When I tell people that I exclusively breastfed my twins, they tend to respond with disbelief. Like it is the most challenging way they could possibly think of to feed two babies. What I don't understand is how they could think there could be an easier method. It was the easiest possible way. Period. Here's how it went:
Things didn't start out ideally. I had complications from my delivery (hemorrhage due to a very stretched uterus), so I was out of commission for several hours after the girls were born. They did not breastfeed during the 'golden hour' right after they were born. We didn't get to do the skin-to-skin thing until the following morning. Their first feeds were bottles of formula in the nursery, which definitely was not what I had planned. That was the only formula they ever received, for the record.
As soon as they were brought to me in my postpartum room (nine hours later), I was very eager to see my girls and to breastfeed them for the first time. My plan was to practice with them each individually before we attempted tandem nursing. Miss M went first (because her sister had just had a bottle in the nursery). No problem! Miss A, your turn. Another expert! I sent my sister-in-law to get my nursing pillow, and I was tandem nursing by the first night. Could it possibly go this smoothly? Yes. I had not one crack, not one bruise, blister, or scab. Tenderness, a little, but nothing a little nipple cream couldn't handle.
I credit our breastfeeding success to a few things. Yes, I had good (full-term) partners who latched well, I have decent breastfeeding nipples (not too big, not too flat), and milk supply was never an issue. But most importantly, I had knowledge beforehand. I knew what a good latch looked like. I knew how to position my babies. I knew that it shouldn't hurt. I knew early hunger cues and normal feeding patterns. I understood the supply/demand process of milk production. My only challenges were the nurses in the hospital who were pushing me to formula feed, to calm my fussing babies. But I knew that my babies needed to be on my breasts all night long, so that my body would kick into gear and make milk for them. I knew that the breastfeeding frenzy that takes place in those first few days was normal. Even though it feels like it could not possibly be normal, it is.
At home, I had my breastfeeding station on the couch with my pillow, my footstool (very important), my remote control, my phone, and my water. I knew I would be spending a lot of time there in the early days, but to be honest it wasn't that bad. Once my milk supply was established my girls became quite efficient little feeders. Ten minutes and they were happily drifting into milk comas. It was frequent, but fast. I loved it, because every time I was breastfeeding I was sitting down, watching TV, and I had two babies who were both cuddled and content at the same time. That didn't happen under any other circumstances when I was alone during the day.
At night, I had them in bassinets right beside my bed. I didn't step foot out of my bed for feedings. I reached over, brought them into bed, fed them, burped them, and put them back. Diaper changes required me to get up, but those were still done in my bedroom. It was often one baby initiating a feed (usually Miss M), so I would just wake the other up to feed (usually Miss A) to avoid waking up double. It did not take long for their feeding schedules to sync. We did this until it didn't work anymore (when I would wake up Miss A and she wouldn't eat), and then I went to feeding them separately at night.
Most people know there are plenty of benefits to breastfeeding. The benefits when breastfeeding twins, like most things, are multiplied. After peeing every 15 minutes while I was pregnant, I swear I peed twice a day while I was breastfeeding. It was awesome. Plus, breastfeeding twins was the best diet on the planet. I ate more when I was breastfeeding than when I was pregnant, I ate whatever I wanted, and the weight just kept coming off. I was skinnier breastfeeding than I was pre-pregnancy (I'm not anymore, but still). I never had to mix one bottle, measure one scoop of formula, sterilize water or bottles, pack feeding supplies, and I never had to fumble around in my kitchen half asleep at 3 a.m. For six months, wherever I went, as long as I had diapers and my breasts, I had everything I needed. In a word, simplicity.
Solids did come into the picture at the six month mark, so things did get a little more complicated and messy from that point on, but we continued to breastfeed for 13 months. The girls gradually weaned themselves, and when I returned to work at one year we were down to morning and bedtime feeds only. My husband and I went away for two nights at that point, and when we came back, the girls were done. I had one last good-bye session of breastfeeding with each of them, and that was it. Weaning was easy, because it was gradual and we were all ready. All in all, it was a wonderful experience for me. If the girls could remember, I'm sure they would agree.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Potty Talk
This is our potty training story so far...
Before they were two, I made some very halfhearted attempts at potty training because some friends of mine were having success with their kids of the same age. I wasn't really too worried about it, but I figured we could give it a try, relaxed, no pressure. My girls consistently poop after lunch, and a couple of times I put the girls on the potty at that time, read some stories, and Miss A had some success. She peed and pooped a couple of times. For Miss M, nothing. I'm not sure why we stopped, maybe I was lazy, but I guess it seemed like more work than it was worth. They weren't ready. Okay, we weren't ready. I decided to wait until summer when they would be wearing summer dresses and it would be easy access to get on the potty quickly.
Summer came and went. We did give it a try for about three days. I prepared myself, I bought rewards (mini M&M's), Pull-Ups, and a lot of panties, and I enlisted help (my mom). We took them out to the cabin, let them run around bottomless, and the potties followed them everywhere (in the cabin, in the yard, on the beach...). We did have a few successes (because we got them to sit on the potty every 20 minutes), but mostly we just went through a lot of panties. They weren't making the connection. Wet panties were hanging everywhere. I was ready, they were not.
