When it comes to breastfeeding, there are a lot of horror stories out there. Before I had my twin babies I heard from a lot of friends who said their baby wouldn’t latch, their supply ran out quickly or that breastfeeding and pumping was too painful to endure for more than a few days. Many women simply gave up! Naturally, I was worried I’d end up in the same boat, but for the last 20 weeks I've been successfully pumping breast milk for twin babies. Here are 10 quick tips that can help those with singletons or multiples get their breast milk in quickly and to keep it flowing!
1.) Don’t expect to be able to breastfeed
Go into your breastfeeding experience with low expectations.
This will help to alleviate pressure on yourself that can hamper your efforts. Yes, breastmilk is best for your baby and you should make every effort to breastfeed, but if it doesn't work out you can feed your baby formula. The truth is your baby is going to be fed no matter what. You will be ok! Lowering expectations will help you not to get discouraged.
2.) Don’t give up for 2-3 weeks
Whether it be pumping or feeding at the breast, keep trying even though no milk is coming out.
What does that mean? While you are in the hospital you should try to breastfeed your infant even if the baby won’t latch. Just try for 5-10 minutes every few hours. If your baby is in the NICU, try pumping even if no milk is coming out. Try pumping for 15 minutes every 3 hours. When you visit the NICU to feed your baby formula try to get one baby to latch on each visit for about 10 minutes. If you have twins, alternate babies each visit. This practice helped me get my milk supply on day 2 in the hospital, which I'm told is very early to have milk come in with premature twins. I didn’t expect any milk to come out, but I just kept trying. When the milk finally came, I practically ran it to my babies in the NICU (C-section and all), I was so overjoyed.
3.) Use the lactation consultants in hospital
This is likely the only time you will have free help with breastfeeding without having to drive somewhere.
Yes, I know lactation consultants knocking on your door might be annoying when you are in the hospital room trying to enjoy your new baby. However, this is likely the only time you will have free help with breastfeeding without having to drive somewhere. Take advantage! Press the hospital call button whenever you need help with pumping. In my experience, a lactation consultant made me a homemade pumping bra, helped me fit the proper flanges, and ultimately helped me get the milk flowing! She was a Godsend.
4.) Realize your nipples won’t hurt forever
Yes, your nipples will be sore when you begin to breastfeed, but this will only last for a few weeks.
The first few weeks is an adjustment period where your breasts and your baby are getting used to feeding. Be patient with yourself and realize the hard part will be over soon. If you can get through those first few weeks you are going to be able to succeed! This information is so important because it gives you a light at the end of the tunnel. Now that you know the pain goes away, if you can just power through the first 2-3 weeks you can successfully breastfeed for months!
5.) Don’t pump too often
If you pump too often, you might find you get less milk and exhaust yourself and your nipples.
When I started pumping less often I got more milk and I had less pain and less stress! Highly recommend! Pumping more often for the first 2-3 weeks is probably beneficial to help build your milk supply, but it's not necessary to try and keep that up forever. Do what feels right! I find pumping every 4 hours during the daytime hours and every 5-6 at night is a sweet spot that helps me produce more milk and live my life. I have now been pumping more than four months and still find this doable. My twins get breast milk for almost every feeding. We typically use formula 1-2 times a day. The most I ever pumped was 7 times a day during the first 3 weeks postpartum, skipping only one session at night for a 6 hour stretch of sleep. I am now down to 5 times per day with my reduced schedule.
6.) Use heat and ice packs
A hot shower is one of the most underrated breastfeeding hacks for pain and milk production.
Use heat before pumping or breastfeeding (warm bath, hot shower, warm wash clothes) and use ice packs after you pump or breastfeed. When I was in the hospital my boobs suddenly became engorged from attaching the breast pump to try and produce milk. At that point, no milk was coming out, but I realized the pumping was doing something! Suddenly my boobs looked huge! I took a hot shower and the next time I pumped the milk finally started flowing! Because using bags of ice can be annoying (when they start to melt) I found a product that can really help to ice with ease. It's very important to ice your breasts after pumping and to use heat before pumping the first few weeks. I would take hot baths multiple times a day (not allowing water to touch my C-section scar) and using hot wash cloths on my breasts to alleviate the pain. This budget-friendly product helps to relieve clogs with heat and massage and is worth every penny.
7.) Get sized for pumping flanges and try different pump settings
Are you using the wrong size pump flanges?
If so, you may be experiencing pinching that absolutely hurts and will make you want to quit pumping. At the hospital, ask if they have a tool to measure your nipple size for the correct flanges or purchase one here. There are also inserts you can use to make the fit even better. Getting the right size flanges will not only help with comfort but can cause you to produce more milk. Also, it’s important to play with pump settings. If your pump is like mine and has a massage mode, use it for 2-3 minutes to help stimulate milk production. Then switch to vacuum mode to get the milk really flowing. Keep in mind pain is not good. You want to find a balance, where you are producing milk, but not hurting your nipples. Not too high, not too low on the vacuum level. I have the Spectra 1 pump and use massage mode for 2 minutes on level 70/3 and then switch to regular mode 38/5 for 28 minutes. I make 7-12 ounces per session depending on how long I wait between pump sessions.
8.) Use nipple cream while you pump
Applying nipple cream directly before pumping saved my life.
It alleviates pinching and pain acting as a lubricant and I believe it helps produce more milk. Gamechanger! This is my nipple cream of choice after trying multiple products.
9.) Drink water and stay active when you pump
Staying hydrated helps you produce more milk.
If you are bad at remembering to drink water during the day, simply make it a part of your pumping routine to get a large glass of ice water and drink it while you pump. If you do this, you will drink enough water to stay hydrated! Another hack, keep yourself busy while you pump. Massage your breasts, watch a Netflix show, make a phone call or work on writing a blog post while you are pumping! I read a chapter or the Bible and create an LTK post during my early morning session when babies are asleep. It makes the time go by and helps me to feel productive. If you don’t have anyone to help watch baby while you are pumping this can be tough. When I don’t have help while pumping, I put the twins in the Twin Z pillow or I use my feet to keep them moving in their bouncer chairs. I don’t pick them up unless it’s an emergency since trying to hold them can move the flanges and impact supply. Don’t mess with your set-up once you are producing if you can help it!
10.) Continue attempting to breastfeed
Even if you are exclusively pumping, it's important to put your baby or babies on the breast every now and then!
For one, this helps send signals to your body to produce milk and can increase your supply. I found that after 5-10 minutes of breastfeeding one twin, my supply would sometimes double the next time I would pump. Another great benefit, your child’s saliva tells your body what kind of milk to create and can even help your milk produce the right nutrients and antibodies your child needs to stay healthy. It's a great bonding time for you and baby. If baby won’t latch and screams, just getting a little saliva on the nipple helps. Lastly, sometimes a minute or two of attempting to breastfeed can help unclog your breast and relieve pain should you get a clogged duct!
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