Twins not emptying breasts and still hungry

xtina78 · September 2014

Hey everyone, I haven't posted in a while - my girls are now six weeks (born at 37.5 weeks) and am looking for help or just support. I do have a home visit scheduled with a lactation consultant but in the meantime I was hoping for your thoughts. My girls nurse for 45-60 minutes a session. They seem done but then are still hungry but won't nurse any more. I can pump after a session like this and get up to 4 oz total so there is still milk there they are not getting. After a session like this they will each eat 2-3 oz of either pumped breast milk (if I have time to pump - it's hard with twins to wrangle) or formula if I have to. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? I am using nipple shields due to latching problems initially and am wondering if this has something to do with it. I have started weaning the twin with the better latch off the nipple shield but it is a work in progress. Also wondering if b/c they are also getting bottles they are getting lazy at the breast. I do use low flow nipples and try to pace the bottle feeds. I Thanks in advance and sorry for the novel.

basil2 · September 2014

Congratulations on your babies!
Meeting with a LC sounds like a good idea. You might also want to post to the breast feeding board.
I have no experience with nipple shields but have been told they can cause all sorts of trouble. I suspect getting rid of them might help (if pain is an issue, the medela gel pads really helped me).
Are the babies gaining weight well? If so, consider cutting back some on the bottles to encourage them to nurse better.
Good luck- the first 6 weeks are the hardest.

SV917 · September 2014

The nipple shields could be the problem. I used one with H for over 4 months. I tried to get him off but he wouldn't latch without it. I EPd for E so I always pumped after feeding H. There was definitely milk there. One day he finally latched without the shield. The nursing sessions were much quicker and he was much happier after a feed. It's really hard to wean off the nipple shield, but keep trying. They'll get it!

rachelkongsore@hotmail.com · September 2014

Just because you are getting milk from pumping after a feeding doesn't mean that they aren't getting a full feeding at the breast in and of itself. You Could have an oversupply. The nipple shield does sometimes cause problems with slow flow/feeds and weaning them off it is always a good idea. How often are they nursing? It could be every 2 hours at this point still. I think the best question is if they are gaining good weight each week. I would cut put all bottles and make them rely on the breast solely if they are gaining good weights. Spend a few days in bed and basically nurse around the clock. This is what my LC had me do so that they could figure it out. If worked for us. The fussiness after feeding could be tummy or gas related too. My guess though is maybe they aren't latching perfectly which is making the transfer of milk skis and difficult off them making nursing sessions long and unfailing. Him sued the LC will perfect it all! Hang in there, it sounds like you have a great supply!

somewhereincali · October 2014

ditto the previous posters - neither being able to pump more or the babies being willing to ake a few more ounces by bottle means they arent getting enough.

the first just means you are making more, the second is that babies will almost always take a bit more by bottle, its just easy.

i would try to cut back on bottles and see how it goes, let them nurse more if they seem hungry again, but you may find that quickly they dont seem to miss the bottle

Lyndsey13 · October 2014

My number one suggestion would be to get them off the nipple shields. When you do that, you can stop pumping and bottle feeding. Trust your body. When I was nursing twins I had a HUGE oversupply. I ended up donating over 30 gallons. Even when I would feel that my girls emptied me, I could still get some pumping. You are never completely empty. I was always astonished how much I could get even when I thought I was "done".

xtina78 · October 2014

Hey everyone, thanks for all your advice! It's going a bit better and I have been able to get them to take less formula. Actually so far today they've only had breast milk which is great. It's funny, I think the difference is that my mom went home. She was a HUGE help - don't get me wrong. When she was here - she stressed a lot when the babies started crying after a feeding (she was just worried about them being hungry/not getting enough - totally understandable) and I would feel pressure to give formula so they would be satisfied instead of putting them back on the breast. Now that I'm on my own during the day, I've been able to just keep putting them back on the breast for the most part and this seems to be working.

Twins not emptying breasts and still hungry

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