So, the lactation consultant called me back from Wake Med. I decided to go over there since it was today versus Monday.
It took awhile and we learned a bit and now we have a 'plan'.
In short, basically the twins are not good nursers. Most likely due to being born early and being small with little mouths. So, because they are not good nursers, they do not nurse correctly, so my let down doesn't come down.
We weighed the babies and then I 'nursed' and then she weighed them again. MC is a better nurser, but even she was pitiful. After almost 15-20 mins of nursing, she only gained 5 ml. In case you don't know how much that is, 30 ml is an ounce. 5 ml is about the amount you put in a medicine dropper. So, obviously there is a nursing issue. It's honestly a wonder how they were not worse off than they are at this point.
Our plan is to continue to nurse and work with each twin on his/her technique, while having an S-n-S tube going down into his/her mouth near the nipple so that she/he is getting breastmilk via the tubing to encourage a continuous latch on. They are off and on so much that we don't have any rhythm and so no let down, which causes frustration, etc...
Now, while I'm doing that with one twin, the other twin will get expressed milk via a bottle. Hopefully being fed by one of my girls or Jason. Already the fun of bottle feeding the twins is wearing thin. We have to feed the baby sitting up so that he/she doesn't get lazy by having the milk pour down his/her throat. It's not easy for the kids to do that, but they try. If the twins don't wake at the same time, then I will probably do it all myself. However, I've spent the last two weeks waking them at the same time, so usually they are up at the same time.
After 'nursing' that twin will also get a 2 oz-3 oz bottle of milk.
After that bottle, I will pump. I'm going to get a hospital grade pump on Monday.
Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, the twins will figure out how to nurse better and we can go back to tandem nursing. Until then, I will be spending A LOT of time doing all of the above and preparing for the next feeding. I have no idea how anything else will ever get done.
The other kids don't need to eat do they?
That is exactly what was wrong w/Tabitha. She was 2 weeks early. She was so little, and she just didn't suck very hard. They'll get it, no worries. Praying for you. I know the SNS thing can be frustrating. Perseverance!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lot right now but you'll have it down pat after one night. And just remember this is temporary and it will pay dividends. You can do it Sarah!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for God to pour strength, patience and persistence into you and Jason right now. I love you! ~Monica Ragan