Jump to content

Menu

Recovering from a cesarean and nursing twins... anyone done this?


chickenpatty
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm at 34 weeks now & these guys are still breech. OB said today that a c/s will be likely. (The twins are about 6lbs each now and have little room to move!)

 

I've never had a c/s. I was already nervous about nursing the twins (even though I've successfully nursed all my others), but now I'm even more nervous...

 

Any btdt advice??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did! It was my first c-section too.

 

My advice is pretty simple, make sure you have help. If you have stairs in your house, you'll want to make sure you arent climbing them too often the first week or so.

 

 

I basically sat in our ikea poang chair, with the babies in those fisher price rockers, and just switched off nursing all day. I always woke the second to nurse. I ended up liking nursing them one at a time, but i had fast nursers. The biggest challenge is when one goes through a hunger spurt. Just know it wont last forever.

 

I nursed mine for 16 months, so don't be nervous! It's completely doable if you have the support!

 

 

Eta: one thing I wasn't prepared for was to stay in the hospital 5 days, including induction. I had my son v*ginally, and was out in 48 hours, with c-section, and because I had two babies, the OB wanted me there an extra day on top of the 3 for c-section, and one for induction. If you have a scheduled c-section, that will be less time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes - I did it. My twins were late, over 7 and 8 lbs. I needed help the first three weeks. A nursing pillow is your friend - when I was home alone I would put one twin, swaddled, on the couch while I fashioned the pillow around myself, then scoop up the second twin and sit down next to the first baby so I could scoop him up, too.

 

Then I'd sit on the couch, a baby under each armpit, and nurse away.It seems like all I did those first few months was eat, nurse, and grab catnaps. I think expressing some and making Dad use a bottle for one night feeding, if possible, is important. We did have to use the occasion bottle of formula when I would be just too dog-gone pooped (I came off four months of bedrest, too, when had the c-section, and was already pretty wiped out.)

 

It can be done. But take all the help you can get.Adding that you may wish to contact the local Mothers with Twins or Mothers with Multiples group - and, of course, La Leche.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't have a c-section, but I did successfully nurse my twins. LLL did help - when my twins were young, there were so many of us that showed up all at the same time, the leader spun off a twins LLL so that the singleton moms didn't feel guilty airing their concerns with just one baby. And I'm sure a bunch of those moms had c-sections.

 

The fact that you've successfully nursed before will help - they were my first. Other problems were that they were early, and sooo tiny, and in the NICU for a couple weeks, and then hospitalized again a week after they got home (the latter issue had nothing to do with preemie or twins, though).

 

I agree to line up all the support you can get now. Looks like your kids are all past the toddler stage, and you even have some teens - use them to help! Definitely a twin nursing pillow. I had all these plans to nurse them together, and many people do, but for me it never worked out - I almost always did them sequentially, but the nursing still worked, once we all got the hang of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was planned for a vag delivery with mine, but A turned breech 2 days before I went into labor. My cs was Horrible to be honest and recovery was a nightmare....just to be blunt about it. I had not prepared myself for the posibillity of a cs because I was considered prime canidate for a regular delivery of the twins (dr specialized in delivering twins, 2 prior drug free births of big babies).

I had no help and even though I was staunch no formula with my 1st 2, the twins were on 100% formula by 6 months. (It didn't help that I ended up having 2 emergency surgeries when the twins were 11 weeks and 4 months).

 

If you have help, great, use it and do what pp said, plant yourself in a chair and nurse/pump. The moms I know that were succesful did that forthe 1st 6 months I'd say. Ask for help with EVERYTHING, shopping, meal prep, cleaning, childcare if u have olders....i mean EVERYTHING!

In my dream world, if I were to have twins again, I would hire a housecleaner who does laundry, a mommy's helper to help with my older ones (including schoolwork while I supervised from my chair nursing and could prep simple lunches, maybe a college girl home on break or the like), use a grocery store with online shopping/delivery service and prep multiple meals for the freezer in advance.

You don't in advance if your babies will be easy/hard, have reflex, be difficult sleepers. And twins feed off each other, if 1 cries the other starts.

 

That sounded scary, sorry, but it's the truth. Having twin is amazing, special and for most a once in a lifetime experience. I love them to pieces and am happy they share that special bond which I can already see. It is also alot of work though.

That is my experience, be as prepared as you can and then do the best you can with what u have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first was a set of twins and I had a csection as well(babyB was breech). If you have help, you can use a nursing pillow. Get one baby on by yourself and then have the other person hand you the other baby. It's so much easier that way because then your done when they are done feeding. IF you have no help, I put one baby in a bouncy chair and nursed the other and then switched..all..day..long...

My last csection(not twins) I used a compression type belt(like the belly bandit) and it helped so much with the soreness of everything.

I will buy one again for this pregnancy.

Medical supply stores sell one for csections and abdominal surgeries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No twins, but nursed after c-section so I'll just add advice I haven't seen yet.

 

Take your pain meds, especially the anti-inflammatory. I avoided meds the first go round and suffered for it. Take your meds in a timely manner and don't try to power through. You need to feel well enough and relaxed enough to nurse your babies.

 

Pillows are your friends. I couldn't stand the nursing pillow rubbing against my incision, so I used 3-4 bed pillows around me until the wound healed enough.

 

Take the full six weeks to recover. With my first, I hurt quite a bit afterwards so I was very careful. The second time around, I felt better faster and so I did way too much too soon. You'll still be healing internally so don't be afraid to ask for help and rest as much as you can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Want to add my encouragement to the mix. You can do it! I had my first c-section with my twins last year, after three vaginal births. We nursed successfully for a year. I did do them separately at first, mostly, although I specifically asked the nurses to help show me how to tandem nurse while we were still at the hospital. The football hold worked very well to stay off the incision and the made-for-twins (a My Brest Friend in my case) really helped. You're right that the older kids will be a huge help—mine sure were/are.

 

Erica in OR

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...