Then a couple of weeks ago we had a play date with a friend and her daughter, who is a month older than my girls. She's been peeing on the potty since she was 18 months old. She's almost fully potty trained, but has the occasional pee in her Pull-Ups. Anyways, the girls played, they watched their friend use the potty, and my girls each had a turn on the potty after. Success all around. Okay, let's do this. Round three.
I like to implement changes in routine when I'm home for at least 3 or 4 days in a row, because I know consistency is key. So we did 4 bottomless days at home. Huge success. Miss M got it right away, running to the potty on her own regularly. Pees and poops. She beats me there, pees, dumps it in the toilet and flushes. It helps that she really likes getting treats afterward. It helps even more that we've switched to gummy bears. She was on the potty constantly for awhile, but I think the novelty has worn off a bit. Her poor little bladder had nothing left, yet she'd still squeeze out one drop if she could, to get a treat. I've had to specify that treats are only for the 'big ones', and now I regularly hear "Oooo, Mommy it's a big one!". We've had outings (to the park, to music class) in Pull-Ups and stayed dry. I don't expect that we'll have no accidents, but she's got it. She's made the connection. She wore pants all day today and still got them off in time, every time. Woohoo!
Miss A is still hit or miss, which is interesting, because she's the one who had such early success. She'll go with encouragement, but she gets busy and forgets sometimes. I know she's made the brain-bladder connection, but I don't think she cares about the treats nearly as much as her sister does. So, I've upped the ante. I've made a deal with her that if she has lots of pees and poops on the potty, we'll buy a princess movie (I was going to buy Beauty and the Beast for Christmas, but this seemed better). We'll see what happens.
Now I need to work on my own training. I can't be lazy and leave them in diapers for too long in the morning, and I need to get the Pull-Ups off as soon as we're home. They know what to do, but I have to set them up for success. It doesn't sound that hard to do, but getting diapers off means PJ's off, potty time, cleaning bums, cleaning potties, washing hands, panties on and clothes on. Times two. And I'm tired in the morning! But I'm working on it.
Before they were two, I made some very halfhearted attempts at potty training because some friends of mine were having success with their kids of the same age. I wasn't really too worried about it, but I figured we could give it a try, relaxed, no pressure. My girls consistently poop after lunch, and a couple of times I put the girls on the potty at that time, read some stories, and Miss A had some success. She peed and pooped a couple of times. For Miss M, nothing. I'm not sure why we stopped, maybe I was lazy, but I guess it seemed like more work than it was worth. They weren't ready. Okay, we weren't ready. I decided to wait until summer when they would be wearing summer dresses and it would be easy access to get on the potty quickly.
Summer came and went. We did give it a try for about three days. I prepared myself, I bought rewards (mini M&M's), Pull-Ups, and a lot of panties, and I enlisted help (my mom). We took them out to the cabin, let them run around bottomless, and the potties followed them everywhere (in the cabin, in the yard, on the beach...). We did have a few successes (because we got them to sit on the potty every 20 minutes), but mostly we just went through a lot of panties. They weren't making the connection. Wet panties were hanging everywhere. I was ready, they were not.
Then a couple of weeks ago we had a play date with a friend and her daughter, who is a month older than my girls. She's been peeing on the potty since she was 18 months old. She's almost fully potty trained, but has the occasional pee in her Pull-Ups. Anyways, the girls played, they watched their friend use the potty, and my girls each had a turn on the potty after. Success all around. Okay, let's do this. Round three.
I like to implement changes in routine when I'm home for at least 3 or 4 days in a row, because I know consistency is key. So we did 4 bottomless days at home. Huge success. Miss M got it right away, running to the potty on her own regularly. Pees and poops. She beats me there, pees, dumps it in the toilet and flushes. It helps that she really likes getting treats afterward. It helps even more that we've switched to gummy bears. She was on the potty constantly for awhile, but I think the novelty has worn off a bit. Her poor little bladder had nothing left, yet she'd still squeeze out one drop if she could, to get a treat. I've had to specify that treats are only for the 'big ones', and now I regularly hear "Oooo, Mommy it's a big one!". We've had outings (to the park, to music class) in Pull-Ups and stayed dry. I don't expect that we'll have no accidents, but she's got it. She's made the connection. She wore pants all day today and still got them off in time, every time. Woohoo!
Miss A is still hit or miss, which is interesting, because she's the one who had such early success. She'll go with encouragement, but she gets busy and forgets sometimes. I know she's made the brain-bladder connection, but I don't think she cares about the treats nearly as much as her sister does. So, I've upped the ante. I've made a deal with her that if she has lots of pees and poops on the potty, we'll buy a princess movie (I was going to buy Beauty and the Beast for Christmas, but this seemed better). We'll see what happens.
Now I need to work on my own training. I can't be lazy and leave them in diapers for too long in the morning, and I need to get the Pull-Ups off as soon as we're home. They know what to do, but I have to set them up for success. It doesn't sound that hard to do, but getting diapers off means PJ's off, potty time, cleaning bums, cleaning potties, washing hands, panties on and clothes on. Times two. And I'm tired in the morning! But I'm working on it.
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