How to Breastfeed Twins

Image: Wifeandnurse.blogspot.com

As if breastfeeding wasn’t challenging enough, now you’re dealing with two! Learn the best tips on how to breastfeed twins at the same time or individually.

The lactation consultant entered my hospital room.

“Let’s practice tandem feeding,” she proposed.

We propped a few pillows under my arms, and she handed each baby to me. As natural and easy as I hoped it would be, I instead felt awkward and inexperienced.

How was I supposed to support each of their floppy heads? What do I do when I need to burp them? And the pillows were just not cutting it—my arms felt sore from holding the babies.

And while I breastfed my eldest for a year, I had questions about doing the same with my twins. Was there an easier way to feed them at the same time? Was I supposed to switch sides, or reserve one baby for each one? And would nursing them individually mess with their schedules?

How to breastfeed twins at the same time or individually

Thankfully, after a bit of practice and time, breastfeeding the twins wasn’t as impossible as it first sounded. While I ran into challenges, I learned a few tricks and tips to make it happen, all the way up to their first birthday:

Breastfeeding twins one at a time

Before we get into breastfeeding twins at the same time, let’s talk about what it’s like to do so one at a time. In the initial days (especially at the hospital), I felt more comfortable nursing each twin individually. I lacked the confidence to nurse simultaneously, especially with their floppy heads I had to support.

Maybe you also prefer to feed individually, whether to spend one-on-one time or because you feel just as hesitant as I did. Or maybe you’re not inclined to “save time” and aren’t in a rush to nurse simultaneously.

Good news is, you can still breastfeed your twins one at a time and continue to follow a general routine. Here are a few tips to do so:

• Feed the twins after they wake up, not before to break the association of feeding and sleeping. You want your twins to be able to fall asleep without relying on nursing to do so. And the best way to instill that habit is by feeding them after waking up, not to sleep.
• Feed them one right after the other. Even though they’re not nursing at the same time, they can continue to follow the general rhythm of your day.
• Feed one baby on one breast and encourage him to empty it, and repeat with the other baby on the opposite breast. That’s because your milk comes in two stages: fore milk and hind milk. The fore milk is lighter in color and lower in fat and will quench your baby’s thirst. After a few minutes, the hind milk kicks in, which is creamier, whiter and higher in fat, providing your baby with nutrients. Ideally, you’d want both babies to get both fore and hind milk.

In some cases, you may want to reserve the fore milk for one baby, especially if he has difficulty latching or sucking. Fore milk tends to expel much easier than hind milk, which avoids the need to suck as hard.

One of my twins had this problem, so I would nurse him first on both breasts, offering him the fore milk, and leaving the hind milk for the other. It’s not ideal, but it’s one way to get calories into a baby who may struggle with sucking enough.

Same breast for each twin?

Whether you nurse at the same time or simultaneously, you’ll want to alternate breasts for each twin. Each baby may nurse differently—for instance, one might have a strong suck while the other struggles.

Alternating breasts keeps both sides as even as possible, preventing complications like clogged ducts. You’ll also more likely keep milk production on both breasts active if you make sure your strong nurser has access to both.

Breastfeeding twins individually

Nursing your twins at the same time will be one of the most effective ways to save time and hassle. But if the thought of nursing two at the same time has you confused, don’t worry. We’ll walk through the exact process of how to set it up.

Before we start, I suggest you get a nursing pillow before your twins arrive. Then, bring this with you to the hospital so you can practice right away. Tandem feeding at the hospital would’ve been more successful for me if I had brought a nursing pillow.

I learned my lesson and bought one when I got home. I used the My Brest Friend twin deluxe pillow and loved how sturdy it was. Once my twins were a little older and I more confident, I could even nurse them hands-free.

Tandem feeding: Breastfeeding twins at the same time

A typical tandem feeding position includes you sitting cross-legged on the bed or couch. You’d wear your nursing pillow around your waste. Each twin would be in a football hold—their heads are towards your breasts and their feet to your back. How?

• Get your twins on either side of where you plan to sit. That could be on your bed, the couch, or the floor. Lay then down in the position they’d be once they’re on the pillow, so heads facing forward and feet facing back.
• Wear your nursing pillow and sit between your twins.
• Pick one twin up first and lay him on the nursing pillow, football hold-style. Make sure he has a good latch on your breast.
• Once he’s secure and nursing, pick up your other twin and latch him on.

In the first few days or weeks, have someone help you with tandem nursing. It can be overwhelming to manage on your own, so get your partner or family to help you nurse. In that case, you’d sit with your nursing pillow, and someone can hand each baby to you.

Even if it feels awkward, try tandem feeding at least once a day. Choose the best time when you’re not sleep deprived to practice (not the middle of the night). And do it when someone can help. The quicker you can master tandem feeding, even for newborns, the more time you’ll have.

Burping the twins after tandem feeding

Burping two babies can be tricky. If other adults are with you, ask them to burp one baby while you hold the other. During the early weeks, you might have people visiting who can help. Your partner can burp one baby after middle of the night feedings.

