Breastfeeding twins- currently chained to the pump- need advice!

GenieBK · August 2012

Hi! I'm also going to post this to the breastfeeding board but wondering if any of you had similar issues. I'd LOVE to get my girls to breastfeed, but they just can't/won't latch on!

I had my girls at 37 weeks, they were 5lbs 14oz and 4lbs 15oz and are now 3 weeks old and about a 1lb bigger each. Both babies are eager to go towards the breast to eat, but I haven't been able to get a solid latch from either. They were way too sleepy in the beginning and now they just can't/won't get a good mouthful to get going. So I've been pumping every 2-3 hours and bottle feeding. In the beginning I tried putting them on the breast before the bottle, but this just got to be too much in conjunction with pumping/feeding/burping/washing bottles and pump parts. Now that they are 3 weeks and today is their due date, I was hoping we would have some improvement on their latch but so far not so much. I just don't know what to do. I'm considering contacting a LC to come to my house, but really want what I can do to improve the situation before spending so much $$. I did go to a support group when the girls were 6 days old and the LC suggested a nipple shield. It seemed to work a little, but have read issues about trouble weaning from the shield and diminishing supply, so I've not been using it.

So I'm chained to the pump and really needing some advice or words of encouragement that I will be able to get my girls on the boob! What worked for you?? Thanks!!

Jen0204 · August 2012

I found that every nurse I spoke with when the girls were in the NICU had different advice - use a nipple shield, don't use a nipple shield. Pump for 40 minutes every 3 hours, pump for 10 minutes every 1-2 hours. The advice was all over the place, and they all said that not doing it the way they suggested would hurt my supply. If a shield helps them latch, I would use it for the time being.

Check with your insurance, they might cover an LC. If not, try contacting your local La Leche League. They might be able to send someone out to help you. I think having someone come to take a look at what the babies are doing will really be beneficial.

Good luck!

jsp430 · August 2012

I feel your pain!! After week 2-3 I think I pumped for a solid week and bottle fed to let my nipples heal. My babies weren't latching well either, and they clamped and bit a lot out of frustration.

We are now breastfeeding well and past being chained to a pump! I would...

1. Contact an LC and have them do a home visit. Find one that specializes in multiples, preemies, or any other specific difficulties you're having. I found mine on the IBLC website. It really really helped me to get my son to latch well and even get reassurance about how we were really doing overall.

2. If you're bottle feeding now, try to train their mouths a bit on the bottle. After searching around online, we got the Playtex VentAir wide-nipple bottles. They have a nice wide nipple base, so it helped our babies to open wider, and the flow on the nipple was the slowest we found, so hopefully it was mimicking breastfeeding a bit better. I really found that getting their mouths around the wider nipple base on the bottle helped them open and relax their mouths for taking my breast.

I have also had non-stress chiropractic care recommended, as well as cranio-sacral therapy for adjustments for newborns -- the thought being that babies who aren't truly comfortable (and twins happen to be more stressed, crammed, or contorted in utero) don't nurse as well. Some of them specialize in nursing/ latching issues.

When mine were born, they were 5 lbs 15 ounces and 6 pounds 6 ounces, and my breasts right now are a size H. I really think a lot of the problem for awhile was that their little mouths were too small and weak to get a good latch.

Keep up hope! I remember feeling really hopeless while I was pumping all the time and not sure I could keep it up. It's the best feeling to get back to nursing. It has been really rough, really tricky, and now it's great. Hang in there!!!!

amye84 · August 2012

Agree with PP about everyone having different "expert" advice. If your girls will latch with the shield the USE IT!! That thing is evil for sure, but it exists for a reason. We used a shield for a few weeks and successfully weaned off of it. It's a pain, but it will teach the babies to latch and that is the whole point! I don't think it will hurt your supply to use the nipple shield but you have to pump after each nursing attempt. The only way it might hurt your supply is if you're relying on the babies to keep up the demand thru the shield, which probably isn't possible.

