pumping question-twins 7 days old:)

Hi ladies! my 2 girlies are 7 days old; i tried to bfed them they were born premature; the LL consulatant said it was a case of boobie disproportionate :lol: my nipples are huge and thier little mouths are so tiny! they cant latch on and keep it there--we tried the breast shield too but to no avail; she said by 7 lbs they should be strong enough to latch on and stay on enough to eat more then 5 mils--
So i pump and not bad too! My milk came in the day we were going home and i can pump anywhere from 2-6 oz depending on the time of day? for now its just enough for them per feeding-im taking the fenegreek started today so i hope I can produce more. My question is how long does it take for the fenegreek to work and how long do i take it? is that an ok amount for only a few days of milk?

 

Sounds like you're doing great! I took the Fenugreek and it seemed to work overnight; I'm not sure if my milk just happened to come in that day, or what. But it was like 24 hrs later and my milk production took off.

HTH!

 

thanks sara! i hope my milk comes in fast too!

 

If you have access or can hire another LC I would get another opinion. I have helped lots of moms with VERY large breasts/nipples to bf their twins, most of which are on the small side. It may be uncomfy for you for a while until their mouths get bigger, but it can certainly be done!!!!

And that is a VERY good amount of milk to be getting at this stage!

 

Fenugreek works quickly, but if your milk just came in you may not need that. Your supply sounds great. My girls nurse between 5-8 minutes and have since day one.

 

I too have large nipples vs. small babies. I pumped off a bit before every feed and then would feed them. This also got them to the hindmilk faster, especially since they were only at the breast for a short time before getting too sleepy.

 

thanks girls; i guess i should continue to try to bf them? they get so angry when they try to stay latched on does anyone know how many extra calories you need when you pump for twins? is it the same for when you bf? i read 500 cals extra for one so double that for 2?

 

All I can say is eat what you can when you can and as much protien as you can!

 

Hello!

Just want to say you're doing so well and your babies are taking loads too- remember the babies' tummies are just the size of a walnut at the moment and they only need a very small amount of colostrum in the beginning, just offer small amounts frequently. Colostrum/ bmilk is higher in calories than formula and so a smaller amount still meets their needs. As it's more easily digested than formula that's why they will require feeding more often than bottle fed babies.

I'd keep trying to get them to latch, express a wee bit of milk onto your nipple to try and encourage them to suck. If you do this as often as you can it'll help with your milk coming in too. Put a wee finger on their lower chin to encourage a wide mouth.

Good luck and congratulations on your wee bundles!

 

Congrats on your babies!

I wouldn't bother taking fenugreek yet. If you're getting 2-6 oz per pumping session, that is GREAT! Especially at only 7 days pp.

I'd also question the big nipple thing. When I was first pregnant, my OB commented on my nipples being big, and thought the babies might have a hard time, since twins are usually premature. But my DD latched on and nursed just fine days after birth (and they were born at 34w). The NICU nurses were helping me, and I remember asking them, all freaked out, "Are my nipples too big?" Because they looked just huge next to that teeny tiny mouth! But the nurse said, "Don't worry, they're perfect," and she was right.

So anyway, it's definitely worth trying to get them to latch. Don't expect success overnight, try not to get too frustrated at setbacks, but if you just keep introducing them to the breast, they should figure it out in time. Also, ANY contact the babies have with the breast, even if they don't get any milk at all, will help your supply a lot! Somehow, it just helps your body figure out that yes, there are babies, and yes, they need milk. When I was pumping for my twins, I'd always get a lot more milk right after doing kangaroo care.

As to how much to eat - the rule of thumb is to eat 1000 extra calories a day for BFing twins. Don't worry about counting calories, though - try to just eat nutritious stuff whenever you're hungry, and you'll be fine.

GL, & keep us posted on how everyone's doing!

