Breastfeeding Help

[bocaburger]

Ok, help me please. The twins are 6 days old. They lost 12% and 10% of their bodyweight in the hospital and are being wat! Right now they nurse pretty much constantly. Nursing sessions last about an hour plus each. I am in bad shape.

Questions:
- Is it normal for a baby to nurse for an hour?
- Should I try to space out the feedings more so I have more milk when they go on? Or should I try to nurse whenever they seem hungry (aka whenever they are awake)?
- When does this get better? When will I be able to enjoy having them and not just feel like I'm drowning? I need a goal.

Thanks everyone. Also looking for an LC.

[anakah]

Yes, newborn babies nurse for a long time and seem to be hungry all the time when awake. The extra nursing will signal Your body that it needs to make more milK. That said, it's completely ok to supplement with formula if you need a break and pump for that feeding instead. The early days are hard. Hang in there mama. You got this!

[elvenqueen]

Hang in there bocaburger!

I think I remember my midwife telling me that a normal feeding session is anywhere between 10-30 minutes. I had one reluctant feeder, so I tried to keep him latched for a minimum of 10 minutes. The other would have stayed latched permanently, so I'd try to end the session around 30 minutes.

Aside from some phases of cluster feeding, my guys did not always show obvious signs of wanting to nurse, and they slept a shit ton at night in those first early weeks. So I kept to a schedule in the beginning, nursing each of them at least every 3 hours (counting from the start of a feed).

I supplemented A for the first 5-6 days because I was worried how much he was getting (the reluctant feeder). DH would feed him, and then I'd pump one breast whenever E was nursing on the other.

It slowly but surely gets easier. In a couple weeks you'll feel a lot more comfortable with it! It's a huge learning process for all of you, so try not to be discouraged in these early days.

[dke2010]

I haven't had my twins yet, but my singleton was similar to what you're describing. She would nurse for about an hour, then sleep for a short time and nurse again. I can only imagine how it is with two. Thankfully, nursing so often will build your supply but it can be very difficult. Within a couple of weeks, DD was able to nurse more efficiently so breastfeeding took less time and she was able to go longer between feeds. Hopefully you can find a good LC to help you. Good luck!

[mrsmcsmith09]

I'm not much help because I supplemented with formula so I had a different schedule. But, the twins did eat often when they were new and B had weight issues for the first 2 weeks. Get in touch with a LC and just keep truckin. It'll get better and you're doing awesome!

[hollyberry]

I am formula feeding so no advice. But lots of hugs! Knowing what to do is so hard at the beginning. So much learning for moma and baby!

[robertjane33]

We supplemented with formula and K mostly pumped. When she nursed, it was usually for about 20-30 minutes that early on. It's really tough, and I don't know anyone with twins who didn't supplement to some extent. It's very difficult, and you are doing a great job. Glad to hear you are looking for an LC - ours was hugely helpful.

[bocaburger]

Thanks everyone. I had a massive breakdown at the pedis office today that ended in her giving us a giant box of formula samples. I am disappointed but also really struggling with PPA already so I'm not going to fight it.

[mc13]

Aug 17, 2016 18:18:06 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

Thanks everyone. I had a massive breakdown at the pedis office today that ended in her giving us a giant box of formula samples. I am disappointed but also really struggling with PPA already so I'm not going to fight it.

Sorry you had a breakdown, but it's ok to feel disappointed! It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I found out the hard way after pretty much killing myself to exclusively pump for my older daughter and it exasperating my PPA symptoms. Once I took the stress off myself of producing a certain number of ounces each day and to be ok with supplementing with formula (eventually going all formula), I felt so much better and could be a better mom to her. You'll figure it out and I'm glad you seem to have a good plan for now.

[twobananas]

I'm two months in to this whole twin thing and just want to reassure you it does get better my boy still nurses for about 40 min, but the feedings are spaced out much more so I'm not constantly feeding. I do one and then the other since I cannot stand tandem feeding. My husband takes one of the night feedings and gives them a bottle of formula. At first I was also pumping in addition to nursing and once I cut that out I felt so much better. It's hard to not feel guilty doing anything other than nursing but what's more important is your sanity. So do whatever you can to make your life easier! Your babies will be 100% happy and healthy no matter how you feed them.

[pbandj714]

Aug 17, 2016 18:18:06 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

Thanks everyone. I had a massive breakdown at the pedis office today that ended in her giving us a giant box of formula samples. I am disappointed but also really struggling with PPA already so I'm not going to fight it.

Big hugs. It's okay to feel disappointed, but know that no matter what you decide, as long as you are feeding your babies, it is the right decision. I struggled with supply in the beginning, so they had me start supplementing at the hospital. Once I got home, I was so overwhelmed with everything that I was not able to pump after every feed to increase my supply and we had to keep upping the supplement. I felt like i wad on the verge of ppd/ppa, and it would have pushed me over the edge. Here we are at almost 2 months and the babies nurse for about 25 min followed up with 3 oz of formula each about every 3 hours. I'm still disappointed, but I realized that for me it wasn't worth sacrificing my mental health. I need to be present and healthy for my babies, and if it takes them eating 3/4 formula and 1/4 breastmilk, then so be it. They still get the antibodies from the small amount of breast milk, so I'm content with this arrangement. Anyway, this was my long-winded attempt to tell you that I've been there with feeling overwhelmed and guilty. It does get better no matter what you decide. You are an awesome mom!!

[robertjane33]

Aug 17, 2016 18:18:06 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

Thanks everyone. I had a massive breakdown at the pedis office today that ended in her giving us a giant box of formula samples. I am disappointed but also really struggling with PPA already so I'm not going to fight it.

I'm glad you are taking care of yourself - it is so important to make sure you are doing OK mentally in this whole process.  I didn't realize how much work I was doing with two newborns until months later, when it started to ease up.  It gets easier, and the kids just get more fun as they get older.

In terms of feeding, there is no wrong way to feed your babies.  You are doing a wonderful job taking care of yourself and them.  

[schmella]

Aug 17, 2016 18:18:06 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

Thanks everyone. I had a massive breakdown at the pedis office today that ended in her giving us a giant box of formula samples. I am disappointed but also really struggling with PPA already so I'm not going to fight it.

We were not successful at BFing, which was immensely disappointing to me. It's hard. It is so so hard. I pumped, we attempted reintroducing BFing after 8 weeks when they were stronger. Looking back, we could have been successful at that point but my heart was no longer in it. I ended up pumping and supplementing until 6m.

Pumping was hard- I found it very isolating, but told my family & friends that for my health they would have to accept me pumping in front of them and that helped.

Taking good care of yourself and Feeding your babies is the important part. You're doing a great job!

[hollyberry]

bocaburger, i am sorry for the breakdown and feelings of guilt. Know you are not a failure for also using formula. Your mental health is important. Take care of you so you can take care of the babies. Hormones are a bitch! Lots of hugs!