Here's what we did. Tandem nurse with shields each time followed by a couple of oz in a bottle for each baby while I pumped (hands free bra allows you to pump and bottle feed a baby at the same time). This is obviously a thousand times easier if you have a second set of hands to help, but I did it alone too with the help of a couple of boppies Smile Once my girls got a little bigger and more energetic I would try to latch them without the shield at each feeding before putting the shield on. Sometimes they'd latch and stay that way for a minute or two... sometimes not. But literally overnight they just didn't need the shield anymore! You feel like all you do is nurse (for good reason, it's true!) but it gets better and easier. I bet your babies are soooo close to being able to breastfeed! Stick with it mama! And let us know if you have any other questions.

ColleenS629 · August 2012

I had an LC come to my home to help us. I had one that was BFing but gaining on the low end of normal and one that was refusing the BF. To get them both eating well from the breast, the LC had me use nipple shields for a while. It helped immensely!

angelfire02 · August 2012

Don't give up! My best advice is find a great LC. I found one through the clinic I go to and she has been incredibly helpful. My babies are now 12 weeks old and just in the last 2 days started nursing. I have been pumping every 3 hours for the past 12 weeks and I think I was loosing my mind! Nursing is so worth it though and I am so proud of both myself and the babies for sticking with it. They were born at 35.6 and were too little to latch on and I have had chronic infections in my breasts that prevented me from being able to just nurse, but now we are getting the hang of it. I still pump every 4 hours during the day now (with a hands free pumping bra) and feed them from the bottle to ensure they are getting enough and to empty my breasts. I have a pretty extreme oversupply and with my infection just nursing isn't enough right now, but we are nursing once a day and they are doing great with it. I would have given up months ago if it wasn't for my wonderful lactation consultant. She has given me enough encouragement and support to keep going, even when it was so excruitating I wanted to give up right there. I have found that whlie breastfeeding is 'cheaper' than formula, there are still quite a few expenses associated with it! I have spent a lot of money just on milk storage bags! You should think of spending money on an LC (if you can't find one for free) as a good thing because you are still giving your babies the healthiest food you can, and to do that you need to spend that money. Good luck and stick with it!

tarajayne · August 2012

I know everyone has their own opinions, but if the shield works I too say use it. I was in tears during every feeding for weeks until the 3rd LC I saw finally suggested it (I never knew they existed). I was able to get both babies to latch with this. I still ended up quitting because of my supply issues, but i had this all along. Good luck!

LottaLattes · August 2012

Mine weren't getting enough milk at a feeding and I was told to put to breast for 15 minutes, bottle feed and pump but only during the daytime feelings and just pump and bottle feed at night. I didn't have help and had a hard time getting them to latch well for that 15 minutes and eventually quit and just pump now while I feed them. And I regret it, if you hate the ability to do that eventually they apparently just start getting it when they get stronger. I have two older kids and it was just too much to juygle but if you can stick with it! And if you can't, it isn't the end of the world either.

leneae10 · August 2012

My singleton NEVER latched. There is no shame in the shield, we used it for quite a while. It makes things annoying but hey, so is pumping!

shivNY · August 2012

I used the nipple shield for 3 months w DS and went on to nurse him for 14 months. I would have never been able to BF without it. With the twins were also using the shields and it's been going great. They won't latch at all w/out it.

GenieBK · August 2012

Thank you SO much for sharing everyone!!! You are VERY encouraging and have given me the boost I need to keep trying. Now that I understand so many of you have used the shield and have had such great results, I'm definitely going to stick with it. Also going to call my insurance company to see if they cover any LC services.

I'm using the hands free pumping bra and that is basically the only thing keeping me sane while I pump

Thank you thank you! I'm sure I will have more questions and hopefully some success stories to share myself in the coming weeks.

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Breastfeeding twins- currently chained to the pump- need advice!

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