Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

Advice needed please, I'm struggling!

19 replies

Leoladyofleisure · 02/05/2007 08:05

My DTs are 10 weeks old, I have been feeding them every 3 hours and they have been waking once or twice a night between 11 and 7. The last few days however they have been getting frantic for the next feed earlier and earlier and waking up more often in the night so in the last 24 hours I have fed babies a total of 21 times and I am really starting to flake.

I guess this is a growth spurt (although their weight doubled in the first 2 months so I think they have been on a permanent growth spurt ), can anyone tell me when this will calm down and I will be able to go back to feeding every 3 hours I am right on the edge of introducing a bottle to give me a break but would rather not if possible.

OP posts:

Nettee · 02/05/2007 08:22

I am very impressed that you are breastfeeding twins. It sounds like you are doing really well. I think are are right about the growth spurt. Hopefully all that feeding will up your supplies and it will go back to 3 hourly soon (within the next 24 - 48 hours ?????). If you introduce a bottle I think it will be really hard to go back to exclusive breast feeding because of the supply and demand cycle.

You must be shattered, I wonder if one bottle at bed time would be such a bad thing?????

good luck

browncat · 02/05/2007 08:22

hi- i've no experience of feeding twins so will bump, maybe someone else can help- well done you tho for persevering and congrats on the twins!

fishie · 02/05/2007 08:26

hello leo, here is good old kellymom on bf twins and more. don't do a bottle if you can avoid it. i only had one baby and he fed every two hours for four months so i have every sympathy.

moondog · 02/05/2007 08:27

Fantastic Leo. Bloody hell,good for you!
Have you tried expressing and then booking some time of to sleep or rest by arranging for your family to look after them?

I trust you are being waited on hand and foot as yuo should be......?

nightshade · 02/05/2007 08:40

do what gets you through. if you really are at breaking point and can't last, pack twins off for a couple of hours with a bottle, just enough time to get a break and recharge.if you really don't want to introduce bottle(in my experience baby took bottle and still wanted to breastfeed!) go to bed for a day or two, with books, food and tv and just feed twins whilst catnapping in between.

fishie · 02/05/2007 08:43

sorry leo, on rereading it looks as though i am comparing my one little baby with your total immersion. didn't mean that, just that i have some vague idea what you are experiencing

Original poster

Leoladyofleisure · 02/05/2007 08:44

Thanks all, I've been lucky to have lots of support (also from lovely MNs like Marslady).

Nettee, I'm wondering the same thing but if I'm worried that it may be a downhill slope from there on, one bottle leads to 2, 2 to 3.....!

OK, I'm going to try expressing some after each feed and maybe use it for a big feed before bedtime.

Moondog, we also have a very demandig 2 year old who takes 100% of dh's attention ! But today i am at home on my own with the dts so will get some rest and of course eat loads of chocolate !

OP posts:

Rosylily · 02/05/2007 09:53

Leo you are a star...what a woman! Yeah eat more, drink more and lie around more and feel very pleased with yourself more! It's a project and it won't go on forever.

Nettee · 02/05/2007 11:20

Leo - you are quite right that one bottle would lead to more. Hang on in there you are doing so well. With a 2 year old as well..... respect

frumpygrumpy · 02/05/2007 20:08

Hi Leo, thanks for the link.....

I think Mars' answer would be to babymoon - I think she suggested getting naked in bed and staying there with your babies - its really how I would like to spend most days but my DD and DTs are probably a little too old , maybe when the DTs are at school I could lie about naked

This is not so easy if DH is not home and, of course, DS still needs you.

Joking aside, I think the choice is either feed, feed, feed or, if time just will not allow, you introduce something else. One bedtime bottle or dream feed would mean DH could stay up and you could get some sleep earlier, say when DS goes down. But I'm not really sure that would make any difference to your daytime.

I will try to find the bit on our thread about babymooning and see who it was that was doing it. I think its 1B3 but I can't imagine she'll be about anytime soon. Maybe pixi.....

Let me look.

frumpygrumpy · 02/05/2007 20:15

This was Mars' chat on baby mooning......

"Baby mooning is like a honeymoon. Being naked and doing lots of skin to skin with your baby (instead of your hubby and without the sex iyswim). You shut out the rest of the world and you take your baby(ies) to bed. Keep it nice and dim, pop a tv in the room if you need the company, read mags. Keep snacks and drinks beside you and get nekkid!!!!!!!!!"

"Babymooning rocks!!!!!!!!!"

devondoris · 02/05/2007 20:47

hello lovely!

