I would like to open this thread up to the new moms with inside babies as well who may have questions or concerns!
1. How old are your LOs:
2. Short term/ Long term goals:
3. Accomplishments / Struggles:
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?:
5. Who is/ will be your support system:
6. Any questions this week?:
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure?
Resource links (feel free to post them in your comments so we can add them as we go along)
Together 6 wonderful years.
TTC #1 18 months 1 loss DX unexplained IF-- BFP July 2009-- ITS A BOY
TTC #2 3 years and 3 losses DX PCOS -- BFP April 2013-- TWIN BOYS!
~DS1-Feb 2010~
~DS2&3- Nov 2013 {7 weeks early}~ TTC #4~
Re: **BF and Pre-BF check in**
2. Short term/ Long term goals: Short term - have them able to take a full feed without a bottle top up; long term - breastfeed as long as they want, I would go as long as about 2 years.
3. Accomplishments / Struggles: My milk supply has been keeping up with all three so far and stocking my freezer, pretty happy about that. Struggling with not being after to breastfeed more than once or twice a day as they are all still in the NICU.
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?: Combination of BF and bottling. They all get my milk but it is beefed up with a bit of formula concentrate.
5. Who is/ will be your support system: My DH and our immediate families on both sides are very supportive.
6. Any questions this week?: If you started with a nipple shield, when could you stop using it?
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure? Milkshakes from DQ.
@AshB62 - with DS1, I would pull him off, say no, wait a few minutes and start again. I tried not to react too strongly and make it a game for him.
First pregnancy - DS 01-Apr-09;
3rd cycle Clomid/IUI after 2 years TTC
TTC #2 since ~June 2010
IUI #1 & 2 - Clomid/IUI - BFN
IUI #3 &4 - Gonal-F/Ovidrel and IUI -- BFN
IUI #5 - Gonal-F/Ovidrel and IUI -- BFP!!
EDD: March 22, 2013
It's triplets!!
1.How old are your LOs:
My girls are pushing 9 months (wha?!)
2. Short term/ Long term goals:
Make it through the day
I really think I want to make it to a year, however, teething scares me!
3. Accomplishments / struggles:
I didn't think I'd be able to fb the girls. The first month was super hard we had latch issues and thrush and mastitis. I almost have up so many times. My struggles now are that my girls are taking on "full meals". They want to look around and play and lose focus super easy. Then 1/2 hour later are starving.
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?:
Dh gives a bottle when he's home and during one of the night feedings. Takes pressure off me all the time. Plus, I like that the girls will take a bottle.
5. Who is/ will be your support system:
Dh is my rock.
6. Any questions this week?:
I just need to trouble shoot the attention issue while feeding. I don't know if anyone can answer that for me. I'm not able to go nurse in a quiet room, I have two big kids and can't leave everyone alone. And I don't tandem feed, so the other twin is around also.
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure?
Chardonnay and chocolate and coffee. All the stuff I should be avoiding while nursing!
@ceechie have you tried a nursing necklace? They helped a lot while I nursed DS 1. That kid was so easily distracted. Also my iPod helped cover noises of the rest of the household making it a little easier.
@rcnavywife I used a shield with twin B as well as my son. For us it made milk transfer really hard however I do know for babies that are proficient with them there is a high chance they can become dependent. With that said if you are able to start weening off the earlier the better! Most children don't need them once they are around 3 months adjusted. Kellymom.com I linked it at the top will have a lot of good info on that. HTH!
@ashb62 as soon as they start getting teeth try not to let them get reactions out of you while feeding. So for example if they are starting to chomp a little now just say no and then ignore them. That way they know if they do bite, mommy won't like it and hopefully that will stop the problem before it has a chance to start. Did that make sense? I am the worst at explaining things!
eTA: I love sister wives! There's a new series about a different family now starting soon too. That's a situation that I will just never understand
Almost 20w today, really hoping I will be able to bf. I don't have anything yet, just ordered a book and will be taking a class soon.
Picked out a bottle to try out as well as a pump. I am hoping I will be able to pump some so my husband can help with feeding on occasion or we can go out
My guilty pleasure is playing video games!
Our little ones are still on the inside, but I look forward to nursing and giving it my best shot! I am an RN with training in breastfeeding, but I still know that nursing twins will be a challenge! I am not against formula supplements because I know that I need to be sane to be a good mother!
My biggest fear is that DH figures that I "know everything already" because of my work, but I know that this is still a first for me.
