Feeding...

What are you all doing as far as breastfeeding multiples? I had really wanted to make it work, but am having a really hard time. My babies were having a hard time BF'ing at the hospital, so they had us syringe feed formula...but, they just spit that out. So, we went to BF'ing and then bottle feeding formula.
At this point, I am pumping and bottle feeding my breast milk with some formula, since I am not making enough yet.

I just feel like it is so time consuming to try to BF and then bottle feed the supplement. By the time I finished with all of that, it was time for the next feeding! The lactation consultant at my pediatrician made me feel like a bad mom for pumping instead of BF'ing, so I am feeling kind of down about all of this...

Re: Feeding...

Don't feel down. Your doing a great job

Caring for twins is very time consuming. All you really are doing is feeding, burping and changing them around the clock.

But this is only temporary. It does get a lot easier.

Re: Feeding...

I am pumping and supplementing with Neosure.
I am a week ahead of you and my milk has really come in. I am pumping every 3 hours and have enough to feed both babies. When I supplement I freeze the breast milk I pump at that time. It is working out great. For me pumping is better. They wouldn't latch at hospital so the LC recommended I start pumping every 3 hours. Now I can get them to latch but it takes super long (like 30 mins) for them to breastfeed and then they are still hungry after! So pumping is working out better for sure. Just do what is best for you!

Re: Feeding...

Re: Feeding...

What is your goal? Is it to have the babies nurse, or to exclusively feed them BM from a bottle?
If your eventual goal is to actually nurse the babies, then you need to start putting them on the breast. They are so much more efficient than the pump, and although it is quite overwhelming at first, as they get older, they will get better at it - and then it will be so easy!

If you want to bottle feed the breast milk, then you need to be pumping every 2-3 hours, and preferably with a hospital grade pump. This will be the best way to get your supply up enough to be able to feed the two babies. Remember - as they get older they will need more.
I personally hated pumping and felt it was much easier to just breastfeed them. I'd tandem nurse, and that would make it go much faster. When they got older, they would only nurse for about 5 minutes each, so I did them separately.
I did pump once a day so that I could have a freezer supply. I also gave formula at night right before they went to bed.

Re: Feeding...

Don't be so hard on yourself, its a lot in the beginning.
My are 8 weeks old, I BF for the first week while suppl w formula, then after the first week I pumped only and gave the girls the pumped breastmilk. Now, only 1 DD gets BM and my other DD gets formula.

Re: Feeding...

My boys were in the NICU when born and I was barely producing anything. I started pumping full time while in the hospital and then I was bringing what I could to the NICU. When I tried to get them to latch only one would latch and I was not producing enough for one kid let alone two and was pumping after each feeding. Between BF one and then bottle feeding the rest and then pumping , then still having to get to the second one who needed high calorie formula since he was tiny, it was insane. I stoipped BF but just pumped and tried to work on my supply. I never had a good supply so they only got about 1/4 breast milk and the rest formula but it was all bottle fed to them mixed together.

Don't let anyone make you feel bad about bottle feeding, breast feeding, pumping ot not pumping. Having 2 babies to take care of is enought to deal with then to add on the stress of how you will be feeding them. I liked pumping because it gave me a few minutes to my self after each feeding and I was not the only one to be feeding them since they were bottle fed.

Good Luck