My boob is leaking like there's no tomorrow everytime I have a shower, move differently, lay on my side anything this one boob seems great intact it looks like milk now not colostrum (not sure if that's possible yet!) but the other boob doesn't leak you can express it JUST you get a few drops but the other side if you express it which I have to otherwise it gets very uncomfortable one squeeze and your saturated.
I'm going to have to feed 2 so need both boobs to have a good supply. Will the other side pick up or is not a worry yet?
I wouldn't expect it to - lots of people don't leak at all and have a big supply.
Have you happily fed your other kids? If so, then it is almost certain that your boobs will respond to being emptied more often by making more and more milk, and the three of you should be fine. Do you have some local lactation support to help you get the hang of attaching two babies, and attaching tinier babies (as twins can sometimes be)?
I never successfully fed my kids past 2/3 months due to poor attachment, not being educated on breast feeding and I think that's the reasons really!
I don't have anything local as such but know there is an ABA commitee type thing who meet regularly about a 40 min drive away
If you got to 2-3 months, then you made enough milk (by then BF babies have pretty much reached their maximum milk-munching-capacity). So from a supply point of view you should be OK.
The attachment is a bit of a worry - just because if you are doing twice as many feeds then there is twice the potential for damage.
You may find that you need to pump sometimes to give your nipples a break - do you have, or can you hire, a double pump and the correct size flanges for your nipples (I'm guessing that they may be larger than average, because that can make attaching harder)?
Remember the ABA telephone line - 1800 mum2mum - which can help you through some of the early "fun" too.
Thanks for that number!
I've bought shields this time around I found it helped a lot with DD2 her very small tongue mixed with my larger sized nipples weren't a good mix!
Do they have LCs at hospitals? If they do I want to see one before we go home.
I am looking at pumps (double) just researching what brands etc to get but I've heard you can hire from the hospital but not sure if that's single or double pumps
The pumps you can hire from the hospital are double pumps. Almost hospitals have LCs and seeing them is an excellent idea. Make contact with the ABA group beforehand too - they hire pumps more cheaply than most places, and you'd make the membership fee back on the first month of pump hire.
Have a look at the nursing angel website - they have a range of flanges for different sizes, and also a "nipple size guide"!
In my experience with DD I had my right boob leak more in pregnancy yet that breast didn't produce as much milk as the left while breastfeeding. It's also the supply/demand thing. I always wasn't as comfortable feeding DD from my right breast for some reason. Best bet is to wait and see and tackle the issue if it happens to arise.
In answer to your first question - what is happening how has no effect on your milk supply when you have the baby. As other have said, some mums leak profusely, and others not at all - they all have plenty of milk for their baby.
Sounds like you'd do well to go to an Australian Breastfeeding Association class - it is amazing how things go differently when you understand how the system works. Your near Ballarat, right? There is a great aBA group in Ballarat, and great lactation consultants. Don't get stressed out thinking about pumps and expressing - first put your energies into learning about how breastfeeding works and getting your support network in place.
Yes Barb I'm roughly a half hour drive from Ballarat I will look up contact details for the ABA. Glad to know now has no effect on then I just want to be prepared so thought I'd ask as I already know it will be a challenge feeding twins so want to be as informed as possible.
Thanks for that site it looks great from what I see on my phone hope DH gets home with my net credit soon!
Will this mean a supply issue?
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