Moms who BF

schoolsoutbride

We're starting to get the hang of tandem, but I have a couple of questions.

1. If you have a good latcher and a bad latcher, who do you get on first?
2.  How do you arrange them so that you can manage it all by yourself. I do ok if someone's helping me, but I haven't mastered where to put the 2nd one when I get the first one set up. 
   
3. If you're BFing one at a time, what do you do with #2, who invariably starts to scream in the middle of BFing #1.
4. DH is going back to work on Thursday.  Am I going to survive?
   

jennie13

1. Mine both latched pretty well, but for me it was better to get the squirmier one on first.
   
2.  I tandem nurse in 2 places - on a full size bed in the babies' room and on the end of the sofa that has a chaise.   I put the babies on the sofa or bed in front of me, straddling them with my legs so they don't roll off, strap the pillow on then lift them on one at a time.    The edge of the sofa prevents the first one from rolling off the pillow while I'm picking up the second, and on the bed, if one were to roll off the pillow, she would land on the bed.  
   
3. If you're BFing one at a time, what do you do with #2, who invariably starts to scream in the middle of BFing #1.  I let the 2nd cry and just try to finish up with the first as quickly as possible.   Fortunately, I have quick eaters.   I usually only feed them one at a time if I know the 2nd will chill out or if someone is there to hold her. 
   
4. DH is going back to work on Thursday.  Am I going to survive?    Yes.   You will.   I promise. 
   

jalaiaa

schoolsoutbride:

We're starting to get the hang of tandem, but I have a couple of questions

1. If you have a good latcher and a bad latcher, who do you get on first?

I latched the one who seemed hungriest first. If they were both screaming, I would latch the easy latcher first.

 

2.  How do you arrange them so that you can manage it all by yourself. I do ok if someone's helping me, but I haven't mastered where to put the 2nd one when I get the first one set up.  

 

Before they were rolling I would put them on either side of me, sit down and put my EZ2 Nurse. Then I would pick up one at a time and put them on the pillow then latch them both. I'd have a lot of blankets near me that I could use to prop their heads up. That way I'd be hands free.

 

3. If you're BFing one at a time, what do you do with #2, who invariably starts to scream in the middle of BFing #1.

 

I generally didn't feed them by themselves early on unless someone was there with me. I think I tried it a couple time, but the screaming other one would always get to me.  

 

4. DH is going back to work on Thursday.  Am I going to survive?

The first 3 months were HARD, but I survived. You will too. My DH is a firefighter and works 24 hour shifts. My mom did come over frequently to help and give me a break. Days that she didn't were really hard. But I survived. After the first 3 months BFing was easy. Life was easier, but still not easy. 

GL 

 

GSwans

Something that I could not have lived without when BFing was the Rock n Play.  I tandem BFed on the couch with my pillow, and I would put one baby in the RNP, hold one baby, strap on pillow, get baby I'm holding on and latched, get second baby out from the RNP and on and latched. 

The beauty of the RNP is that the baby is not on the floor, but at my level when I'm sitting, so I didn't have to reach very far.  Also, could put baby right in their when they were done, without having to bend or reach far, if second baby was still going.  

I love that thing.  I've used it in a million different ways...bring it with us on trips for a space for baby to nap, put it next to our bed when one baby has a cold nad needs to sleep more elevated, bring it into the bathroom with me when I have to go and need to bring baby too... you get the point!

HTH!

schoolsoutbride

I'm dubious of getting another piece of baby equipment, but you're the 3rd person to rave over that FP Rock n Play...

I got them both on tonight.  Went for the "Crankiest baby first" method of latching, LOL.   Lots of blankets seems to be key.  That and NOT doing it in my easy chair, which props the pillow up too high. 

Hopefully I can get this working in the next few days so DH going back to work will be a little easier.

nikinikinine

We're starting to get the hang of tandem, but I have a couple of questions.

1. If you have a good latcher and a bad latcher, who do you get on first?

I latch my bad one first, this way I don't have to fight with him - usually my good latcher (DS) I can get on with one hand.

1.  How do you arrange them so that you can manage it all by yourself. I do ok if someone's helping me, but I haven't mastered where to put the 2nd one when I get the first one set up. 

I prop their heads up with standard bed pillows smooshed in a U shape and then I'm hands free. So I get my bad latcher on, smoosh her up propped with the pillow, get my good latcher on, smoosh him up propped with a pillow and then keep them awake with my free hands.

1. If you're BFing one at a time, what do you do with #2, who invariably starts to scream in the middle of BFing #1.

I look at baby #2 and tell it to settle down. I've tried the paci thing and the rubbing the feet thing, blah blah. But really nothing works. So I started staggering their feeds - one 15 mins early, one 15 mins late and that helped. Now at two months I let them be on different schedules completely and it's a lifesaver. They only really have one time per day - the first feeding at 9 a.m. where they both need to be fed at the same time, and if it gets really bad I bottle feed one and nurse the other and then just pump on the side that wasn't nursed on when they are done.

1. DH is going back to work on Thursday.  Am I going to survive?
   

yes.