Maybe that would help somewhat, too.

 

Thanks for the advice, blueclouds and Erica! I do have pics of the babies from the hospital, and a couple that the parents sent me, but it makes me all post-partumy sad to look at them Don't think that will help either! I will buy some of those hand warmers to try and help with let down and up my oatmeal. My urine doesn't smell like maple syrup so I'll up that, too.

Do any of you guys remember how much your twins were eating at 2 weeks old? I'm still trying to figure out how much I need to be making to keep ahead of them if at all possible.

Also, after defrosting, how long did you keep the milk in the fridge? Did you reuse bottles of bm that the babies didn't finish? We want to waste as little of the BM as possible.

Thanks again!

 

Mine were born at exactly the same gestational age as yours (36+4) and at two weeks they were still only getting about 1-2oz. per feeding. But mine were born at 5lbs. exactly too, don't know if weight makes a difference at all... 40 oz. per day sounds like it was an AWESOME start, you probably got a lot frozen too.

If I remember right, You can keep defrosted milk for 24 hours... I would eliminate that by freezing in small increments. 4 oz would probably be best. I hosed myself by freezing in 8 oz. increments for my singleton (never could freeze with the twins) and now when I need to defrost, I need to make sure that daycare uses the frozen stuff before they use the fresh.

I reuse bottles if they haven't been completed, but you're not supposed to. It's not as big a deal with BM as it is with formula, since BM has all the antibodies in it that formula lacks. One thing that even I follow though, is that I will not heat a bottle more than twice before throwing it out. So I'll heat, feed, return the leftover to the fridge, and heat one more time. usually that's all I need. You can help to elminate that also by feeding in small increments. Start with 1.5 oz. if they still seem hungry, heat another .5 oz -1 oz. and so on. One thing BM heats REALLY quick, so you don't have to wait for it like you do with Formula....

I never did get a maple syrupy smell with FenuGreek, and I took A LOT. But then again, I found out I wasn't even supposed to be taking it because it interferred with my metformin.

 

I would also suggest oatmeal! I ate it every morning for breakfast when I was pumping exclusively an it really did help. Some other things to try:

* apply warm/moist heat to your breasts before pumping or take a hot shower before pumping
* massage while pumping
* be sure to apply lanoline BEFORE pumping!

It's so nice that you are pumping for them! If they are still in the NICU the hospital should provide small NICU bottles for you to pump into. If not I would pump and store in bags in 4 oz increments.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

Thanks again, everyone! The babies were never in the NICU, they were just fine. The disorder the little girl has showed up a couple of days after they left the hospital, it has to do with a vascular birthmark she developed on her face.

I am going to up my oatmeal and fenugreek and do the warm compresses. I've been applying the lanolin after, what is the significance of applying it before? I don't want it to get into the milk and the babies not like the taste . . . Thanks again, keep the suggestions coming!

 

QUOTE(heidiroo @ Mar 1 2009, 08:48 PM) [snapback]1210615[/snapback]
I am going to up my oatmeal and fenugreek and do the warm compresses. I've been applying the lanolin after, what is the significance of applying it before? I don't want it to get into the milk and the babies not like the taste . . . Thanks again, keep the suggestions coming!


It will make it ALOT easier to pump (less friction) and you may actually be able to pump more! Be sure to massage while pumping too! I wouldn't worry about the lanolin getting in the milk. It's safe! You can also apply it after just to help keep your nipples from getting too dry, but it's pretty messy & sticky!

 

Things that helped me...relaxing, eating alot, drinking alot of liquid, hot showers, sleeping as much as I could. When I pumped, I watched tv or dvd, so I wasn't stressing out and made pumping time my relaxing time.

 

Wow, you are so awesome! Both for being a surrogate and for pumping now.

Things that helped me while pumping:

-breast massage/compression
-getting busy with something else while pumping (reading, doing sudoku)
-being close to the babies (I know this isn't much of an option for you - but maybe you could borrow a blanket or something they've been using that has their scent on it?)
-eating and drinking a lot, trying to get some rest.

I think that if you're going "by the book," you aren't supposed to reuse bottles of EBM. But it's probably just fine. The milk is full of antibodies, so it's not vulnerable to contamination the way formula is. And if you're being careful, you can always just make up a bunch of little bottles, so that you're only giving a little milk at a time, and not much will go to waste if a baby doesn't finish a bottle.

Good luck! Sounds like you're doing great. Please keep us posted on how things are going.

 

tears in my eyes while i type! as someone who also sufferend infertility for years, i thank you so much for the awesome gift you gave this couple. you are awesome! and, you continue to be. thank you, thank you, thank you.

i think you got a lot of good suggetsions (a gallon of water/day and oatmeal every day were what got me 40 oz/day while my babes were in the nicu for 10 weeks BUT i did get to see them and that skin to skin makes a big difference). i agree about juts trying to relax. you are doing the best you can. kellymom.com is a good resource if you have not already found it.

again, thank you for the amazing gift that you've given and continue to give.

 

ps: when the doc wanted to put my baby on reglan i did some reading about it and did not like what i read. if you do decide to look into it, please make sure to research it well. if it were me personally i would probably not wnat my surro to take it. just fyi! you are already doing so much!

 

You are a very wonderful person. You gave the most precious gift you could give. And now pumping how wonderful.
Just wanted to say thank you for helping someone.

Love and hugs

 

QUOTE(happychck @ Mar 3 2009, 12:49 AM) [snapback]1212122[/snapback]
tears in my eyes while i type! as someone who also sufferend infertility for years, i thank you so much for the awesome gift you gave this couple. you are awesome! and, you continue to be. thank you, thank you, thank you.

i think you got a lot of good suggetsions (a gallon of water/day and oatmeal every day were what got me 40 oz/day while my babes were in the nicu for 10 weeks BUT i did get to see them and that skin to skin makes a big difference). i agree about juts trying to relax. you are doing the best you can. kellymom.com is a good resource if you have not already found it.

again, thank you for the amazing gift that you've given and continue to give.



QUOTE(nutty-mom @ Mar 3 2009, 02:39 AM) [snapback]1212158[/snapback]
You are a very wonderful person. You gave the most precious gift you could give. And now pumping how wonderful.
Just wanted to say thank you for helping someone.

Love and hugs


Thank you both! Being a surrogate and helping make these two wonderful people parents has been one of the most emotional yet best experiences of my life. Jeri, I am so glad you were able to have your precious boys and am sure they are loved immensely, as my surrotwins are Also, Jeri is a great name, it's my son's! (Jerry)

Thank you everyone for the advice. I've actually already noticed things picking up a little, by about 5 oz or so, so its encouraging. I'll keep you guys updated, thanks so much for everything!

 

Keep us updated! We are totally amazed by your commitment. YOU GO GIRL!!!!
Serously! I can smell the love through the post. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Mar 2 2009, 11:27 AM) [snapback]1211463[/snapback]
Wow, you are so awesome! Both for being a surrogate and for pumping now.

I agree! and I agree with all the advice given. Wow you are so amazing to do all this. I am sorry to hear about the little girl.

For me, I had a drop in supply when I got sick and I found immense amounts of water (just water) about 150 oz a day helped as well as fenugreek. I also found that it took a god week or more for my supply to come back.

good luck, keep us posted.