Struggling w/BF-36 wk twins

KDR1979

I delivered at 36 wks & 1 day. I started pumping on day 2...I was able to get the babies to latch some on day 1...but had to use a nipple shield. Days 2-8 were pretty bad, they weren't interested in nursing at all, so I've been pumping every 2-3 hours (Exhausting)! Lactation consultants say that they'll figure it out around their due date. On Thursday, I got both of them to successfully latch and nurse for about 10 minutes, so I still had to pump after they nursed to empty to breast. Since then, I've been able to get them to nurse 1-3x/day. So, they still get bottles and I'm still pumping all the time.

I'm really hoping that all of this work will eventually pay off and they'll be able to nurse (hopefully exclusively)! For those of you who delivered around 36 weeks and breastfed, did you have a similar experience?

Thanks!

E&RMommy

Absolutely the same.  I went back to a very demanding job at 7 weeks PP and just gave up on nursing.  It was too much struggle, and I was gone 80-100 hours a week.  If I had stayed home, I would have continued to try.  I did EP for 10.5 months. 

Keep it up!  It is exhausting but it's worth it.

Jen0204

Are you getting a good amount when you pump?  My girls never got BFing down, but I think that's because I never got a good supply so they weren't getting much from my breast and were just getting annoyed.  I have a friend who delivered at 34 weeks and had a very similar experience to yours.  Her girls are about 2 months now and one of them is EBF and the other one is still working on it and does some BF and gets some BM from a bottle.  She's very optimistic that soon she'll be able to EBF both of them and just pump once or twice a day to help keep her supply up and keep an extra stash of BM for when they need it.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to call a LC.  Even though I had a lot of issues and stopped pumping/BFing at 3 months they were very helpful and very supportive.  Good luck!

amanda31H

I delivered at 36w3d and had the same problem.  I should have pumped like you are doing, but wasn't - so instead we did a formula supplement. 

My advice?  Keep it up!  You're doing a great job.  Pumping will help to build your supply so once your babies  understand how to latch better, your supply will be in a good place.  My girls got too tired nursing b/c they were weak - so I could onlly nurse for 10 min, then do a supplement.  Eventually we worked up to 20 minutes.

By 6 weeks old, they were MUCH better nursers and that's when I could finally tandem feed.  I started trying to tandem feed from Day 1, but it was too hard since they both needed so much attention to even latch.  By Week 5 we started doing it a few times a day, and by Week 6 we were all experts.  Eventually I got the amount that we had to supplement down really low, but was never able to get rid of it.  If I had pumped in the bginning like you are, I don't think this would have been a problem.  For the most part my girls only got a 6 oz supplement each/day.  So not too shabby!

I also bought a baby scale to keep track of their weight so I could avoid going into the Pedi for weight checks. That's how I was able to start decreasing the supplement with confidence. 

BF was super hard for me, so in the early days, I told myself I couldn't quit today, but could tomorrow.  Eventually I moved that goal to one week at a time.  Then a month.  Then my goal was 3 months, then 6 months.  At 6 months I wasn't ready to stop all teh way so I dropped a couple nursing sessions and replaced with a formula bottle.  Next goal was 9 months and I was ready for sure by then! 

 

ColleenS629

In the hospital, R would latch but wouldn't suck and A would suck once he was on but was really hard to latch. When we got home, R was doing well but A pretty much refused the breast except for a few feeds a day (of course he would BF during the feedings that R would refuse). I was BFing, pumping, and bottle feeding for every feeding. At 2 weeks, I had an LC come to the house and she got A back on the breast with the use of a nipple shield. She also taught me how to tandem nurse. We've been EBF and tandem nursing ever since. 

BeccaLandes

i would say that if you haven't seen a lactation consultant, you should!  i had one come to the house after my milk came in, and she got both boys to latch and eat.  we just kept going from there- i would still pump so that someone else could help me by bottle-feeding one of them, but eventually both boys were exclusively nursing.

keg

Yep, I delivered at 35w6d and the girls spent a few days in the NICU.  The first couple of weeks were really bad (LCs at the hospital didn't introduce nipple shields and when someone finally did, it made a world of difference finally getting them to latch).  I felt that they finally "got" BFing when they hit 39 weeks and I was able to wean them off the nipple shields.  I wasn't nearly as good as I should have been with pumping and I had supply issues, so we always had to supplement with formula.  These first few weeks suck, but if you can make it through them, it does get easier.  Good luck and hang in there!

schoolsoutbride

Mine were born at 37w3d and it definitely took my baby B a couple of weeks to get the hang of it.  We weren't really using bottles, though it was hard work getting him to take a full feed.

A supplementary nursing system is what helped him the most. It would let you BFing them exclusively so they figure out what to do at the boob but still get extra calories into them.

rachelle2824

I delivered at 36w1d or 37w1d (depending on which doctor you asked) and the babies didn't get full breast feedings at every feeding until they were about 8 weeks old. In the early days I nursed for 10-15 minutes, bottle fed expressed milk and then pumped for another 15 minutes. I met with 2 different LC's which were very helpful. 

The most important thing they told me: it will take them time to learn how to BF effectively, they just aren't developmentally ready for it quite yet. The important thing is protecting your milk supply! So if you are exhausted, don't BF them every single feeding but ALWAYS, ALWAYS pump as much as possible. It's exhausting in the beginning but it's sooo much easier and cheaper and healthier in the long run to EBF. It sounds like you are doing great. Hang in there, you can do it!!!  

bsmead

amanda31H:

I delivered at 36w3d and had the same problem.  I should have pumped like you are doing, but wasn't - so instead we did a formula supplement. 

My advice?  Keep it up!  You're doing a great job.  Pumping will help to build your supply so once your babies  understand how to latch better, your supply will be in a good place.  My girls got too tired nursing b/c they were weak - so I could onlly nurse for 10 min, then do a supplement.  Eventually we worked up to 20 minutes.

By 6 weeks old, they were MUCH better nursers and that's when I could finally tandem feed.  I started trying to tandem feed from Day 1, but it was too hard since they both needed so much attention to even latch.  By Week 5 we started doing it a few times a day, and by Week 6 we were all experts.  Eventually I got the amount that we had to supplement down really low, but was never able to get rid of it.  If I had pumped in the bginning like you are, I don't think this would have been a problem.  For the most part my girls only got a 6 oz supplement each/day.  So not too shabby!

I also bought a baby scale to keep track of their weight so I could avoid going into the Pedi for weight checks. That's how I was able to start decreasing the supplement with confidence. 

BF was super hard for me, so in the early days, I told myself I couldn't quit today, but could tomorrow.  Eventually I moved that goal to one week at a time.  Then a month.  Then my goal was 3 months, then 6 months.  At 6 months I wasn't ready to stop all teh way so I dropped a couple nursing sessions and replaced with a formula bottle.  Next goal was 9 months and I was ready for sure by then! 

 

 

EXACTLY all of this!!!! My boys were 35w4d.  It wasnt until a few weeks later that they finally got the hang of it.  It helped me to remember that even full term babies have trouble nursing, remember they are learning too.  Get a great LC!  I use the one from the hospital (its free) she is so encourageing and wonderful.    She also told me that when babies are "late-preterm" that they are only getting good sucking for the first 10-15 minutes, anything after that is too exhausting for them. So she suggested nursing, and then following up with a bottle (either pumped milk or formula)

  Be easy on yourself and Hang in there, you are doing great!!!