Thursday, March 17, 2011

Twin Breastfeeding Update

In case there are mothers with younger twins reading this... my boys are 7 months today, we are still tandem breastfeeding... and it gets WAYY easier. They are eating about every 4 hours, with solids right after.

Here is their schedule on a good day. (Not every day is exactly like this!!)
7am - Nurse
7:30am - Solids
8:00-9:30 Play
9:30-11: Nap

11am - Nurse
11:30am - Solids
12:00 -2:00pm - Play
2-3pm - Nap

3pm - Nurse
3:30pm - Solids
4pm-7pm - Play
7pm - Nurse/Bedtime

4:30am - Nurse/Back to Bed
7:00am - Wake up/Nurse

I think we have perfected the twin nursing pillow now. It is very comfortable with two pillows behind it it support my back. The boys legs are long and hang off the pillow, but they don't seem to mind. I love that I have both hands free. In fact, I am nursing at this moment ;) They are both asleep though, this is one day when their schedule was messed up. I think they got dehydrated at the park today (very warm), and they wanted to nurse at naptime.

Nursing covers have become very hard to use now, though. The boys' tiny hands are constantly pulling on it. So, most nursing occurs in the nursery, with trips out of the house in between.

Speaking of those tiny, innocent hands, they also like to scratch/poke the baby across from them while nursing. I think I could make some money designing some better twin-friendly gear. I LOVE the twin nursing pillow, but it needs at attachment for older babies to SEPARATE them. I use a stuffed animal at the moment, but of course the boys grab it & play with it while nursing, leaving their sweet faces exposed to their twin's nails. Yesterday Adam started screaming while nursing (and while I was trying to keep the stuffed animal between them). I looked down & saw this:
A huge scratch on Adam's forehead :( I am honestly not sure if Matthew scratched him, or if I did it while trying to keep the stuffed animal in between them. It is our worst nursing related injury though. Poor baby. He got over it quickly though.

I love breastfeeding my boys now. Now that they are older they will look at me & reach for my face while nursing. And, they know when I sit with the nursing pillow that they are about to get milk, and it is so cute how excited they get. I'm glad I stuck with it all of those nights I thought about giving up. (Bottles would be way way more difficult, in my opinion, besides all of the wonderful health benefits of nursing.)

And just for fun, here are a few more pictures of the boys' during their 6th month:
Matthew on left, Adam on right. They are so curious & explore everything with their hands.
Adam after I woke him up due to Daylight Savings, so his schedule wouldn't get too messed up. He looks soo sleepy & adorable.
One of the boys' first baths in the big boy tub. I love being able to bath them together now :)

And Matthew says, "Goodbye until next time." ;)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! I am impressed! Great job for keeping it up and for being on such a good schedule! I don't have twins and I feel like I'm just now getting my one baby on a good schedule at 10 months! You are doing a fantastic job, Krystal!

Krystal said...

Aww, thanks Tricia. I was just reading about little Jude's progress.. he is quite a character, and he always seems so happy in all of the pictures & videos :) We have a walker too, but our boys are still too short for it :(

I think having two babies kind of forced me into keeping them on a schedule (it's not always that perfect). When they try to do their own thing, I don't get a break!

Unknown said...

Hello, my name is Jesse Boudreau and I am part of the media team for Tami Gaines. Tami is an authority in the "preemie baby" genre and has recently published her book "Preemie Parents: 26 Ways to Grow with Your Premature Baby."

Tami recently had the pleasure of viewing your website and is planning to be a regular visitor to your blog. Fantastic work! We would like the opportunity to partner up with you and add even more value for your readers. I have some ideas, please email me your contact information.

I would also like to cordially invite you to share your blogging skills and be a guest blogger on the Preemie Parents website. I also invite you to join our Forum so that you can continue to share your ideas with us.

If you are interested in doing a book review I will work on getting you a hard copy.

Here is her short Bio:

Tami C. Gaines, the mother of four children (including preemie twins), has achieved national recognition as an advocate and spokesperson for preemie parents. In addition, she has an accomplished background as a marketing and business strategist, motivational speaker, and trainer. In the business world, her impressive client list has included such companies as The Marriott Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Consumer Reports, Unilever, and The Commonwealth of Virginia. Drawing on her holistic perspective on business and personal growth, she has helped thousands of people come closer to achieving their personal and professional goals. With an M.B.A. from Columbia University and twenty-five years as an entrepreneur and executive, Tami could not have foreseen the events that would take her from the board room to the hospital room. In "Preemie Parents: 26 Ways to Grow With Your Premature Baby," she helps parents learn to cope — as she has — by opening their hearts to learning life’s lessons. She resides in Montclair, New Jersey.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
Jesse Boudreau
Media Rep - Tami Gaines
tamigaines.media@gmail.com
http://preemieparents.com - Main Website
http://preemieparents.spruz.com - Forum

Lauren said...

I just found your blog via Pinterest. My husband and I found out 5 days ago (at our 19 week ultrasound) that we're having twins also. Talk about overwhelming!

We already have a little boy, 1.5 years old, and my pregnancy, labour and delivery and nursing went all so smoothly with him - I nursed him until he was 14 months and loved it. I never wanted to have to bottle-feed any of my babies, and I've been worrying and wondering how on earth I'm going to nurse both of these little blessings.

Your blog is giving me encouragement and hope - I'm so glad I found it, even as I go through this journey four years after you started yours. Any Twin Tips are much appreciated! :)

Krystal said...

Lauren, we found out at our big 19 week ultrasound too, so I can imagine your shock! Congratulations :) I hope this blog helps you somewhat...it is definitely doable to nurse them both, but I also wouldn't feel bad if you have to supplement some for necessity it sanity!! :)