MoM's who BF

mamatotwins0812 · August 2012

My boys were born preemies at 33 weeks. Because of their time in the nicu I wasn't able to start them bf'ing right away. When I did start, one of my twins did great and the other had latching issues. During this time I started pumping immediately to get my supply up. After having both boys home I found it just so overwhelming to bf one and continue to work to teach the other. I just don't feel like I have the time when my babies are hungry and crying and eating every 3 hours. I am still exclusively pumping but am getting concerned that as their needs increase, my supply isn't going to keep up as it seems to have regulated at about 1000ml a day which is JUST getting me their 7-8 feedings a day. My boys are now 6 weeks old and I would love to get them to nurse, and hopefully increase my supply, I just don't know how to with limited time and 2 hungry babies. I am taking fenugreek and drink mothers milk tea And plan to make lactation cookies today. Does anyone have any experience similar to this and/or any advice on how to execute this or if its even possible? TIA.

srbmvp · August 2012

The first good news for you is that your supply doesn't really need to increase as the babies grow! Unlike FF babies, BF babies take in the same volume of milk from about 1 month to 6 months (or whenever they start solids and the amount of BM goes down!). The average baby takes in between 19 and 30 ounces in a 24 hour period. So for two babies, you are talking about needing between 38 and 60 ounces.

Based on your 1000 ml, it sounds like you might need a little bit of an increase, which I think you might be able to accomplish through nursing, since babies are more efficient at the breast than a pump.

I would suggest getting a supplemental nursing system (SNS). It's a little tube that you attach to your nipple, and the baby latches to the end of the tube while on your breast. The tube gives them your pumped milk while they suckle and stimulate your breast and get milk from there too. It can be a little tricky to work the SNS at first, but you probably wouldn't have to use it for long to get your babies latching well.

I would also contact an LC, to see if you can go in for a consult and have them watch the babies nurse. They might be able to give you suggestions on latch, etc. EVen if you had LC help at first, your babies are older and more mature now, and may be able to nurse better with just a little help.

Good luck!

ColleenS629 · August 2012

I would definitely contact an LC to help. If they are used to bottles, you may need to use a nipple shield to get them back on the breast. Getting them both on the breast should help you get your supply to where it needs to be. GL!

MuseumMaven · August 2012

I agree that seeing an LC is the best thing you can do right now. It is definitely possible to do this! While my twins weren't premature, they were small and had a great deal of trouble latching at first. We used nipple shields for a long time. I also had one baby with tongue tie, which had to be snipped before he was able to nurse well. But we stuck it out, and my boys were EBF. We're still nursing before bed at 14 months.

We would not have made it without the help of our LC. I highly recommend finding someone you can work with to get through this!

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