 

thank you so much i did try to bf one of the twins while the other snooze and she did pretty well i didnt put her to breast starving; just satsified but content to eat more :lol: I will continue to try; it would be great to tandem feed them as they get a bit bigger

 

Hi Cherie!
It will get easier. It took us 4 weeks to get both babies to exclusively nurse but it was so worth it! Life is much easier now.

 

Just checking to see how it's going!

 

i wish it was better i cant seem to pump more them 3 ozs total and the girls are 4 wks old im terrible at pumping ever 2-3 hours-appts,tending to the girls,the boys-i dont have enough arms/hands! I want to BF them; i tried that without my breast shield and poor Charlotte had a fit latching off and on waiting for her meal! i could see the milk letting down so its not my milk supply; she does not stay latched on=and im not sure what i can do to solve this?

 

QUOTE(2+2more! @ May 19 2008, 04:05 PM) [snapback]781923[/snapback]
i wish it was better i cant seem to pump more them 3 ozs total and the girls are 4 wks old im terrible at pumping ever 2-3 hours-appts,tending to the girls,the boys-i dont have enough arms/hands! I want to BF them; i tried that without my breast shield and poor Charlotte had a fit latching off and on waiting for her meal! i could see the milk letting down so its not my milk supply; she does not stay latched on=and im not sure what i can do to solve this?


So will she stay latched once your milk letsdown? Is more frustrating waiting for it? Or does she unlatch once it letsdown?

Will one baby bf?

 

Eve: latches on no shield last nite and i can feel the tugging she stayed on for 20 mins and i thought she was done-fell asleep-she had a top up afterwards and ate the whole bottle( 3 oz)
Charlotte: latched on and off-took off the shield; switched sides and postion from football to cradle-that helped her stay latched on-she nursed for 15 mins; fell asleep; woke up and ate her bottle 4 oz then she ate again hour/1/2 5 oz bottle--

I had my appt at the hospital bfding clinic and Charlotte ate 30 ml and a whole EBM bottle of 4 oz! the LLC said her corrected age is 1 wk and she is doing pretty good for just learning how to feed She is confident over the next few months i can have her bfding more and making more milk when i pump my goal is most if not all feeds for th girls BF and pumping less--

 

QUOTE
she had a top up afterwards and ate the whole bottle( 3 oz)
This drove me crazy for the first months - well many months. Our DS especially would do this. Please Please Please do not think of it as them getting the rest of what they need. That is just not true. Babies have a natural reflex that if they have a mouth full of liquid they swallow and then suck again. So they will eat way more by bottle then they need to be satisfied. This is why some FF babies are huge and FF babies outgrow BF babies after 6 months.

IMO a 5 oz bottle is HUGE for a 1 month old, let alone so soon after a 4 oz bottle. Check out this site, it talks about bottle versus breast and how you need to think of bottle feedinf different when you BF http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

To give you an idea. Our to have rarely EVER taken more than 5 oz at a time.

The biggest battle I had for the first month was keeping them awake, they just love the comfy spot on mom too much!

Keep it up , you can do it!

 

QUOTE(greenthumbmama @ May 21 2008, 05:41 PM) [snapback]786218[/snapback]
This drove me crazy for the first months - well many months. Our DS especially would do this. Please Please Please do not think of it as them getting the rest of what they need. That is just not true. Babies have a natural reflex that if they have a mouth full of liquid they swallow and then suck again. So they will eat way more by bottle then they need to be satisfied. This is why some FF babies are huge and FF babies outgrow BF babies after 6 months.

IMO a 5 oz bottle is HUGE for a 1 month old, let alone so soon after a 4 oz bottle. Check out this site, it talks about bottle versus breast and how you need to think of bottle feedinf different when you BF http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

To give you an idea. Our to have rarely EVER taken more than 5 oz at a time.

The biggest battle I had for the first month was keeping them awake, they just love the comfy spot on mom too much!

Keep it up , you can do it!


thanks! im so new to bfding i was a total failure for my boys and i felt horrible i couldnt bfd with them
I will check out the link! i never knew that about bottles!