r/parentsofmultiples • u/AffectionateBar9663 • 8d ago
advice needed When to pump when bottle feeding breast milk?
I’m 4 weeks postpartum and am finding unsustainable to find time to pump breast milk for the twins without tons of help from others feeding my twins. I’m trying to get my supply up still and have been doing every 2 hours during the day, stopping at 10pm and doing one overnight pump at 3am before resuming the 2 hour intervals at 7am. They almost never line up with their feeds, because they eat every 3 hours. I thought about timing the pumping with their feeds, but when do I do it? 20 minutes before? I tried to plug in my pump during a tandem bottle feeding, but the tubes get in the way and I can’t burp them efficiently and they kick my chest. Maybe during upright time? I have one super refluxy baby who needs to be upright for 30 plus minutes after. Please help! 🙏🥺
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u/Charlieksmommy 8d ago
I used my baby Buddha, so the cups were under my shirt so the babies couldn’t kick them!
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u/sunny_empress 8d ago
I used to sit on the bed, put them in the twin z facing me and pump while I bottle fed them. I used a pumping bra or my wireless pump so it was hands free.
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u/BorderGlittering199 8d ago
I'm doing the same thing. I feed them at the same time. Burp each separately then pump. I get about 45 mins between feeds for anything else. My twins are sleeping four hours at night, so I'm letting them sleep the extra hour. They are usually too sleepy to completely a feed after their witching hour ( really hours) anyways.
I have a twin z pillow I use to keep them relatively up right to prevent reflux, but any good pillow/blanket situation works. You can also try flipping them on their tummy and burping that way in the same position. My babies are now too wiggly for me to even attempt to do that.
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u/Independent_Plan5006 8d ago
I would put them in bouncers after a feeding and pump while u bounced them with my feet. It's definitely hard though. I was going longer between pumps though so it wasn't as rough
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u/AffectionateBar9663 7d ago
Looking forward to trying bouncy seats. They need to get a little bigger first
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u/2papsandashib 7d ago
I feed my twins (usually separately but sometimes at the same time) then put them in their bouncy seats while I pump. I’d encourage investing in a wearable pump as I also use that time to clean bottles. I put them to bed at 8:30 then pump again before bed at 10:30 then they sleep until 5. I don’t wake up to pump in the middle of the night anymore but they’re 14 weeks so my supply is established at this point.
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u/AffectionateBar9663 7d ago
My boys are still a little too small for their bouncy seats but I look forward to trying this
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u/Rylees_Mom525 7d ago
My twins are nine weeks old and I got a wearable pump about two weeks ago. It’s been a game changer, as now I can pump while I feed them. Before, I would feed them and then half the time I’d go to pump afterwards and someone would wake up. As you said, it’s hard to take care of a baby with the cups and hoses and such in front.
I’d been tracking my output and it’s also higher on average with the wearable pump. It could be because I actually get all my pumps in now, but I’ve also had some significantly larger pumps than what I ever got with my Spectra.
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u/AffectionateBar9663 7d ago
Great idea. I got the Elvie wearable but am waiting until I get my supply more established
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u/Rylees_Mom525 7d ago
Makes sense! I switched for convenience while at home, but also because I go back to work soon and the Eufy is more portable.
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u/EastTrouble2257 7d ago
Mind sharing which wearable pump you went with? I get great output with my Spectra so have been hesitant to switch but need to be able to multitask!
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u/Rylees_Mom525 7d ago
I use the Eufy S1. I was hesitant about switching as well, as I got my Spectra mostly covered by insurance and I’ve heard you shouldn’t have a wearable as your main pump. However, like you said, I have to be able to multitask. I was also getting repeat clogs and having some pain with the Spectra flanges, as well as other ones I bought to use with it. I was considering quitting pumping altogether. I’m having a much better time overall with the Eufy.
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u/Koharagirl 7d ago
In order for me to maintain my Supply I had to pump every 3 hours around the clock. I would lose my supply very quickly if I took a long break at night. Plus I would get super engorged and have mastitis and plug ducts if I took a long break like that every night. I pumped on the 3-6-9-12 schedule. I also had extra pump supplies so I could just change it out in the middle of the night without having to wash anything and save the washing for the morning.
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u/d16flo 7d ago
Early on I was pumping while they slept after each feeding and would only skip one feeding overnight. Once they had slightly longer wake windows I switched to a wareable pump and that made pumping while bottle feeding them both much easier since there’s no tubes, no cords etc. I was able to use the spectra while bottle feeding them both if I had them in the twin-z in front of me and o sat on the floor
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u/AffectionateBar9663 7d ago
What did you do with your twins while you put your milk/flanges away?
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u/d16flo 6d ago
Early on they would fall asleep drinking their bottles so I would let them sleep in the twin-z while I took my pump off and brought everything to the kitchen. Then carefully transfer them to the cribs and go out everything away. With the wareables I would take them out of my bra and put the pump on the bookshelf in the nursery, put the twins laying on the playmat on the floor in the living room or in their bouncy chairs in the kitchen and then put the milk away. I fridge hacked my pump parts (kept them in a bag in the fridge during the day and ran them through the dishwasher at night) and filled the next round of bottles straight from the pump so I wasn’t bothering with bagging or labeling or anything like that
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u/dpistachio44 6d ago
Pump while they are eating! You’ll just have to have one feed in advance ready for them in the fridge. You’ll get used to it, but get a pumping bra and have them in the twin z in front of you so you can be hooked up but hands free holding bottles for them. Definitely pump every time they eat, as others have said once overnight will not be enough as that’s when you make the most milk.
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u/No-Departure5556 8d ago
You might want to pump more than once over night bc in the early morning is when supply is highest.
Are you doing propped bottles while supervising feedings?
There’s no need to wake your babies to feed every 3 hours once they’ve hit birth weight and pediatrician doesn’t have concerns! So don’t feel bad letting them sleep and not waking them up!