Good luck to all those breastfeeders out there!
Mama to Three Girls:
Twins born March 2014 at 26 weeks due to preterm labor
and our 37weeker born May 9th, 2016!
2. Short term/ Long term goals: get 2 babies who can latch properly
3. Accomplishments / Struggles: had lots of struggles with DD and I'm nervous but excited to try again this time around. DD is currently 3 and has been prescribed to take an appetite stimulant twice a day. I'm not sure how much our issues with nursing were supply vs. Her ability to nurse, etc. With her, my endless cycle, recommended by my LC was latch and try to nurse for a half hour, supplement, and pump with every feed. At about 7 months I started to wean off the pumping when it became apparent DD was much more interested in having my attention to play with her than she was in my milk. Best decision ever for us since it was always so difficult. I've promised myself that if it doesn't work out similarly again this time, I'll stop torturing us all sooner.
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?: whatever we can make work. I'd like to EBF, but if that doesn't work out after the first few weeks, supplementing is a definate go.
5. Who is/ will be your support system: DH and possibly a MoM from our church
6. Any questions this week?:
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure? Normally it would be licking the beater when making cakes or cookies or brownies... but that's on hold for a while now!
I like your attitude. That's the attitude I had before the twins were born. Now I'm completely obsessed and miserable when it comes to milk production and wish I still had that easy going attitude I had last year.
2. Short term/ Long term goals: breastfeed at least 75% of the time from the beginning/continue to BF for a year at least.
3. Accomplishments / Struggles: I EBF'd DD and DS for six months (and then continued to BF and do regular food until 13-14 months) and it was totally different each time. DD had awful latch issues, jaundice, and weight gain issues. I had to pump and bottle feed her for the first two-ish weeks while trying to get her to learn to latch, and it was a good six weeks before she was nursing and gaining regularly. DS was easy as pie to breastfeed. I am afraid with the challenge and "newness" of tandem nursing twins, I am going to have some of the same issues I had with DD, but I am afraid with two toddlers needing my attention too, I am not going to have the time and ability to nurse twins back to back.
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?: I would like to BF most of the time and maybe do 1-2 evening/night feedings with formula (a lot of my twin mama friends recommended this) because I hate pumping SO much, but I am afraid with the latch issues DD had, any bottle feeding will mess us up.
5. Who is/ will be your support system: DH, some local/church twin mama friends, my mom (and her awesome LC friend, hopefully).
6. Any questions this week?:
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure? Diet coke. I just love the taste of it, but know it is SO bad for me.
2. Short term, improve their latches so I don't feel like my nipples are gonna be ripped off. Long term, breastfeed till one year
3.accomplishments: weaning them off of the nipple sheilds struggles: nipple pain
4. EBF
5. My husband, my mom (over the phone, we live far from family) and the ladies on thebump
6. Not this week
GTKY: so much chocolate. Can't se to control myself lately
3 1/2 weeks
2. Short term/ Long term goals:
8 weeks/1 year
3. Accomplishments / Struggles:
A: Surviving nursing with lots of cluster feeding
S: Trying to pump to slowly build a freezer stash. I feel like I don't get a lot of opportunities to pump without taking away from them at this point with all of the cluster feeding.
4. EBF, EPing, Supplementing?:
EBF
5. Who is/ will be your support system:
DH is very supportive, as is the MoM group in my town.
6. Any questions this week?:
Any tips on finding time to pump? I'm realistically just trying to get an extra ounce or so to slowly build a stash.
GTKY: Whats your guilty pleasure?
Going to a coffee shop by myself with a good book, coffee, and a nice chocolate dessert.
DD and I took 7 months using a nipple shield for that long to treat and get over our joint thrush and latching issues. She was a small baby (only 12 lbs at 6 months old) which I think was part of it, which makes me happy that these boys are measuring bigger than she ever did at this many weeks. I'm hopeful now though, that after BF one my body knows what to expect and is ready.
I went to a BF support group for almost 6 months after she was born and it was so so helpful so I'll be going to that. Renting a hospital grade pump while I'm on leave, and having an LC come in when we get home from the hospital (as well as when I'm in the hospital). I'm really hoping to get tandem feeding down so I can hopefully cut down some of the time spent BF, but my daughter was a long nurser (like 20-40 minutes) so I'm kind of prepared to have long sessions.
My biggest fear is keeping my 2.5 year old occupied while I'm nursing and I'm home alone with her that doesn't just involve the tv or ipad.