But if you’re alone, you can still burp both twins after tandem feeding:

• Once the twins finish nursing, unlatch both babies.
• Then, carry one baby over your shoulder and pat his back for about a minute.
• Set him back down on the pillow and repeat with the other twin.

At this point, you could either:

• keep the the nursing pillow around your waist and lay the waiting twin down near you (he’ll still be at an incline), or
• lay both babies down, set the nursing pillow in front of you and recline the waiting twin on it.

What you want to avoid is laying your babies flat on their backs after they just ate.

Conclusion

Many parents feel daunted with the idea of breastfeeding twins, especially at the same time. You may be interested in tandem feeding but feel scared how hard it will be. You’re not sure about best practices for nursing twins, whether alone or at the same time. Twins seem to complicate what can already seem like a challenging task.

But you can breastfeed twins! After a few tries and with the right gear, tandem feeding will come easily. You’ll get your schedule aligned with the twins, even if you decide to nurse one at a time. You may just meet your goals of breastfeeding your twins—and you’ll look back on these fears and worries and know you’ve done it.

SOURCE: Sleepingshouldbeeasy

How to Deal With a Really Bad Diaper Rash (And How To Avoid Them)

One of the least enticing aspects of new parenthood is diaper duty, and its dreaded companion, diaper rash.

Diaper rash is a skin inflammation characterized by bright red patches that appear on your baby’s derriere. In severe cases, fever and a widespread rash may develop.

Luckily for you, mom, diaper rash is highly treatable and usually resolves within days or weeks. And don’t be too hard on yourself when it shows up on your baby: WebMD finds that almost every baby will get diaper rash at least once during the first 3 years of life.

So, here’s your ultimate guide to the world of the diaper rash.

You’ll learn why diaper rash occurs and some simple, but effective ways you can rid your baby of the scourge of this particular form of dermatitis. And we’ll let you know in which cases the rash may require a conversation with your pediatrician.

When does diaper rash occur?

You’re most likely to notice diaper rash when your baby is 9-12 months old. That’s the age range in which your little one is sitting most of the time, and also eating solid foods likely to alter the acidity of his/her bowel movements.

There are, however, certain factors that can make your baby more prone to diaper rash. Chafing, skin sensitivity, and wet or infrequently changed diapers are often the culprits, according to Mayo Clinic.

Diarrhea or frequent bowel movements can also make your baby more likely to get diaper rash, says Johns Hopkins’ Health Library.

Also according to Johns Hopkins’ Health Library, babies taking antibiotics or who are breastfed by mothers taking antibiotics are more susceptible.

How can you treat diaper rash at home?

Sometime, despite your best efforts, a diaper rash is inevitable.

Luckily you don’t necessarily have to bring your baby to the doctor to treat his or her rash. Follow these simple steps for a few days at home if the symptoms of your baby’s diaper rash appear mild to moderate.

• Avoid products that seem to trigger your baby’s rash, and be cautious about introducing new ones (Mayo Clinic).
• Avoid soaps and wipes that contain alcohol or fragrance (Mayo Clinic). I happen to like WaterWipes, a natural and chemical free alternative to classic wipes, whose sole ingredients are water and grapefruit seed extract.
• Wash your baby’s bottom with water after each diaper change (Mayo Clinic). Then, make sure your baby’s skin is dry before putting on a new diaper (Mayo Clinic).
• Give your baby as much diaper free time as possible to air out the skin (Mayo Clinic). If you’ve got a little boy, you may want cover his genitals loosely with a diaper whilst doing this so you don’t accidentally get peed on.
• Change your baby’s diapers frequently and apply a diaper cream, lotion, paste, or ointment as a barrier between your baby’s skin and a dirty diaper (Mayo Clinic). I like to use Triple Paste because it’s fragrance free, hypoallergenic, and creates a smooth, thin film that protects my baby’s delicate skin.

What if the rash persists?

If, after a few days of home treatment, your baby’s diaper rash hasn’t improved, call your pediatrician. You’ll want to have the rash examined if it:

• Is severe or atypical (Mayo Clinic).
• Gets worse in spite of home remedies (Mayo Clinic).
• Is accompanied by diarrhea continuing for more than 48 hours (WebMD).
• Is marked by red or scaly areas on the labia and vagina in girls (Medline Plus).
• Bleeds, itches, or oozes (Mayo Clinic).
• Appears to cause burning or pain during urination or bowel movement (Mayo Clinic).
• Is characterized by pimples, blisters, ulcers, large bumps, or sores filled with pus (Medline Plus).
• Is accompanied by a fever (Mayo Clinic).
• Gets bigger or has smaller patches that grow and blend in with other patches (Medline Plus).

To make the most of your pediatrician visit, Mayo Clinic provides some helpful suggestions. First, list your baby’s signs and symptoms, and for how long your baby has had them.

You will also want to list key information about the baby’s medical conditions and food intake. If you’re breastfeeding, include any medications or new foods your baby may have been exposed to through breast milk.

Then list all products that come into contact with your baby’s skin, including all laundry detergent, diapers, soaps, lotions, etc. You may even want to take a snapshot of the ingredient lists on the products with your cell phone so your doctor knows exactly what’s in them.

