preemies/schedule/bfeeding

hi girls,
ok so my twin girls are 10 weeks today and 5 days adjusted. They have been home for 5 weeks. they are doing great but there are so many things that still make me loose it and im not sure what to do. I know it gets easier and it has. There are 2 major things that I feel that I need help with
1) Schedule!!! We are letting them sleep at night sometimes they give us 3.5 sometimes 4. during the day we are back on the 3 hour nicu schedule
-When did they give you longer at night
- should I try to get them to 4 during the day? what did you do. I feel like we have no free time during the day, there is not a window to get anything done. I know I have twins and having free time is a thing of the past, but I can not leave then for more then an hour.
It takes an hour to feed them and then 40 min to pump, which leads me to #2

2) I had no idea that breast feeding would be the hardest part about having twins.
Bfeeding, when did your premies get it. This part is the most frustrating. They are not latching correctly, sometimes with a nipple shield, sometimes without. They cry I cry. I worked with the LC's at the NICU and I know they are still on track, it just feels like it is taking forever. I also have been going to a bfeeding support group that is run by a LC and I keep getting confirmation that I'm doing great. I just can't wait till all 3 of us stop crying at every feed. They are not nursing effectively at all. I rented the medela scale to tell me exactly how much they took. We had 1 week where I thought they were feeding well, they were not and didn't gain at all. At least with the scale there is no guessing. so we spend time nursing as "practice/reinforcement" then we bottle feed breast milk, then I pump.

Can anyone offer a shed of light? We have all come soooo far and I can see that. I just feel like something has to give soon.

Thanks!!

Message edited 11/19/2011 3:56:26 PM.

Re: preemies/schedule/bfeeding

Wow!!! I give you sooooo much credit mama!! My twins are 2 weeks old as of yesterday and they came a month early. I solely breastfed for maybe 4 days. It was the same situation as you...It hurt so bad because one of my girls cannot latch correctly no matter how hard I try. I have mostly been pumping and we bottle feed them with that. I have cut it down to TRYING to breastfeed twice a day but even that seems very difficult.

I'm sorry I don't have any advice because obviously I was having the same issues and couldn't resolve them...but I just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain and I respect your resilience! Hang in there!!

Re: preemies/schedule/bfeeding

My boys were 3 months on the 14th and I still feed every 3 hours during the day, no way they would hold out longer and not be miserable Plus we are still trying to beef them up, they were 2 months premature. They eat 5-6 oz. At night, we let them go. Right now they sleep from 9pm till 2-3am, wake for a 3oz bottle and then back down till 7-8am. We tried the paci and then just flip out till we stick a bottle in them They are just not ready, sigh. Swaddle and warming the bottle has helped.

As for breastfeeding, I have no advice bc it never worked for us and I think you are FREAKING AWESOME for even trying. More power to you. I hope others here can help you.

Two little time savers I have recently figured out. Feeding togther and a medium nipple, both have changed my life Cut down on feeding from 1 hr to 30 min. that is a lot when you feed every 3 hrs.

Re: preemies/schedule/bfeeding

Awww take a deep breath I probably wrote the same exact post when my twins were 10 weeks old.

I bf and gave them pumped milk until they were 6 months old and It was the hardest thing I have ever done. So pat yourself on the back for already doing 10 weeks.

As far as letting them go more than 3 hours during the day I didn't do it until they were older (maybe 5 months or so) my ped said feeding them every 3 hours during the day will fill them up to sleep better at night. The night time gets so much better soon I promise. I think my twins were sleeping 7-8 hours by 3 months ish and at 4 months they were sleeping 10 hours and 5 12 hours.

as far as the latching issues. Both my twins had trouble latching and I pretty much always used the sheild (until maybe the last month). I also would nurse one baby and give the other baby a bottle of pumped milk at the same time. It allowed me to focus better on the baby that was nursing. I would sit on the couch and prop the baby getting a bottle in a boppy on the opposite side of the baby who was nursing. It worked for me.

It is very time consuming and yes I pretty much only had an hour or an hour and a half to go out. If I wanted to get out I would have everything packed and ready to go. Then I would feed them, pump and go. Once they were able to tandem nurse I would do nurse them together before I went out and I would skip pumping and it would give me some extra time.

Hang in there you are doing great! Stick with the support group. Everytime I wanted to throw in the towel I would go there and they would make me feel like a superstar and it gave me some pep to keep going.

Re: preemies/schedule/bfeeding

thanks!!