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Multiples
MaygenDL0ve
member
exclusive breast feeders help please
MaygenDL0ve
member
in Multiples
did you ever feel like giving up because your supply seemed suddenly insufficient? what do you recommend to overcome this???????
i've been feeling GREAT about breast feeding my twins up until yesterday/today. my mom left town, and almost instantly, I felt like my breasts couldn't keep up with the demand anymore. they even physically appear deflated, like limp balloons. i've noticed smaller pees in my boys' diapers, and even a few missed pee pee diapers.
this is getting hard!... they are getting big... nearly 11 lbs each baby, and eating more, but not less frequent. they still want to eat every 2 hrs, sometimes 1 1/2. i've pumped the past 4 feedings to monitor my output, and I'm averaging about 2 oz per breast every 2 hours. but the boys can easily eat more than that w/ the bottle.
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Re: exclusive breast feeders help please
Remember to trust yourself and the babies. If your babies seem content after feeding and are following their typical schedule then you're doing fine. Your guys are old enough now that they'll let you know if they aren't getting enought! Don't take pumping as a true measure of your supply. Your body regulates and you will feel less full as they get older. The babies may be going through a growth spurt.
I have had many days in the last year similar to yours. It's hard to have faith that everything is working the way it should. Hang in there! You're doing a great job!
You're doing great. It's all normal, so don't worry!
Breasts do suddenly get soft and feel less full around 6-12 weeks. It means your body has regulated to the demand. This is perfectly normal. Welcome the fact that they're no longer hard and uncomfortable! They will likely be not so full from here on out. Even if I'm late for a feeding session for my almost 1 year olds, they never feel as hard and full as they did in the first few weeks.
Don't compare the number of wet diapers they had to what they have now. This changes as they get older. I stopped counting wet diapers about this time. You can continue to count them if it makes you feel better. Ask your pedi or LC how many they should be producing (I can't remember the number).
My girls didn't magically start stretching feedings on their own. Their stomachs were accostomed to eating every 2 hours, so that's what they wanted. Once I got the ok from pedi, I started stretching out their feedings to every 3 hours. The fact that they're hungry every 2 hours doesn't mean they're not getting enough, it just means that is how often they're used to eating. Once you start stretching out the feedings, they'll eat more at each feeding (your body will adjust) and then can eat fewer meals.
Don't pump to monitor your supply. It is a completely inaccurate gauge. DO NOT pump and give that instead of BFing. You will never pump as much as your LOs are able to get themselves from BFing. Seriously, if you're a SAHM, avoid the pump for now. It nearly drove me nuts. I would only get 1 oz no matter what...even when my girls were 5 months old. When I quit, it forced me to look at my babies for clues they were getting enough....and they were. Are your LOs satisfied? Do they scream and hit your breast for more? If they do, then it just means you need to put them to the breast more. My guess is that they're getting enough.
Kelly.com has excellent resources. Here's a link https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.htm. Scroll down to "Worried about Milk Supply". Hang in there! You're doing awesome!!
I agree-- don't use a pump to gauge how much your babies are getting from breast feeding-- they get way more than the pump will. They will tell you if they're hungry by getting angry when your breast runs out of milk. If that happens, just keep them at the breast to stimulate supply.
Make sure you're eating enough and drinking enough, and getting enough rest. I find that when I am really tired, my supply drops.
I have had days here and there where I worried that my supply was tanking, but by taking care of myself and keeping up with the nursing, everything worked out.
You're doing a great job!
I was going to type all of this out, but Sunnybrook said everything so well. It all sounds normal to me. It is so hard when you feel like your babies aren't getting enough, but they probably are. If you "need" to know, you can rent a scale which will tell you how much they are getting (don't rely on what you pump). I did this because I was curious and my boys were getting plenty. I took the boys to the pedi a week or two later and told him I did that and he looked at my chunky boys and laughed at me and said something like, "Look at them, of course they're getting enough. You needed a scale to tell you that." In retrospect I kind of laugh at myself for doing that, I didn't need to do it at all and it was probably over the top, but it helped me feel better at the time.