Finally, list any questions you have so you don’t miss a beat.

How might your pediatrician treat your baby’s diaper rash?

A severe or persistent diaper rash may require treatment beyond what you can do at home without a prescription. According to WebMD, if your child appears to have a candida (yeast) infection, your doctor may recommend antifungal creams or medications.

If your child has impetigo (a bacterial infection), your pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics. In many cases, your doctor may recommend a brief course of mild topical steroid cream or ointment if the rash doesn’t appear linked to an infection.

How can you prevent diaper rash moving forward?

Following certain habits on a regular basis will likely to decrease the likelihood that your baby will get diaper rash. You may want to consider making these practices a part of your normal diaper routine, according to WebMD.

• Wash your hands before and after changing your baby’s diaper to prevent a range of infections.
• Although today’s disposable diapers are highly absorbent, and wet diapers may not bother your baby, you’ll want to limit your baby’s skin’s exposure to urine and feces by changing diapers frequently.
• Make sure your baby’s skin is clean and dry before putting on a new diaper.
• Don’t let the diaper’s tape adhere to your baby’s skin, as it can cause further irritation.

A final word on diaper rashes.

Diaper rash is a nearly inevitable consequence of diaper use, so don’t beat yourself up if it happens to your baby.

The key is to identify diaper rash before it gets severe; then take steps at home to treat the rash to hopefully avoid a trip to the pediatrician. If you do have to go to the pediatrician, the rash should be an easy fix and is likely not cause for major alarm.

Have you avoided diaper rash with your baby? If so, what worked for you? If your baby got diaper rash, what solutions were the most effective? Please share your experience in the comments section so other moms can learn your tricks!

SOURCE: Momtricks

10 Things Every Rookie Parent Should Know

Is Parenting Hard Or Easy?

We keep hearing that parenting is hard, that we will make lots of mistakes along the way and that everything will eventually be alright no matter what.

Is it really true? That last sentence sounds pretty easy to me.

Parenting is hard … Yes.

We will make lots of mistakes… Yes.

Everything will be alright no matter what… MAYBE.

What Every Rookie Parent Should Know

In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers from Queensland Brain Institute and the VU University of Amsterdam analyzed 14.5 million pairs of twins from almost every twin study ever done in the past 50 years.

They found that a person’s behavior and character traits are influenced roughly the same by genetics (nature) and by environment (nurture).

So we are not products of nature OR nurture. We are the results of the combination of nature AND nurture.

Parenting is at least as important as the genes we’re born with.

Parenting can determine whether everything will be alright in many cases.

What Parenting Advice Should Rookie Parents Seek

Many baby books are written to help parents survive the first year of parenthood. They give excellent advice on how to handle breastfeeding, bowel movements, vomiting, occasional fever, speaking or walking milestone delay, etc.

Knowing there will be numerous sleepless nights and gross spit ups can certainly help parents be mentally prepared for the upcoming challenges.

But there is more to it.

When I was pregnant, I attended a seminar given by a pediatrician/researcher on sleep training. She advocated strongly using Cry-It-Out (CIO) to sleep train young children starting at infancy.

I naively followed that advice. I followed exactly the “gentle” advice. I followed all the steps.

One night, after multiple sessions of “gentle CIO”, my daughter eventually “fell asleep” as the experts would say.

But she didn’t fall asleep. She collapsed. Due to exhaustion from crying.

She fell asleep while kneeling by the crib side with her hands still gripping the crib’s edge.

I was heartbroken. That was just not right.

If my daughter hadn’t fallen asleep in that position, if she had collapsed in a laid-down position, I would have thought she had fallen asleep, too. I would have thought she had finally learned that it was time to sleep. I would have thought she had been alright being left alone.

The truth is babies stop crying because 

• they believe they will not receive the help they need, and/or
• they collapse out of exhaustion.

Neither one was what I thought I was doing to my daughter, until I saw that picture.

Not only was I sad, but I was also angry.

I was angry at the medical professional who doled out such bad parenting advice. I was angry at myself for taking that advice without question. I was angry that I didn’t research about this myself earlier.

I set out to read every scientific literature on babies and child development.

I was upset when I found out the negative long-term impact it could have on my child.

Why Science-Based Parenting

Since then, I have been obsessed with science-based parenting.

I crawl through volumes of scientific studies, journals and literature in child development, psychology and neuroscience to learn all I can about the science of parenting.

I want to spread what I have found to all the parents, all the pros and cons of common parenting practices according to science, not anecdotal stories or personal belief.

I’m not saying you should take my words for it, or view me as an expert in parenting. I am not.

Even if I were, as I had shown you, experts could give bad advice, too.

My goal is to present you with scientific evidence so you can make your own parenting decision that is best for your child.

This is why I have created this blog, Parenting For Brain.

Science-Based Parenting Nuggets

When talking to other parents, I notice that I often have nuggets of science-based information that doesn’t fit in articles I’m writing on this blog yet. But I want to pass them out to my readers quickly because I know they can benefit from it.

SOURCE: Parentingforbrain