My twins are officially one month old, so you'll understand why I haven't posted a blog in a while. I'd like to get better about that, but I'd also like to sleep more than 4-5 cumulative hours per night... so I might as well be wishing for a unicorn.
My issue today involves breastfeeding. I am a big believer in breastfeeding and I nursed my first child for 15 months. That said, I also think it can suck (no terrible pun intended). My first child was what the lactation nurses defined as a "lazy eater" but really it meant she would nurse for 5 minutes and then fall asleep. So clearly she wasn't getting enough food. So I'd have to pump and give her extra in a bottle. EVERY feeding. 10-12 times a day. For TEN weeks. It was terrible until one day, like magic, she just figured it out and nursed properly.
That was tough, but I'm so glad I stuck it out and continued to nurse her. Having twins is a whole different animal. These girls also are what you'd call "lazy eaters" and have their preemie status as a strike against them. They are small and get exhausted easily, so just a little bit of effort to nurse makes them SO TIRED and they just go back to sleep. So again, me and my trusty pump (best gift ever from my sister) are becoming BFFs. Pumping is a pain because you can't exactly do that while you're out and about (not that you're out and about one month after having twins). Also, the twins are hungry every 2 hours. EVERY 2 hours. 24 hours a day. EVERY day. Do the math (and I'm terrible at math) and it's about 12 feedings a day. Needless to say it's time consuming and when you feel like you have to pump for about 90 percent of the feedings, it's not fun.
There are tons of benefits of breastfeeding for the babies (I won't list all those -- look them up on that new-fangled technology called "google") and also for mommy. It lowers my risk of certain cancers for the rest of my life b/c I've breastfed for more than 1 year. ALSO, I'm burning about 1000 calories a day. Seriously. I've lost more than 30 pounds so far and I'm hoping to lose another 10 to fit into my clothes and maybe a few more pounds to get back to my fighting weight.
I just get annoyed when all the books tell you how natural breastfeeding is and if it hurts, then you're not doing it right. Well, I'm here to tell you that is a load of crap. At least for me and a lot of my mommy friends I've talked to about the subject. It hurts and it takes up about 8-10 hours a day for at least a couple of months. I know that it's free, but I think my time is valuable and if you calculated the cost of 8-10 hours a day, I'm pretty sure that formula is cheaper in the long haul. However, I am still a believer in breastfeeding b/c I am deep down pretty hippie-skippie and want to be as natural as possible for my children. Plus I really want to do this for them b/c I know it's the best food available for them.
It does get easier. Otherwise, NO ONE would do it. It was so much more convenient after a few months b/c I am available anywhere without any prep time. Yet, I want to be honest and let other moms (or future moms) know that it is difficult and you're not alone. I think moms are set up for failure when we're handed a line about how it's "natural" and "easy" and "NOT painful" so that when we inevitably find that breastfeeding is, in fact, difficult and extremely painful at times (like the first few days or when the baby gets teeth or b/c of yeast infections, blocked ducts, mastitis, etc.)... we give up breastfeeding and think of ourselves as failures. You are NOT a failure if you stop breastfeeding or if you choose not to breastfeed at all. Moms have lots of choices to make and there's no need to feel guilt for this one.
For the time being, I will continue to pump/nurse around the clock with the hopes that my twincesses will eventually get the hang of it. The lactation nurses swear that it will happen. I know from my own experience with my first child that it can happen. On its own. In time. Until then, I'll be here. Exhausted.
That was tough, but I'm so glad I stuck it out and continued to nurse her. Having twins is a whole different animal. These girls also are what you'd call "lazy eaters" and have their preemie status as a strike against them. They are small and get exhausted easily, so just a little bit of effort to nurse makes them SO TIRED and they just go back to sleep. So again, me and my trusty pump (best gift ever from my sister) are becoming BFFs. Pumping is a pain because you can't exactly do that while you're out and about (not that you're out and about one month after having twins). Also, the twins are hungry every 2 hours. EVERY 2 hours. 24 hours a day. EVERY day. Do the math (and I'm terrible at math) and it's about 12 feedings a day. Needless to say it's time consuming and when you feel like you have to pump for about 90 percent of the feedings, it's not fun.
There are tons of benefits of breastfeeding for the babies (I won't list all those -- look them up on that new-fangled technology called "google") and also for mommy. It lowers my risk of certain cancers for the rest of my life b/c I've breastfed for more than 1 year. ALSO, I'm burning about 1000 calories a day. Seriously. I've lost more than 30 pounds so far and I'm hoping to lose another 10 to fit into my clothes and maybe a few more pounds to get back to my fighting weight.
I just get annoyed when all the books tell you how natural breastfeeding is and if it hurts, then you're not doing it right. Well, I'm here to tell you that is a load of crap. At least for me and a lot of my mommy friends I've talked to about the subject. It hurts and it takes up about 8-10 hours a day for at least a couple of months. I know that it's free, but I think my time is valuable and if you calculated the cost of 8-10 hours a day, I'm pretty sure that formula is cheaper in the long haul. However, I am still a believer in breastfeeding b/c I am deep down pretty hippie-skippie and want to be as natural as possible for my children. Plus I really want to do this for them b/c I know it's the best food available for them.
It does get easier. Otherwise, NO ONE would do it. It was so much more convenient after a few months b/c I am available anywhere without any prep time. Yet, I want to be honest and let other moms (or future moms) know that it is difficult and you're not alone. I think moms are set up for failure when we're handed a line about how it's "natural" and "easy" and "NOT painful" so that when we inevitably find that breastfeeding is, in fact, difficult and extremely painful at times (like the first few days or when the baby gets teeth or b/c of yeast infections, blocked ducts, mastitis, etc.)... we give up breastfeeding and think of ourselves as failures. You are NOT a failure if you stop breastfeeding or if you choose not to breastfeed at all. Moms have lots of choices to make and there's no need to feel guilt for this one.
For the time being, I will continue to pump/nurse around the clock with the hopes that my twincesses will eventually get the hang of it. The lactation nurses swear that it will happen. I know from my own experience with my first child that it can happen. On its own. In time. Until then, I'll be here. Exhausted.
Hang in there! I just blogged this week about weaning the twins (with a link to an old post where I talked about how absolutely dreadfully difficult it was to get them started in the beginning). It's so worth it, and now I'm sad on a daily basis that we're not nursing anymore ;-) You'll get there.
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