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Multiples
bfing help for sil
Hi! My sil is expecting twins this Feb (probably be Jan though). She really wants to bf and since I'm the only one in the family that has bf'd and I'm a nurse, she has been asking me a ton of questions! I want to help and support as much as possible but I have only bf'd singletons. She is very determined but I'm so nervous for her as I remember how hard it is with your first and I just had ONE (though I'm not letting her know as I don't want to make her stressed).
So, my question is, how different is it nursing twins? What supplies, books, ect would you recommend that are twin specific (like I figured a boppy would be useless, ect)?
Also, I told her to hold off on buying a pump as she might need a hospital grade if the babies come early. Plus, she can have mine after I'm done bfing dd #2. Sound about right?
These are her little IVF miracles and we are so excited about them 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: bfing help for sil
I'd have her sign up for the bump because it is so great to be able to ask specific questions of the ladies on here once they are born. After that, here's my advice:
Buy a twin nursing pillow. Most people have the EZ2 Nurse, others use the My Breast friend twin. Lifesaver.
Try to tandem feed from the start, if possible. My babies nursed for 45 minutes at a time so if I didn't tandem nurse I would have been nursing around the clock.
Early on, when one wakes up to feed wake the other one. That is the only way to get any sleep.
Unless the babies have weight issues/jaundice, do your best not to supplement. It seems like you are constantly nursing, but all that nursing builds your supply. I have never had supply issues and I attribute it partially to that. you will be tempted to supplement and people will assume you have to supplement because you have twins, but you don't. It is all about supply and demand.
Drink lots of water. Also have a ton of snacks around - yogurt, cheese sticks, granola bars, peanuts etc. When you are hungry and the babies are hungry they come first, so have snacks available so that when you sit down to nurse you can grab something and eat too. Otherwise you'll never eat.
Find a good LC and use the hopital LCs. Take the EZ2 Nurse to the hospital so that they can help you set it up.
Tell her good luck, it's doable.
I would say she should plan on getting a hospital-grade pump regardless. I used my PISA until they were 10 days old (at which point I got a rental), and I think that contributed to my BFing woes.
Everyone will tell her that BFing is all about supply and demand*, yadda yadda yadda. So be there for her if it gets difficult and she just can't make milk for some reason. I think my PCOS contributed (as well as the aforementioned pump issues), but no matter how much I "demanded" of my body, I was simply not able to make enough milk for them. This was devastating for me, as I wanted nothing more than to exclusively BF my babies.
Talk to her about protecting her pumping time with a vengeance. I was too exhausted and emotional at the beginning to really make it clear to those around me that I *needed* help and they *had* to take the babies for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours so I could pump. I wish I'd stuck up for myself (and the babies) more.
Best wishes for your SIL!
* ETA: this (*) wasn't a reference to pp's post (we must have been writing at the same time). I just am a little sensitive to people saying that, since I tried so hard and it didn't work.
IUI #3 gave us the best 2nd anniv. gift ever: 2 babies! (born 03/09/10)
Peanut and Little Man are getting so big! 2 years old already!
finally blogging again at This Will Be: An Adventure
I think pp's got it right; drink lots of water, eat and try to stay relaxed - don't stress out if you have a couple of 'low' days; it's normal. I started pumping in the hospital, as soon as the babies stopped eating, I'd pump so I could build up my supply. At first I was getting maybe a couple of drops, but doing it every eating session helped.
Also, stick to a schedule. I think it really helped that I pumped every three hours, like clockwork. Whether you feel 'full' or not. Setting alarms in the middle of the night, etc.
Also, a hands free pumping bra saved me. Those things ROCK.
I also had a hard time with the fact that nursing wasn't easy for us, so I almost exclusively pumped - I missed the connections and bonding while they ate, but they still got BM, which was what was most important to me and my DH got to help feeding them.
For clogged ducts, lecithin helped tremendously. Fenugreek helped up my supply. A nice pumping tip I got; refrigerate the pump parts in between pumps so you save time by not washing them out every single time. It was nice for the middle of the night pump sessions.
Sorry if I struck a wrong cord.
