Why is this?!? :(

[teenwithtwins]

im so sick. this mastitis thing really fucking sucks. last night i literally was too cold and exhausted to even get out of bed and feed my babies, my mum had to do it for me. im not producing enough milk and to be honest i havent been for a while - theyre never full after being fed, they always want to eat half an hour later even though theyll feed for over half an hour continuously sucking. i pushed myself too much, i shouldnt have kept trying to feed them, my nipples are so cracked now that i cry every time i try to feed them. all i wanted to do was breast feed and i cant even do that, ive had to change to formula. it sucks.
anyway im going to the doctors today, my boobs are rocks and it feels like someone is stabbing my eyes.

same story happened with my wife when she wanted to send the our child school . this is what happened exactly happened .
[url=www.gowerhouseschool.co.uk/contactus.php]Wembley Primary School[url/]

You poor thing. It's horrible being unwell with babies. If you can get better with your doctor's help there's no reason why you couldn't go back to BFing if you wanted to. Can you get in touch with the BFing helplines for help with the mastitis? I can't link to them at the moment but the details will be on the Breast and Bottle feeding topic in Feed the World. There are some real experts there who will have good advice. The main thing is that your babies get fed and you get better. Take care and good luck.

omg im trying so hard! theyre on bottles for the moment, but i shower a few times a day and express as much as i can to keep my milk up. theres no way im giving in, im so determined to breast feed
oh and i spent like a hundred buck on the twin feeding pillow so yeah hahaha

try posting this in the breast and bottle feeding section - so many lovely ladies with lots of experience and good advice.

Hope you get sorted soon x

Aw sweetie, you've tried so hard and well done. If you do have to give them formula, it will seem like the end of the world for ten minutes and then the relief will kick in.

With my dd it was very similar, I couldn't produce much milk at all, and it broke my heart at the time. But when dd was having formula, cuddled up to me or her dad and doing just fine, I realised that it was out of my control and what happened, happened.

Do whatever works for you.

And have a (hug)

Just spotted your user name - as a teen with twins - you are doing fantastic - you are obviously doing your very best to be a great mother - and doing very well. I hope you get lots of support on mumsnet!

many people have reached this point with obe baby, the fact that you've got this far with twins is so amazing in itself. if you have to finish breastfeeding, no one will judge, but if they do, i guarantee that they won't have been in this position themselves. it is heartbreaking to give up breastfeeding but after a little while, it really won't matter. chin up lovely, sounds like you're doing more than your best to me xx

I breastfed my twins, so I can promise you it's possible. in the beginning I just sat around all day with both babies latched on pretty much continuously. I was lucky that I'd fed a singleton before so I knew something about getting a good latch, but it was much much more intense this time round. you have my admiration for trying to work out breastfeeding with two babies whilst trying to do the double newborn caring, fit in some sleep all whilst feeling ill with mastitis.

I would suggest getting in touch with one of the breastfeeding charities. Their counsellors have had long and detailed training, really know their stuff, and are able to help lots by phone. They should also be able to give you details of where you might be able to go locally to get some face to face support. I have heard with mastitis that one of the best things is just to feed, feed, feed, and empty the breast as much as possible, but that's hard to do when your nipples are so sore. Can you call someone? The numbers are listed here, but as it's Christmas you may need to try a couple of times to catch someone. Perhaps your mum could call for you and pass the phone to you when she gets someone?

Keep posting, let us know how you are getting on.

A doctor should come out to you if you have mastitis and they can give you antibiotics. They normally work very quickly. I had mastitis and it was awful but you just need to feed through the pain or it can get worse.

You poor thing, you sound exhausted :(

How old are your babies? Have you had treatment for the mastitis now?

You sound like you really want to breastfeed. Are you worried about not making enough milk because they're wanting to feed so often? To be fair, this is totally normal with young babies and provided they are gaining weight and weeing and pooing (see here: www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html) they're getting enough. If you read that link it's very informative about making sure they're getting enough. This will pass and they will start to feed less frequently.

But it is really important that they continue to feed from you or your milk supply will suffer. Feeding through mastitis is really important to clear out the infection and to get the milk flowing through well, removing any blockages and keeping your body making enough milk. It's made on demand so if you start to reduce feedings your body will make less milk (and if you feed more, it will make more).

Your nipples being cracked needs looking at as this is horrible but can be fixed and is not how breastfeeding should be. Can you get someone to help you to position your babies so that they are taking in the breast well, and therefore not damaging your nipples? Are you in the US?

Breastfeeding twins is a true commitment but apart from saving you a fortune is also going to help protect them from infections and allergies. If you can manage it - or even part feeding - you will be doing an amazing thing and it sounds like you are really commited to it. There's loads of really experienced and qualified people in the breast and bottle feeding section. Do come over and join us :)

When my mastitis didn't clear up after 5 days (had it for 2 weeks plus in the end) it was because I wasn't on strong enough antibiotics - tell your doc you want something strong, that will work within 48 hours. I developed a breast abscess because my docs faffed around changing my antibiotics every 4 days until they eventually clocked on and gave me the super strong good stuff.

Good luck - you're doing GREAT

Oh you're doing so well, you really are.

Mastitis sucks. Mine flared up on day 5 while in the middle of IKEA - God I was so ill I can't even set foot in the place now without remembering it all!

My advice to you is to a) relax, b) get the doctor to get you on antibiotics pronto, c) drink a LOT of water or herby teas (low milk might be because you're low in fluid) and d) cuddle up in your pyjamas with your twins and just let them suck while you watch rubbish on TV. It doesn't matter if they get a full feed or not, anything is stimulation for you and it all helps.

Stress, guilt and beating yourself up are not good things to be wasting time and energy on. The bottom line is, you're doing your absolute best and you love your babies. Boxes ticked, in my view!

Wishing you a speedy recovery from the dreaded mastitis!