WFMW: The Breastfeeding Adventure

Some times when it's the middle of the night, my breast pump decides to mock me. My lack of sleep causes me to start hearing things as if it were talking. Crazy? No..just the joy of being a Moma with twins.

It was a no brainer for me to decide on exaclty how I was going to feed my girls once they were born. I have always known that I wanted to be one of those women that would breastfeed their baby, while at the same time, accepting the fact that formula might be have to be an option too (considering I was having twins).

I did a lot of reading about how to bring in my milk and keep a good supply of it...and let me tell you - - -

IT WORKED!!!

I admit, I struggled a little bit. The girls did the whole "latching" thing fairly easy. But, it was very painful. I had to alternate between nursing and bottles. Unfortunately, I had to decided to bottle feed them because it was too difficult to nurse both. One would be crying their hearts out while the other one was eating. I just couldn't bear it. I'm still using my breast milk, just through a different approach. Which is OKAY!!! (I had to tell myself that in order to accept it)

Here's what I did:

1. After I had the girls...my intake of water was like someone who had wondered the desert for days without. I was gulping it down ladies!! Even though I was little hesistant due to the fact that I was still so swollen from the IV fluids, I gulped away. You have to stay hydrated....Very very improtant.

2.  My Moma told me that I would know when my milk had come in...I also read about it. But... the books also say if you begin to stimulate your milk glands, the milk will come sooner. So, I began pumping right away. (Despite having no success) Eventually, it arrived; and to my surprise, in good quantitiy too.

3.  I also started drinking an herbal tea. My husband says it sort of smells liek licorice, but I disagree. This is a big help to stimulate and keep your milk coming. I can honestly say, I was hesistant at first, but now I have a deep freezer that's almost full of breast milk. No formula needed. The tea is pretty comfortinng too. Who wouldn't enjoy a nice hot cup of tea with a little bit of honey...and you'll be relaxed and ready for your next feeding.

4.  Go ahead and accept the fact that you are going to be sore. It's inevitable. So, go ahead and get something to take away ease the pain. I use Lansinoh's Lanolin cream. It is a life saver!!

5.  When it comes to eating...bring it on!!! I make sure I eat every time the girls do. A full meal?

NO No no!!! Just a light snack. Like an apple, some baby carrots, celery and peanut butter. You get the idea. I am the one supplying the food source for my two girls...so I have to take in enough to produce enough. Simple? Not so much. It's tricky trying to figure out what you can and cannot eat. I learned that dairy will have a major effect on their bellies, as will spicy foods and junk food. If that's the majority of your dietary intake, you'll end up with some cranky babies. So, that's why it's important to eat thoughtfully. The more nutritional value it has, the better it is for the baby and you.

My lactation coach at the hospital gave me this website to visit:

http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/

It has a lot of helpful inofrmation on it.

Breastfeeding is definitely an adventure. One to never take for granted.

This post is linked toWorks for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer this week since Kristen at We Are That Family is on her trip to Kenya.