Thursday, 22 August 2013

Managing twins - the ups & downs

The twins are back home safe and sound and at nearly 1 month old, have started developing their own traits and personalities. Looking at them sleeping so soundly in between their 3 hourly feeding routines can really melt your heart, and there are times when i will just break down and cry happy tears when i look at them sleeping peacefully.
However, as compared to sigletons, having twins has its major ups and downs - especially since my twin boys are born prematurely. First major downside of having twins who had spent almost 3 weeks at the NICU: Breastfeeding. They are so used to bottle feeding EBM that they are usually confused when I offered them the breasts. Breastfeeding is no easy task, and although i very much want to breastfeed both my boys, i don't have the time or strength to breastfeed both exclusively. I tried tandem once, and although both boys were able to latch, i cannot do it alone. Plus they will only latch a while before giving up and cry in frustration as they did not get enough milk. Every day when i think about the bonding and the benefits that they will receive if i had breastfed them since day 1, i will break down and cry some more. Thus, i had to resort to supplementing my EBM with formula milk. :'(

EBM supply was not a problem 2 weeks ago when i religiously expressed every 3 hourly according to they boys' NICU feeding routine. But since they got home, i had no time to express with all the running around the house taking care of the boys. Diaper change, feeding time and even bath time takes twice as long with twins. There were times when both my mother and i would be so overwhelmed with housework and taking care of the boys, that we love it when there was another family member around to help with the chores. An extra helping hand is definitely appreciated.

1 comment:

  1. Adorable picture! My name is Heather and I was hoping you could answer a quick question about your blog! My email is Lifesabanquet1(at)gmail.com

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