Don't know if this helps, but I think I had the same problem at about the same time with my DTs - not sure if you remember but I ended up with a milk blister on my right boob, and a couple of feeds at which DT2 came up looking like a vampire baby! Anyway, this depends if you're a routiney type person, but I had them on a strict feeding routine and used dummies too. I increased the number of feeds during the day, but didn't keep feeding because they'd only be getting the foremilk which wouldn't fill them up. I used nipple shields too because it hurt so much. And then, I put them on a bottle for their afternoon feed (now 3ish) which has stayed at only one feed a day, because I love bfing them and I don't want to give them any more. I have only two bottles and teats so it would be more hassle to do more feeds a day anyway, because I'd have to wash up more than once!

the dummies helped them to calm down in between feeds. I remember it being hell and ringing Mars! But now it's fab and the boys feed beautifully, voraciously and I'm still losing weight. Does this help? I did have them on a routine from Day 2, so it was probably easier to make sure that they had at least 2.5 hours between feeds because they were used to it, though you've been doing that too, so it may be OK.

Oh, and I didn't bother expressing much because it was too much like hard work, other than to get some milk off because I got engorged it didn't feel worth it.

I guess if it was me again, I'd routine feed but more frequently and make sure I was getting lots of rest, food and loads and loads to drink. Gallon a day. I really notice my milk supply decreases if I don't drink enough. And then wait for the stage to pass, which it always does, but it's still horrid when you're in the middle of it. [sympathy emoticon] xx

Kelly1978 · 03/05/2007 09:30

do you feed htem both at the same time? I wonder if you should kick dp out of bed, and then you can take them in bed with you and sleep while feeding them. I used to sleep a lot while feeding! With dd is was brill, I could go to sleep and I once woke up a few hours later because she had woken up and relatched herself on without me doing anything.

Original poster

Leoladyofleisure · 03/05/2007 10:29

Thanks all!

DD, I didn't realise you had had quite such a bad time. Well done for getting through it.

I have decided that I am going to get us through this one and feed as much as I need to but will in the next few weeks introduce one ff in the evening, (its encouraging to hear that you have managed to stick with one feed DD). But its going to be the 7pm bedtime feed, I think it will give me a chance to have a break from feeding, dh can sometimes put the babies to bed and I can spend that time with ds1 again without the babies.

I did pretty much babymoon yesterday although not completely naked as I would never bother to get out of bed and feed myself if I was and although dt2 isn't well they both seem less frantic with the feeding today (although I did have dt2 attached to me all night last night to comfort him).

OP posts:

quadrophenia · 03/05/2007 16:34

Hi congrats on feeding twins. Grwoth spurts are a pain when feeding one baby, when feeding two you do feel a bit like you are constantly feeding, but as a mum who fed twins let me reassure you that it does pass
I would say take each day as it comes and don't look too much to the future, no baby feeding phase lasts forever and before you know it things will im[prove.
My suggestions are to express and give yourself a break, I expressed in the am as it seemed easier then, so fed one twin on one breast whilst expressing from the other, then swapped. I always produced more milk in the morning so really do recommned doing it then, probably becuase i was more relaxed and less stressed!!
I also used dummies, just to help me get by, and as much as possible fed at the same time except at night when i would take one into bed and doze while feeding then swap.

Also just a tip for any twin mum i would give is bouncing chairs, you know the cheap old fashioned sort, I used to sit chilling with a foot on each chair IIRC watching richard and judy oh that was the life!!

Anyway congrats and good luck, i wish mine were small again

devondoris · 03/05/2007 20:01

Q, you're so right - it doesn't last forever! I'm finding it difficult to remember 3 months ago when the boys were 3 months old! Life is so different now. You're right as well about expressing in the morning - it is easier if you're going to. I saved the milk that I expressed (only a few ounces in the end) and used it when the boys first started eating.

Leo - well done for having the courage and the determination to get through this. I admire you. It isn't easy now, but it is very possible, and it does make life easier later on. I now do three bfeeds a day, 7.30ish, 11-12 ish, and 7pm and one bottle at 3.30ish. The 3.30ish one allows me an afternoon out with DD if I can arrange babysitting so we can have special time together, and I also swapped that feed once to a morning feed when I had to be away - just gave them their bfeed in the afternoon instead. Worked beautifully and no problem with supply. That was at about 4.5 months old. And the bfing gives me the time to have a snuggle with the boys, read DD a story and get grinned at by twinkly eyes! Wonderful time of life.

Go girl!

MarsLady · 08/05/2007 11:00

Leo!!!!!!!!!!! Don't you dare introduce anything just yet my lady. You are doing so fantastically in a couple of weeks you'll be there and the feeding frenzy will have passed!

Now.... I'm home... so call, email and get on a bloody plane!

I promise you are just a couple of weeks away from it settling completely. Then we can talk expressing (I know I know... but I've been there babe so am not talking out of my ar*e).

I'm so so so so proud of you getting this far. So... time to help you get the rest of the way.

Original poster

Leoladyofleisure · 09/05/2007 09:02

thanks Mars, I'll email you later when babies are both settled!!!!
L
xxx

OP posts:

whomovedmychocolate · 09/05/2007 09:04

The longest growth spurt my DD had was nine days. It was totally knackering but IT DOES END! You are doing really well, keep going a bit longer and I promise it'll get easier.

Flip