To clarify if they are having weight issues/jaundice/not peeing etc. she will have to supplement and I wouldn't let that get her down. Some people don't make enough milk and do have to supplement and any breast milk they can get is good.
For me, early on I felt like my babies were always hungry, weren't getting enough and weren't satisfied. I was so tempted to supplement just so that I was sure that they were getting enough. But I kept reminding myself that they were gaining weight and peeing so while I felt that way, the supplementing would have just been for my peace of mind and they didn't really need it. In the end it would have been bad for my supply. Make sense?
so do most MoM ep? how common is that w/ MoM? i had to ep w/ my first for a couple months and it sucked! i got her back to bfing but i hope my sil doesnt have to go down that road.
I pumped for 6 months for my twins and I agree, it does suck. I originally wanted to before they were born and then when DS was in NICU and it was the only way to get my milk to him. I BF DD without a problem and I probably could have BF both, but DS was very much hooked on the bottle so I didn't push it. I will say that I kept an open mind that if I had enough great, if I didn't, formula was not going to hurt a thing, I tried not to stress how much I was producing. From what I have heard on here, it can be hard those first 6 weeks or so, but worth it once they get the hang of it.
In addition to the great suggestions above, tell her the book "Mothering Multiples" is a must read. She should read it before the babies come. It took several days for my milk to come in and my babies lost a lot of birth weight. I had to supplement and insisted we use tubing and a syringe instead of a bottle. It worked so well and my girls didn't have problems returning to EBF a few days later.
The book also covers the issue of pumping. Pumping is essential for the early days of milk coming in and getting the supply started. It isn't necessary after that unless she wants to store milk. I haven't pumped in months and have had no issues with supply. Like pp stated, its supply and demand. Putting a baby to the breast will work so much better than a pump.
She may also consider contacting her local LLL. I attended a meeting while pg and got some contacts. There may be other MoMs who attend or can help her.
Congrats on your growing family!
I've nursed a singleton and am 10 weeks into EBFing twins (born at 38 weeks) I would tell her not to stress about pumping unless it's really needed, and you won't know what's needed until her twins are here. It is possible to BF twins without supplementing, if they nurse well from the start, you let them nurse frequently, and your body responds, just like a singleton. I loathe pumping and do it only to have some for bottles when I can't nurse.
I recommend trying tandem feeding from the start. That way, she won't know how much easier it is to feed one baby at a time!
Like the pp, I would recommend the mothering multiples book, and the EZ2nurse pillow. And boppy pillows aren't useless - they are good for "staging" the babies next to you before you get them positioned on the big pillow.
I have the EZ2 pillow also but can't tandem still, not that I've really tried hard. DD is a lazy eater so I have to really focus with her. I can't even get up and move around the kitchen, etc. doing stuff while nursing like I can with DS. Anyway, BFing overall has been even easier for me (except the time part). I actually do less pacifier nursing because I don't have the time. I also don't have the clogged ducts I got all of the time with my first since they're emptying me well.
I also pumped with a Medela P&S with my first for 11 months while working FT. This time I don't plan to bf much when I go back to work so I'm renting a pump and it's not faster but is so much easier on my nipples. I don't have the pain that I'd get (granted I'm not doing it 3-4 times a day).
My fave book was the Nursing Mother's Companion. My fave site is kellymom.com.
Oh yea the hospital brought me a pump while I was in the hospital after the birth to start pumping in the hospital to get my supply going strong from the start. They kept reminding me to pump after every feed (which I didn't) but I thought it was awesome how much that helped.
Nursing didn't work out for us, 10 days in DS started to refuse the nipple, he basically didn't eat for 2 days, we would both cry during the times I would try to nurse him. (very emotional time for me.) I finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen and I exclusively pump now for both. I am a little upset at not getting that time with them, but I find that I don't have time to nurse and DH and other people can help me feed the babies. They are getting the breast milk which is what is important.
I'd tell your sister-in-law to try, but if things don't go as she has planned that ultimately it comes down to what is best for the babies and her. Don't get disappointed if things don't happen the way she wants, and that she needs to enjoy her new little miracles rather than stressing over other things, like nursing. That's just my two bits.