Our morning so far

[drkajad]

Both babies wake up within 2 minutes of each other, screaming to be fed. 
Latch Ben and then try to latch Alice.
Ben pops off repeatedly, Alice refuses to latch entirely.
Pat takes Alice to give her a bottle.
Ben continues to pop on and off for another 10 minutes before settling down to nurse.
Pat finishes with Alice and leaves, Alice hangs out on the

Comments

[carolc]

You are definitely not a bad mom! You have a LOT on your plate with twins, nursing, and pumping. Seriously, most of us have plenty of trouble just with one. It will get easier, though, I promise.

Pumping tip from me: store the horns in the fridge between pumping and wash only at the end of the day. (This way any milk clinging to parts is refrigerated) Also, do you have a hands-free pumping bra? If not, you gotta get one.

[drkajad]

Ooh, I forgot that you were a pumper. How many times a day did you pump? I was doing eight early on when I was getting my supply established, then it dropped to seven, then, more recently, six. Today, I'm probably only going to get four. (I missed my "first thing in the AM" pump due to the episode detailed above.) I'm freaked out that my milk supply is going to drop, and I won't be able to feed Alice. But I can't pump when the babies are screaming, you know?

[carolc]

Well, it's probably tricky to compare, since Nora was 6 months when I went to pumping (and I still nursed at night--couldn't bring myself to get up and pump and feed at night, so I just dealt with the pain then). But I seem to recall starting off pumping about 6x/day and then tapering to 4. I had to supplement a little with formula, but it was usually only about 2-4 ounces a day.

Is Alice nursing some, or is it all pumped?

[carolc]

Oops--sorry! That was me. Forgot to log in.

I wish I lived near you and could come help you out.

[jent9202003]

Do you have a swing? Perhaps when they look sleepy, you can set the one there while tending to the other?

You're doing great, nursing twins is very demanding, I'd imagine - heck one is demanding!

[drkajad]

A friend offered to hit the resale shops and pick me up a swing today. I'm hoping something arrives tomorrow. Let's just hope they like it!

[girlclassical]

I felt just like that, and I only had one. You're doing amazing, you really are. Tandem nursing is, in my book, right up there with sainthood and you are doing it! Amazing, KJ, amazing.

I am a firm believer that the first few (ahem, many) months are about getting by. Whatever that takes. Would you all benefit from going outside? Maybe, but only if the sacrifice you have to put down in order to make that happen is worth it. If all you can do is stay in the house keeping the circus from running aground, then you are doing what you need to do. No self-doubt allowed.

[drkajad]

Thanks, Mal. :)

And tandem nursing is pretty much the only way Alice is ever going to get to the breast since Ben is basically permanently attached. Boy likes to eat.

[angelgirl8]

i am literally crying reading your post. because it's reminded me of just how impossibly hard the beginning is. it seems impossible...a lot of the time it is as close to impossible as you can get

[drkajad]

Honestly, I'd love to nurse them one at a time sometimes. I think Alice needs it, too, because she's still kind of new to it. But I don't know if I'll be able to make it work. How long did your kiddos take to nurse? I think mine may be really slow, and I worry that I'd never be able to hold one off for long enough to let the other finish.

Oh, and we have the double snap-n-go, which is great in some ways, but requires putting the kids in their much-hated car seats. So it's not great for a quick walk outside. We're probably going to get the same one you have (Mountain Buggy Urban Double, right?), but I keep thinking we should test drive it first. And who knows when that will happen.

Are you sure you really want me to call? Screaming babies in the background may induce flashbacks. ;)

[angelgirl8]

yeah, mine took awhile to nurse in the beginning but soon cut it down to about 18-20 minutes. and now it's like 3 minutes. a few times, if i was alone and no one was around to hold onto the other baby, i would nurse one for a few minutes, nurse the other and then go back to the first.

ah, if they hate their carseats, then a walk isn't so relaxing, huh? mine hated getting put in their carseats but were fine once we were walking. we used the double snap 'n go for 3 months and then switched to the MBUD with a bassinet attached. the bassinet is expensive, but i borrowed one from a twin mom on my local list. if you can borrow or buy a used one, you can use it from the beginning and forgo the snap 'n go, if you think they'd like that better! we started at 3 months and moved them into regular seats at about 8 months (much later than most people).

[jan1902]

Sounds like you have lots of good advice - and you know you are not a bad mother. Not even remotely. You are trying to make sure they get enough sustenance and sleep, which is the most important thing right now. And you need sustenance and sleep too. I am thinking of you.

[drkajad]

Thanks. It's hard because sometimes I feel like our IF and our loss and all that is related to my being a "bad mom". Even though I know it isn't true, it still feels that way on bad days.

[redgemini]

Yes, I think that's EXACTLY it. I've often felt the same way!