Multiples
Breastfeeding "preemies" question
Question about nursing & your experiences...
Had my twin girls on 18th - both immediately latched, have great sucking ability & nursed from start being held tandem football hold.
They lost too much weight after 24hrs and they implemented breastfeeding 15 min & then finger/syringe feeding to supplement. (While in hospital it was banked BM, at home formula as I can't pump yet what they need).
About 2 days ago we switched to preemie nipples on dr brown bottles instead of syringe feeding. 1: because on twin was getting lazy at breast & preferring to syringe feed . 2: we have a 4yo too.
Most of time both will latch & BF 15 min great + take full 30cc of formula. However, baby B has started refusing to BF, arches back. Screams, pushes head back etc. but, when offered bottle, immediately takes. So far today we've fed 6 times and 3 times she would nurse and 3 times wouldn't.
Suggestions? Input? When she does BF it's great - no issues.
Had my twin girls on 18th - both immediately latched, have great sucking ability & nursed from start being held tandem football hold.
They lost too much weight after 24hrs and they implemented breastfeeding 15 min & then finger/syringe feeding to supplement. (While in hospital it was banked BM, at home formula as I can't pump yet what they need).
About 2 days ago we switched to preemie nipples on dr brown bottles instead of syringe feeding. 1: because on twin was getting lazy at breast & preferring to syringe feed . 2: we have a 4yo too.
Most of time both will latch & BF 15 min great + take full 30cc of formula. However, baby B has started refusing to BF, arches back. Screams, pushes head back etc. but, when offered bottle, immediately takes. So far today we've fed 6 times and 3 times she would nurse and 3 times wouldn't.
Suggestions? Input? When she does BF it's great - no issues.
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Breastfeeding "preemies" question
My first thought is that B is pissed waiting for the letdown. How's their weight gain now? 15 min of BFing isn't a lot - how often are you feeding? Are you pumping after you nurse to "replace" the supplemental feed; otherwise, it'll be really difficult to ever catch up to them.
My twins were born at 34w and they had probs latching in the beginning but I tried putting them on the boob once a day. By the time they were 35w GA, they did much better and we could tandem. I nursed for 20-30 min and then they were given a supplement - at first formula bc my supply wasn't there and then as I pumped (30 min, 8x a day on top of whatever BFing I could do) my supply caught up w them.
I'll be honest, and in no way should you take the advice of the internet, but when they were discharged I was told to bottle feed half their feeds. I didn't. I switched to nursing exclusively on demand - which was 30-45min every 2-3hrs. They gained weight at their weight check and we never looked back. Honestly, their NICU was great but they weren't the most pro-BFing and I had nursed my oldest successfully so I knew what I was doing.
I ended up nursing the twins for 14 mo before they self-weaned.
I would love to drop the formula amount and increase nursing... Their weight loss was what worried me; I did not want to end back up in hospital. I have lactation appt Monday to see what they're weighing and input/output of breastfeeding. I plan to go from there I suppose.
I'm trying to nurse 1st diaper after now too; maybe B just gets impatient waiting.
Maybe baby B is just so hungry, how's your flow? Is it slow? If yes, then yah I would say she's just impatient. Have you tried a nipple shield, that may help?
Def seek out a LC and see what they think.
See how they've gained on Mon and what the LC says. But also trust your mommy instinct, esp if you've done this before.
Good luck! Establishing a successful BFing relationship is a lot of hard work, esp w twins. You can do this.
I had the twins last month and I also have a 4 year old.
Breastfeeding both was not working, so what we did in the hospital was that I fed one via breast and the other got a bottle and I would alternate feedings. As they started eating more, I couldn't keep up and so like you I was breastfeeding and then supplementing with a bottle. We are on a 3 hour schedule and it was just taking too long especially when you are 1 person doing all the feedings. I quit breastfeeding and we are strictly bottles (I pump).
You have to do the best you can whether it is breastfeeding, bottle, or a combination. Good luck!
Anyways- the girls are 10 days old (had them at 36wks)
Today went a bit better, until end of day at least.