Bf triplets

[Hadeda]

A friend of mine is due to have triplets in a few months. I was going through my old baby stuff with her today to see if she wanted any of it and she was asking about my breastpump. I have a medela one with a motor. But it occurred to me that it might not be "heavy duty" enough with triplets. Does anyone know? And if she needs one of those big ones, do you have to buy them? She's trying to keep costs down as with 3 it's already quite expensive to kit yourself out....

Separately, does anyone know of any groups for bf mums with multiples (support, advice type of thing), or books etc, that she might find useful?
TIA!

Pumps are personal to be honest. In the NNU I couldn't get on with either the Medela hospital grade pumps. I got myself an out and about which I did better with then Mum bought me a Closer to Nature hand pump because it was £5 and straight away I was over flowing the thing!

If it helps inspire your friend I was told of a mum to triplets who breastfed all of them despite them being in three different hospitals in different cities. She was in the same hospital as one of them and would make the round trip everyday to breastfeed them all.

wow that is amazing confuddled, I'm always in awe of how mums of multiples cope but she really is a super mummy!

I didn't get on with the little medela one. I had the avent manual, which I thought was good and a hospital one from sure start which was free for the motor and £8 for new tubes and containers etc. You can hire hospital grade ones from a few places but she might be better off seeing how she gets on with them when she is actually in hospital as she might find yours to be as good.

I hired a hospital grade one when I had my twins.

Having expressed for DD when she was in SCBU and then for bottles and top-ups, I would recommend an Ameda Lactaline double pump NOT a Medela. She'll need the best pump she can get as it really cuts down the time needed to pump any amount.

I used the Ameda Lactaline too and it was the only one I ever managed to express anything with. Having said that I do agree that pumps are so personal. Has she got in touch with her local LLL or NCT to see if anyone has experience of bfing multiples locally? They may also know of a secondhand pump going cheap if she asks.

The hospital one will be good and she'll be able to use it close by the SCBU and store the milk (labelled) in a fridge there. BF triplets can be done, but that'll pretty much all she does for a while and will need a LOT of support.

In terms of support groups-
-there is a twins and multiples section on mumsnet

• TAMBA - twins and multiple births association would be a good place to start, if she's not already found it.

-BLISS have a talkboard I believe and a downloadable leaflet about bfing prem babies. (I'm assuming they will be prem)

Hope all goes well for your friend

I love this blog from a woman who bf her triplets. There is an attachment parenting email list for multiples - I don't think you need to be into AP, but respectful of it whilst on the list. there are a few triplet feeding mums on the list, and some bf counsellors who have fed twins too.

Also this book has lots of good info on bf multiples, especially premmies.

Hope it all works out well for her.

I forgot actually, tell her to get on to www.tripletconnection.org. It's an american site, but full of lots of advice and triplet mums. I used it heavily when I was pregnant with my triplets and when they were small.

Thanks all - I will print this out and pass it on to her.

Just can't imagine what it will be like for her - I've had two singletons and that was enough for me at any one time! I take my hat off to any of you who are raising multiples