Twins, Triplets & More Support Group
Triplets & More","This community connects people seeking information and experiences about multiple births. Different names for multiple birth are used, depending on the actual multiple. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets respectively. Share your thoughts and find whatever support you need."
I hope you ladies can help me with a problem that my husband and I find ourselves facing. Our b/g twins who were born at 34 weeks on Nov. 16th were bottle fed breastmilk in the week that they spent in the NICU, and were also breastfed by me for about 15 minutes at the start of each feed. They had no problem going from breast to bottle, and that way the nurses ensured that they got all the calories they needed since they weren't effective breastfeeders yet. When we came home I had intended to gradually phase out bottles as they became more proficient nursers and maybe only use them at night when my husband and I would do feeds together. Unfortunately, our boy twin has developed reflux which we managed to get under control with Similac Sensitive for Spit-up and zantac. When I would try to feed him my breastmilk he'd always spit up. However, the doctor said that doing a small breast feed once a day would be ok since the benefits of the milk would maybe outweigh the spitting up...so I tried that, but then he refuses to take the bottle afterward and just fusses like mad, wanting the breast even though it makes him throw up which makes him cry! To make things worse, our girl twin doesn't have reflux and loves to breastfeed and is also now not wanting to take any feeds by bottle...and I am wondering how fair it is of me to breastfeed her when I can't breastfeed him. I know they are too little to know that one is getting something the other isn't but it won't be that way for long and then what? I want to keep breastfeeding but I don't know what to do...I don't want my little guy to constantly vomit and I don't want to be unfair either...AND I'd also like to be able to give one to my husband to feed when he can without them throwing a fit that it's not the breast! HELP!
BOTH my boys had reflux, and one had it much much worse than the other. Screaming in pain every 2 minutes during a nursing session, projectile vomiting after (and during) EVERY feeding. But my doc said as long as he was gaining weight we shouldn't worry. So while we did to Zantac and then other meds when the zantac stopped working (trying to manage the pain mostly - the puking never stopped), I never switched to formula. My doctor assured me that bm was still better despite the reflux/pain (because he was still gaining weight - that was always a factor!!!). I felt awful though because his screams were blood-curdling, so I know why you are reluctant to give him the breast. And my son who had it bad, had it for 9 months (which btw, is NOT common! yours will probably grow out of it well before then). There was something I noticed as he got older though - he tolerated his bottle feeds of bm (I had to go back to work) much better than his nursings. I Think partly it was because he was laying down to nurse - position ended up making a huge diff for us. We always bottle fed him upright when we bottle fed bm and it made a huge difference. He still puked, but didn't have the pain. I was never able to nurse him vertically like it is recommended for reflux babies, but it might be something to try if you haven't already. He always preferred breast to bottle despite all the pain and throwing up - I was so afraid he would develop an eating aversion, but miraculously he didn't! ALso, my husband was usually near by to take him from me when I started arching from pain so he could hold him upright and burp him before putting him back on. If my DH wasn't around I would nurse them separately so I could easily do the samething.
Anyway, as a mom that went through the reflux thing big time (we even got it officially diagnosed by getting xrays of him while he drank a bottle of some goop) I have a good idea of what you are going through. If you ever want to vent or talk, send me a message - I remember the days of covering EVERYTHING around us in towels (in fact, we had a closet full of "nursing towels" that would go down all around me every time I nursed to try to protect our rugs) and packing 6 changes of clothing every time we ventured outside of the house. But despite still bf him during all the screaming, he is a happy, healthy 18 month boy (I weaned them at 14 months). So if you do decide to continue to give him the breast despite his throwing up, he probably wont' remember how awful it was down the road. But if you don't do that and convince him to take the bottle, you aren't being awful bf your daughter and not him. You have to do what works best for your family - ESPECIALLY when you have twins. Oh - and one other thing - when your husband does bottle feeds, is it possible for him to do them in a separate room from you? Maybe your son will "forget" about the breast and give in to the bottle? SOrry to throw so much scattered thoughts at you - those first 9 months are coming back to me all at once it seems.