Please help me latch

Hi all,

My twins are 1 week old today. My milk didn't really come in until day 5, and it still isn't enough to feed both, so pedi has me offering a formula bottle after each feeding. I am also pumping, and offer EBF whenever I can instead of formula.

The little bit of latching we had going earlier seems destroyed by the bottle supplementing. Now neither twin will latch until they've first had some food, whether formula or EBF. Could I have a slow letdown? They just seem to know if they fight me long enough they'll get the bottle, and they're right. I know I'll never get my supply up to the level of feeding two without their stimulation.

I really can't stop supplementing; I don't want their weight to drop. So how can I work on latching and supply? Thanks so much for any advice! I cry at each feeding now, and so do they. :-(

 

Ok, call La Leche League in your area ASAP to get a lactation consultant out to see you. They can see what's going on.

Off the top of my head, how big are these babies? Are we talking birth weights of 4 pounds or 8?

I did give a few sucks on a bottle each feed for the first few days, but with S what I did was give him 2 sucks (literally) then burp. After about 5 sucks when he wasn't starving, I latched him on. You need their mouths to open WIDE (put the nipple on their nose/upper lip area until it opens) then flip the breast right down and in.

:youcandoit:

 

The quick advice I have - I had to give formula in the hospital due to difficult delivery. DS would not latch easily at first. For the first couple weeks I would have a bottle of formula or EBM ready at the start of a nursing session. I had to drop several drops from the bottle onto my nipple (it actually was a nipple shield at the time) and then put DS on the nipple. If he tasted the milk he would latch on much easier. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

Thanks to you both for your helpful replies. Cheesewiz- they are pretty good sized babies: baby girl was 6lb 12oz and baby boy was an even 8 lb at birth, though both have since lost weight. A google search revealed no lactation consultants in my area, but I'll try calling La Leche League tomorrow.

 

Your insurance company may pay for the consultation? Have you check with your insurance provider?

Do you live in or near one of the bigger towns in WV? It may be hard if you are way up a holler somewhere to find an LC. Do you have any close friends or family people who have nursed? They may also be able to help.

It really is OK for them to lose weight. My boys went from 6lb5oz-5lb14oz and 7lbs5oz-6lb15oz. My daughter who was 9lbs3oz nearly lost a pound. The goal is to have them back to their weights within a few weeks. I really think your pedi is giving you bad advice about the bottles, especially after every feeding. A better strategy might be to try giving them bottles after every other attempt.

When you try to latch, what do they do? Do you sandwhich your breast to make it easier for them to latch?

I admire your determination. Keep trying. Nursing is not easy, especially when your first babies are twins. :youcandoit:

 

Rachel is right- you have an unsupportive pedi and BFd babies lose weight at first. Your babies are great weights! My Orion was 5.7 but 4.10 when we left the hospital. Its ok and normal as long as their wet and poopy diapers are ok.

You are doing a great job!

 

I totally agree with getting a lactation consultant or a post partum doula to help with breastfeeding. Perhaps there is a breastfeeding clinic or consultant at your hospital? This help will be invaluable. I had to supplement with formula at the beginning too but we used a "tube on the boob" that meant the babes didn't get a bottle but sucked formula through the small tube while latched in my breast. I really think this helped them learn you get food from the breast. You may find info on this and latching on Dr Newman's website. There are great videos on there that should be really helpful. You are doing great and it will/does get easier.

 

Re: weight loss. If you were on IV for a long time during labor and delivery and received lots of fluids, the babies will have gotten those too. They then have to pee those fluids out, which is perceived as weight loss.

 

the way you get the supplement and latch is a Lactaid or SNS - you supplement AT the breast. Where are you located? I could help you find a LLL Leader or an IBCLC (Im both as well!). In the meantime make sure you pump with breast massage to help your supply. Practice with one baby at a time. Were they born early at all ?
Google: Laid back Breastfeeding, if you are patient, lots of babies can self attach.

 

Hi. This is really really helpful!! I think I will look into a SNS. For those of you offering to help me find someone, I'm near Morgantown, which is a big town in WV. Also - they weren't really early at all; 39 weeks 1 day (a miracle as I was on bedrest for threatened preterm labor from 23 weeks on). I had a very long labor with tons of pitocin and lots of bags of fluid, so that's a good point re them having gotten a lot of fluid they need to pee out.

 

My link <-- thats the ILCA directory, there were at least 4 nearby you.

and My link that is where you can find a LLL Leader.

Keep us updated! call today until you find someone!

 

You've already recieved such good advice I just want to touch on two things.

Totally the fluids you recieved in labor will affect their weight loss.
To put things in perspective, I gave birth to my son in Mexico and he was weighed at his post birth check and not weighed again until he was one month old. I asked at his 2 week check up and I was told this---We will not weigh him, it will do you no good to know what he weighs now and it does not matter what he weighs now, what matters is how frequently he is wetting and pooping, eating and sleeping. We will weigh him again at 1 month.

And two--crying at every feed--that's normal. When I had twins and later when I had a singleton, I cried while feeding the first few weeks. This is something new, that you have to learn by doing. No matter what we read or watched or heard before we had newborns in our arms, none of it can really prepare you for breastfeeding--just as you don't learn to ride a bike from reading a book. You got to do and do and try, you will wobble and fall a lot durning those first tries--let's say durning the first 6 weeks. But after that, it'll be second nature, automatic, you'll just do it, without thinking about it at all, and you'll have forgotten how hard it was at first.

:youcandoit:

 

We're all rooting for you! I hope you get to hook up with one of the LCs Jess has. We can give you all of the advice in the world, but having someone right next to you to help you can make a big difference.

Keep up the good work.

 

Thx for all the helpful advice. I have a LC coming out tomorrow. I really hope she can help, because I feel like a failure and a terrible Mom every time he won't latch or when I give them a formula bottle. She is doing better, but I just am not making enough milk to feed both of them. :-(

 

Don't feel bad. I'm sure you are making more milk than you think.

You're not failing at all; sometimes it just takes lots of patience, determination, and a little extra help. So many things about parenting that we are told come naturally really are more difficult than they seem.

 

Breastfeeding 2 is hard! You are making milk and every time you put them to the breast you are signaling your body to make more. Take heart, they are super young yet and your supply is flexible. It CAN meet their demand! :youcandoit:

 

So how did it go?

 

She was really helpful! Baby Boy is now latching better, and we've even done tandem a few times. He's still a really slow sucker, and I had a weight check yesterday and will have another next week to see if reducing his formula and increasing his breast feeding is consistent with weight gain. I'm realizing my goal may not be eliminating supplementation entirely, since I'll go back to work in Sept and though I'll be pumping I don't think I'll be able to completely keep up. But I feel good that I'm now nursing both. Thanks for all the suggestions!!!

 

Just so you know, I breast feed and supplemented my twins the entire time. Some people think once you start supplementing it leads to weaning. I breastfeed my twins until they were 15 months. They got three bottles a day at set times during most of that time and I breast feed on demand around that. I went back to work when they were a year old and just feed them at night after that.
With my singleton, I had to go back to work when he was 7 months old. I did not give him much formula because he never took a bottle. He did reverse cycle and eat solids while I was at work. He would drink some formula from a cup.

Keep up the good work. Get as much breastmilk in them as you can, and KNOW that you are doing a good thing and that's all they expect from you. Try not to worry--there are so many things to worry about and those worries can easily take over if you let them.

 

Thx, Meximeli!! That's really good to know. I may PM you a question from time to time if that's ok.