tandem questions...

[rugar4k]

Hello, I'm new to this site - found it while trying to find the answer to my question...

I just had a baby 5 days ago... and am still nursing my 2.5 yr old (will be 3yrs in June).

I also BF my oldest for 18 months and my 2nd for 13 months... so I'm not new to breastfeeding, but until now, have never tandem nursed...

My question is this, my breast are very engorged... more so than with any of my other births. I know this is because I am now nursing two, instead of only one...

Yesterday while in the shower, I noticed that I have HUGE lumps in my armpits... they are not painful at all, but I am concerned that this is due to the extreme engorgement that I am having.

My toddler has been nursing MUCH more than she has in months... as we got closer to the birth of the baby, her nursing picked up... and since we came home from the hospital 2 days ago, she has been nursing round the clock - anytime she sees her new baby brother nursing, she will climb onto my lap and insist on nursing as well... I thought that this would ensure that I didn't get clogged ducts, as this is definetly a benefit to helping drain both breast.
But I still seem to be constantly full... no matter how much both children are nursing. And the lumps are really starting to concern me...

Any tips/advice for me? Either with the lumps or from BTDT moms that tandem nursed...

Thanks
Corina

[kohlby]

I used my older child to help with the engorgement. I'd get him to take just a little off of both breasts to the point of comfort. You can use a pump for this instead. But make sure to not empty the breasts, just get them to comfort.

I did find that I had to assign a child each side. I explained to the older child that DD needed more milk since she couldn't eat all the foods he could. We talked about the foods he could eat. The rule was that DS could only nurse from the left side. DD could nurse from the right and then the left if she was still hungry. But she had to start on the right. This ensured that she would get some hindmilk. If there wasn't enough for her, she simply nursed again more often, so it's really not a big deal. However, I did have limits on nursing for the older child. He knew he had to ask and he knew I could say no. I ended up saying yes a lot more than usual after DD was born.

Since your baby is only 5 days old, engorgement is pretty normal. I'd suggest paying close attention that you don't get plugged ducts though. If you have a lump, position the child/baby's chin over the lump. (This may mean nursing lying down). I actually was less engorged after my second was born than the first. But I wonder if this was because DS was always taking a little bit off. I also used a 10 second countdown when his session was almost over. Perhaps due to that he didn't empty the breast often and that reduced engorgement. Your body will adjust to the amount they're nursing eventually!

[SingingMom]

I didn't have as much engorgement as you are describing, but I did the same thing the PP described. I got the older toddler to relieve the pressure for me.

The engorgement should ease up for you really soon. Go momma!

[rugar4k]

Just wanted to update. Baby is now 5 weeks old (today) and the engorgement is nothing like it was... We've gotten into a great routine that works well for all 3 of us. Baby has already gained 2 full pounds, he's definetly a great eater!! :)

[EJglamMOM]

AWESOME. Just thought I'd add that my kids also had their own sides. DS1 usually nursed on the left and ds2 nursed on both sides. If ds2 didn't empty one side ds1 could nurse on that side but usually he prefered to stick to his side.