Feeding the Boys

Everyone,

Doc B was not in his office today so we have an appointment with him first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully.

(Lots and lots of nursing talk going on here. Look away if you don't want to think about this!)

I've had several people ask me how I'm doing nursing the boys. I loved loved loved nursing Butterfly. She was a dream to feed. Always latched on (when we finally figured it out probably 2 weeks after she was born) and was content to just sit there and nurse. I think that's probably why she was so enormous. I would fall asleep nursing her and so would she. I hated giving up nursing and would have continued if we hadn't wanted to have another baby sooner rather than later.

With the boys, it was easy at the beginning. I had the lactation consultant visit me in my hospital room to refresh my memory, but we were doing great. The boys ate, pooped, and grew. I fed them separately until I came back from my trip to Utah. I think they were about 5 and a half months old. But I had help through out that whole half of the first year. Someone was always willing and wanted to hold a baby while I was feeding the other one. (Flower and Bee...I miss you!! Anyone want to come back to Maryland with me after my trip to Utah this summer? Please?)

Once we got back it was a whole different ball game. I had fed them together a handful of times for their first few months. I have a twin nursing pillow that I used all the time. But I felt like I had to have another hand just to adjust the pillow over and over again, let alone hold onto the boys! Once Professor learned to roll over, there was no keeping him on that pillow and I figured I had to do something else.

So I pulled out my book from the La Leche League about twins, Mothering Multiples. They have a section on nursing positions with two. So I tried a few out and found one that works for me and the boys. I call it our V position since that's what it looks like. When Pirate had his cast, it took me a few days of practice to get them to nurse together.

It's been pretty comfortable up until about 2 weeks ago. Now that the boys are more active, they poke, kick, hit, pull, and squirm while nursing. Professor is my instigator. He can not sit still for a very long time and nursing is trying his patience and mine. If he had his way, he'd be able to do flips and nurse at the same time. I think I went through this phase with Butterfly but it was more manageable. I just can't deal with him and hold Pirate too.

Last night Professor was making such a ruckus that Pirate got frustrated and bit me hard. There was no blood but there may as well be. I still feel it over 24 hours later. The book talks a bit about fighting twins and nursing. Their biggest thing is to stop nursing and say no fighting and go back to it. But if I do this, Professor does not go back to eating and Pirate screws up his face like I've killed his dog and wails. Right now I'm trying all I can do to get Professor to eat and grow and stop being in the 3% on the growth charts.

When I am out in public, I will not nurse them together. It's just too much of a hassle and really really immodest. Although all my nursing buddies at church (pretty much the only place I nurse in public and even then, it's in a nice room set aside for nursing moms) wouldn't care if I did it, I don't know if Professor could keep his mind on the task at hand. Besides, I nurse them at the end of the meeting and that's when the other ward that we overlap with is in there and I don't know those ladies. I'm still thinking this one over.

My good friend Lala is in the process of weaning her newly 1 year old daughter. She is sad and calls me every day crying about the loss of her baby. I keep telling her that you don't have to wean if you don't want to! If she is that upset about it, then let her nurse longer! I nursed Butterfly until she was 15 months old, and I will like to nurse these boys at least to that, if not beyond. We are in no rush to have another baby (obviously) so no mommy led weaning for me. If they wean themselves after a year, I won't force it. 2 years old is my limit although I think at that point they would only be nursing at bed/nap times anyway.

So, in a nut shell, I nurse the boys together about 95% of the time. Professor is a snack and run kind of kid. He is done well before Pirate is. I will put Professor down and watch as he destroys the room and I finish up with Pirate. They fight some. We are planning on nursing past the year mark.

Any other questions?

Safire