Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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:
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.

6 comments:

  1. Good for you!

    I've nursed all of mine (none twins) and it's been such a huge blessing, not only to me and them, but to our wallets and my waistline!

    Keep eating and drinking! I was hungrier after I had the babies than when I was pregnant. Go figure!

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  2. Way to go for all your hard work!

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  3. Your breastfeeding photo is awesome!!! :D

    I agree, Lanolin was a lifesaver! I was very lucky to have a supportive husband. I was so uncomfortable that I would have quit, but he just kept encouraging me to reach the 6 week mark, and by that time, everything was great! I did get so sore that I could only nurse on one side and had to pump on the other for a while, but that fixed itself. I also didn't stress if we needed to give the baby an occasional formula bottle - 95% breastfed isn't bad!

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  4. I can understand the bottles...but have you considered trying to actually nurse them as they get older...or doing a little bit of both, as time allows. Of course the milk is great for them...but breastfeeding is so much more than the milk. I mean, you have to do what is best for you, please dont get me wrong...I'm NOT knocking you. But I'm at the other side of it...I WASNT able to breastfeed but instead of giving bottles I used an SNS to be able to continue breastfeeding.

    So worth it.

    Just thought you might like to hear the "other side". I hope I didnt say anything to offend you.

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  5. Breastfeeding is also a great way to knock off the extra pregnancy weight.
    I concur with Michelle- if you can, try breastfeeding directly occasionally- but really, the important thing is your kids are being well fed!

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  6. If you're still looking for ways to increase your milk supply other than the obvious pumping and nursing, Fenugreek really works. I was taking Fenugreek and drinking Mother's Milk Tea and my lactation consultant said the Fenugreek was going to do it much easier. She recommended I increase to 3 pills 3 times a day. It worked. I smelled different though. lol Congrats on your endeavors!

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