Breastfeeding is not always easy, but in the vast majority of cases, with the right advice and help, it is possible to overcome the greatest difficulties. Today I bring you an exciting story, about a mom who had premature twins and has managed to exclusively breastfeed them not without effort due to the complicated circumstances of birth and hospital stay.
The story of Laia and her two children, Erik and Irene, I read on the LACMAT list, where breastfeeding experts participate and I continue daily to learn from them. From there I came to the page of the ALBA Breastfeeding Association and when I read everything that Laia shared, so much sweetness and so much wisdom, I spoke with her to be able to tell you her experience, which I am sure will help many of our readers better than theoretical advice that sometimes they don't make us feel so confident that it is possible to achieve what they explain.
I thank Laia for allowing us to tell you about her experience and I congratulate her on her effort and dedication.
I continue and will continue to strive day by day to give my twin babies exclusive breastfeeding.
Mom's these premature twins who are breastfeeding exclusively called Laia. Her mother, Concha, and her sisters, Mireia and Inma, are experienced midwives and great connoisseurs of breastfeeding, so in the difficult process that has happened to achieve breastfeeding she has had good information and family emotional support. In addition, of course, Bernat's, the father of these two little ones, which has been an emotional pillar and real help for everyone.
And in order to overcome the possible difficulties in breastfeeding there are three essential things: adequate information, emotional support and practical help.
The birth of my babies was a terrible scare, it didn't give my husband time and I got the idea. It was very hard for both of us to wish during the whole pregnancy a dignified and natural birth and to know and defend how important it was to respect the bond and not be separated after birth and then everything went backwards ...
The birth was at 31 weeks and ended in an emergency caesarean section. The babies were born with 1,335 kg the girl and the boy 1,705 kg. They had to be admitted, they had trouble breathing and a ductus in their heart because of their prematurity. They didn't even let him practice the kangaroo method because of the babies' problems and they started feeding them with a tube.
Laia, from the beginning, despite having had such a difficult birth and being worried about her babies, she was very clear that she wanted to breastfeed and that would help strengthen the bond that the separation damages.
It started to pump out shortly after birth, with a double extractor, to stimulate more production. His commitment to exclusively breastfeeding and babysitting at all times when it was safe for babies was not understood by all health workers, and that was an added anguish.
Stimulating production, he managed to maintain an adequate amount of milk for babies' nutrition. It happened as soon as possible to practice the kangaroo and to offer them the breast; That made the little ones suck and gradually managed to do it directly from the chest and effectively.
It is not simple, but it is possible. The important thing is to know that it is possible, if we start from that we will not achieve it and we do not have good advisors, it will be impossible. That is why this testimony, real and practical, can serve as a guide for mothers of premature babies who wish to breastfeed.
Laia achieved that, during the entire hospital stay, which has been a month and a half, the little ones did not receive a drop of artificial milk, which is very important in the case of premature babies, who have a especially weak digestive and immune system.
The truth is that I simply do what I think I should do, I give them all the love I can after a delivery that was not as I wanted to give them ... and there are still nights that I cried for fear of losing the link, it is such a strong situation but at the same time comforting to see that my husband Bernat and I can still fix it…
Laia and Bernat already have the little ones at home, Irene and Erik, and have managed, after a very hard first few days in which they offered them a bottle of extracted matera milk, to breastfeed both directly from the breast without needing anything else.
It has not been a simple experience. But she wants to encourage other mothers who may be in a circumstance similar to not throwing in the towel, to inform themselves with breastfeeding experts, get help from their families and, above all, trust themselves and their babies.
Can be achieved breastfeed premature twins with exclusive breastfeeding. If one of our readers were in a similar situation, I encourage her to trust her body and, above all, to ask for help and information from expert lactation consultants.
