couldn't resist using this title . . . i agree that depending too much on
pillows can be a problem, etc., but still feel that using the large,
rectangular more rigid pillow is invaluable for mothers of multiples. one of
the barriers to bf seems to be the demands of nursing first one then another,
etc., and using the pillow to nurse two together REALLY helps.

the reason i left one bf support group for another was the persistent belief
held by members of the first group that babies under a year could "wean
themselves." not without the car keys and some money for fast food! or the
ability to open a refrigerator.

i was out of town for twelve days over the thanksgiving holiday, and there is
still a massive pile of newspapers, but as i was sorting out the wheat from
the chaff, i glanced at an interview with a local mom of quintuplets. hers are
8 1/2 yrs old now, and she has lots of great advice to the parents of the
septuplets. the third question put to this mother is "would you advise bobbi
mccaughey to nurse septuplets?"
the answer: "by all means. i hope she has a really good lactation consultant
helping her. while the babies are in the hospital, she needs to use an
electric breast pump to prepare for the marathon ahead. i pumped 4 liters of
breast milk (a little over a gallon) a day. when the babies came home, i used
a combination of nursing and giving them bottles of pumped breast milk. we fed
the babies on demand until they were more than a year old."

this lovely article was in the tuesday december 2 spotlight section of the
rocky mountain news.i don't know if the article is available online, but the
address is:
[log in to unmask]
 i am still in such shock about this, i can hardly think of what else to say!
and in the rest of the article, not one word about bottles or formula. maybe
you lc people should make this woman your mom of the year, retroactively.

she was also asked if this was the hardest thing she ever did, and she said
no. she had breast cancer a few years later, and said that having quints
prepared her for the difficulties of dealing with the disease.

she sounds like someone i would be honored to know.

now, if we can just resist bring this up when someone whines about how they
can't possibly nurse in their situation.

carol b.