I should preface this by saying I do not profess to be an expert on breastfeeding twins. There are a lot of twin (and more) moms out there who were way more successful than I when it came to the mammory milk game. But I was recently asked to share how I did things with a new twin mom. So, I thought as I prepare to put the old Pump away, I might share some "Dos" and "Don'ts" when it comes to milking for two. (FYI- this is slanted toward MoMs who have NICU babies. Sorry full-term MoMs, I have no idea what your experience is like!)
As an additional note, not everyone is successful at breastfeeding. I think that despite the best moves, prescription drugs, lactation consultants, oversupply, undersupply, you name it- it just might not work out. If this is the case for you, be kind to yourself. Being a mondo milk producer is not the measure of great mom.
DO pump frequently - every 2-3 hours. Especially if you're not able to breastfeed due to prematurity, poor latch, etc.
DO NOT obsess over your milk supply. I wrote down every little cc/mL squeezed out of the girls and in retrospect, I'm not sure it was helpful. It caused a lot of unnecessary headache, heartache, and constipation (just kidding about the last one. I wanted to make sure you were still listening!)
DO have lots of water on hand when you pump. As a matter of fact, drink a lot of water period. It will help with your supply and thirst is a side-effect of your milk letting down. Also, you may not feel a "let down" when you pump. Again- Don't obsess about things like this, yo! Also helpful to have on hand- snacks, phone, and Netflix. Thank God for Netflix instant streaming!
DO NOT obsess over your milk supply. Do not compare yourself to other moms, breastfeeding superstars, and anybody who is not you. And don't think breastfeeding will be your magic weight loss bullet. Every mom, every baby, and every breastfeeding experience is different. So there!
DO do things that will help with your supply- Eat oatmeal for breakfast, take Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, and especially More Milk Plus! Some women swear by Lactation Cookies but I never tried them. Drink lots of water (already referenced, dur) and eat plenty of food. DO NOT start a post-baby diet. Your ass might be nice and small, but it will kill your milk like an assassin. Even that special weight watchers for nursing moms spells Death to the Milk Factory.
DO NOT get a full night's sleep. What? Yeah. If you're sleeping through the night and not getting up to pump (at least in the first few weeks) your milk will die a gruesome death. You really shouldn't be going more than 4 hours without pumping at first.
DO buy this book. It's the best reference out there for multiple moms trying to breastfeed. It won't give you all the answers out there but it's a great resource for moms desperate for help.
DO NOT take on the task of breastfeeding, pumping, and supplementing with bottles all on your own. Ideally, you'll try to get the babies on your breast and then pump afterward while somebody else bottle feeds if the babies won't latch or are still hungry.
DO get a hands-free bra. Or be ghetto like me and just stick the horns in your nursing bra. I ordered a hands free bra and it took so long to come in the mail that I just started sticking those suckers in my nursing bra. It worked fine and I never used the hands-free except a few times. Being ghetto was just too gloriously simple.
DO NOT cry over spilled milk.
DO watch You Tube videos to help you practice your latch. Yep. You Tube. The internetz helped supplement the hours I spent with lactation consultants at the hospital. When it was 3am and I forgot everything I learned from the LCs, You Tube was a nice little resource. But be prepared, you will see naked boobs that look gross and third-wordly ::shudder::
DO NOT obsess over your milk supply. If you're stressed, it impacts your supply. Relax, think of milk trucks spilling, your babies, and waterfalls of milk (I kid you not). It will help.
DO learn how to tandem nurse- IF YOU WANT TO. I tandem nursed for a little while and then gave it up. It wasn't for me. A lot of MoMs swear by it, love their special pillow, and might flame me for poo-pooing the tandem nursing. It's a time saver and has a lot of benefits but don't think you need to do it. And multi-task. If your babies won't nurse, tandem bottle feed them. Stick each one in a boppy, attach yourself to the pump, and weee! Away you go!!!
DO NOT think that you'll be able to maintain your dignity. Lactating through shirts, pumping & feeding round the clock, having boobs even porn stars would envy, nips that could put your eye out, and having countless Lactation Consultant grab and squeeze you like you were produce at the grocery store is (I think) status quo.
DO know that your babies probably won't be super nursers until they are gestationally full-term. Ours magically started to nurse when they hit 40-41 weeks. It still took a little time to get them to really nurse well, but things started to turn the corner at this point.
DO NOT give up if a baby or both babies hate your breasts and treat them like satanic torture devices. Introduce your boobs to your babies at every opportunity (and give yourself a break if you're at home by yourself. If you're overwhelmed, introduce the boob at a feeding where you have help.) The more you introduce the boob, the easier it is for your baby to get an idea of what they have to do. And don't spend more than 10 minutes trying to get them on. Beyond 10 minutes you're probably frustrated, baby is frustrated, and your Boob is like to get a bad rep.
DO get your friends & family on board if breastfeeding is important to you. It's not easy and out of concern for you, people might encourage you to give up, not pump as frequently, or just give formula. Explain how important breastfeeding is to you and tell them how much you need them to support you. Trust me. DO IT.
And that's all I've got. If other MoMs want to throw out suggestions, hit me up yo! Comments are open & you can now post anonymously if you want to be all black ops about your nursing.
With that said, a quick shout out to my newly-retired pump. So long, Sucker (oh no I di-int). Maybe I'll see you again in a few years....Maybe...
