If at First You Don't Succeed
Lynn Heinbach
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 12 No. 4, July-August 1995, p. 119
We provide articles from our publications from previous years
for reference for our Leaders and members. Readers are cautioned to
remember that research and medical information change over time.
When my husband, Brad, and
I discovered I was pregnant, we decided that we wanted our baby to be
breastfed. A few months later, when we found out I was pregnant with
twins, we became unsure about that decision. But at a childbirth class
for parents expecting multiples, we learned that it is possible to exclusively
breastfeed twins. At that point, we again decided that breastfeeding
would be best.
After three months of preterm
contractions, I delivered two girls, Kathleen and Elizabeth, five weeks
early. Kathleen weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds.
Both girls were taken to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) shortly
after birth because of concerns about immature lungs. A few hours later,
a home care nurse who visited me reminded me of my decision to breastfeed
and told me to ask someone at the hospital for an electric breast pump
to use during my stay. Thanks to her, I began pumping a few hours after
the girls were born. Since I had to leave the hospital before the girls
were released, we rented an electric breast pump on the way home.
While Kathleen and Elizabeth
were in the hospital, I pumped at home every two to four hours, including
at night. I brought the milk to the hospital for the nurses to feed
the girls. I also told the NICU staff that as soon as each girl was
physically able, I wanted to breastfeed them during my visits. The hospital
policy was to feed the girls bottles of either breast milk or formula
when I was not present.
My breastfeeding attempts
in the hospital were frustrating. Since the NICU was crowded, there
was little privacy for the girls and me to learn to breastfeed. In addition,
to avoid disrupting the girls' feeding schedule, I was given only a
short period of time to try breastfeeding before the nurse would offer
each baby a bottle. Even though bottle-feeding began to look easier
than nursing, I decided to keep on pumping breast milk and to begin
breastfeeding Kathleen and Elizabeth once they came home.
After two weeks in the NICU,
Kathleen and Elizabeth were released. Both girls had lost some weight
in the hospital, so the pediatrician recommended I keep bottle-feeding
them to monitor how much they were eating. I developed a routine of
pumping breast milk prior to each feeding, putting a nipple on the collection
bottle, and bottle-feeding each child. During the day, this routine
was bearable but at night, it added about twenty minutes to each feeding.
In addition, I had all those bottles to clean, and both the girls and
I were missing many benefits of breastfeeding.
So I tried breastfeeding
Kathleen and Elizabeth several times a day, but was unsuccessful. They
each would chew on the nipple but didn't suck or swallow. After about
thirty minutes, I would give up, pump, and feed them a bottle. They
would then chew on the bottle nipple. It would take them a few minutes
to remember how to use the bottle. Those feedings were miserable for
all three of us.
After four weeks of pumping,
I called La Leche League. I spoke to Karen Gromada, a Leader and certified
lactation consultant, who had breastfed twins and had written a book
on the subject. I was unsure how much longer I could handle pumping
and bottle-feeding and was also not certain Kathleen and Elizabeth would
ever learn to nurse.
Karen told me that the girls
were nipple confused but could still learn to nurse. She suggested two
options. I could try a transitional method of feeding, i.e., cup-feeding
or syringe-feeding, or I could convert to breastfeeding cold turkey.
She recommended I work with one girl at a time and chart how often each
ate and produced wet and soiled diapers. Then I spoke to a different
pediatrician who supported my decision to breastfeed and agreed with
Karen's recommendations.
I began with Kathleen. For
an entire day, I exclusively breastfed her and pumped milk for Elizabeth.
During most of her nursing, she chewed and did not swallow. That evening
Kathleen began crying uncontrollably. I was unable to get in touch with
Karen and panicked. Nothing would console Kathleen. I finally gave her
a bottle, and she drank about half an ounce and went to sleep. I decided
I failed at breastfeeding and gave up.
The next day, Karen called
and asked if I was still trying to breastfeed Kathleen. I said I assumed
that since I had given her a bottle, I should stop trying to breastfeed.
She asked me if I still wanted to breastfeed the girls. I was tired
and confused and did not know. Karen put no pressure on me but suggested
I make a decision I could support several months later. At that point,
I knew I would be disappointed if I gave up breastfeeding.
I waited until the weekend
to try again. My husband offered to take total care of Elizabeth so
I could devote my time to working with Kathleen. Late Friday afternoon,
I began breastfeeding Kathleen. That evening, it took a bottle to get
her to stop crying and go to sleep, but that was the only bottle she
had that night. On Saturday morning, Karen came to the house to help
me and by Saturday evening Kathleen was nursing quite well. The following
Monday, I began nursing Elizabeth, and the process went much more smoothly.
By Monday evening, both girls were exclusively breastfeeding.
Kathleen and Elizabeth are
now seven months old. They are both wonderful nursers. I never regretted
my decision to breastfeed. All those hours of pumping were worth it.
Last updated Friday, October 6, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:56 UTC 2007.
