Hi I'm new!

[elizmstevens]

Hello everyone! I am expecting twins in the fall and had some questions. My doctors are warning me that my twins may be born early and will have a stay in the NICU. I want to bf but know I will probably have to pump so they can have it in the hospital. I don't want to suppliment formula if I don't have to.

When they come home I want to nurse and pump to DH can help with feedings as well. I will also be returning to work so I guess nursing in the morning and pumping while at work.

I am looking for suggestions on how to do this and if it's even possible! My mom nor my sister nursed so I don't have any family members to help me out. I really want to do this so I am up for any suggestions.

Thanks again!

[JulieBaby]

Hello and welcome!

I am a mom to 9 1/2 month old twin boys, plus a 3yr old DS. My boys were born at 34 weeks and were in the hospital 8 and 9 days.

I'd advised you to get in touch with a lactation consultant as of now, so that once your boys are born she will be able to help you, as many preemies are unable to latch on well.

This is what happened with my boys, and combined with a lack of support from staff and family I was only able to pump for a little over a month and my boys never learned to latch on.

But dont get discouraged, there are tons of other moms who have been able to sucessfully breastfeed their twins. I'd do a google search for breastfeeding twins, twins forums etc.

[CaptHeather]

In addition to JulieBaby's recommendation, I'd recommend seeing if you have a Mother of Twins club in your local area. The one I belong too has a lot of women who have breastfed their twins, and there's even a committee chairperson in charge of providing breastfeeding support.

And just because it's more likely that you will deliver early and that your children will need to spend time in the NICU, doesn't mean that it will happen to you. Take good care of yourself, eat well, and listen to your body. I made it to 38.5 weeks and my babies didn't even go to the NICU. I read a lot about multiples pregnancy and recommendations. One thing that I remember was that this is NOT the time to skimp on fat. You need more than normal to help two babies develop, so while you don't want to just eat a stick of butter or anything, don't limit yourself either.

[CaptHeather]

I also forgot to say that despite doing the best you can, it's more likely that you will deliver early and that there may be a NICU stay. You just don't have a lot of space in your uterus for two babies and you get stretched out. Do your best, but there's a reason that twins typically show up early, and so try not to stress too much.

[GeminiMom]

Congrats and welcome.
My twins are almost 3 and a half years old. They now have a little sister!

My recommendations are:

Find a copy of When You're expecting Twins, Triplets,or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke. It's got great advice for eating well and living life to maintain a pregnancy as long as possible. It also has a great section on nursing twins. I found the book extremely helpful. Remember, many twins do come early, but many don't. Mine were born at 38 weeks by Csection, with no signs of labor. The doctors had made me feel that I'd be lucky to get to 28 weeks. I didn't appreciate their sentiments.

As for nursing twins, mine were not premies, so I don't have advice there, but the Lactation Consultant in the hospital was great. She had me tandeming the boys before we left. I'd also started pumping in the hospital.
I had a nursing pillow designed fof twins called the EZ 2 nurse. It was the best thing we purchased for the twins.

See if someone (your mother, or someone else like that) could live in for the first week or so after you come home. The extra help is so beneficial. My husband took Family Medical Leave for 3 weeks, and my mother lived in for awhile, too. It was so much easier to survive that way.

As much as I remember my schedule, I nursed whenever one showed signs of hunger, usually at least every 2 hours at first. I tried to nurse both together, because the goal was to have them on a similar schedule.
I tried to start pumping right away, too, as I was returning to work after 8 weeks. I pumped after most day feedings right after they nursed. It built up my supply, and gave me a freezer stash for when I went to work.

For me, nursing successfully was all about support and determination. It is hard, but it is completely worth it. And, it does get easier.

oh-- we did supplement for a day or so with formula until I had pumped milk to give, and when we were out we'd pack a bottle of milk as tandeming in public was too much for me. We used a haberman feeder instead of a true bottle, because the sucking action is more like nursing. I believe the haberman prevented us from dealing with nipple confusion.

Best of luck, and stay positive!