Having trouble with email; sorry if this is a repeat...

In a message dated 4/16/2003 10:00:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes:

> To all those of you who are specifically "against"
> moms giving each of two very different sized
> babies their own breast-- please educate me: I
> gather you have seen the small baby do OK in this
> scenario? I do not intend this as an argument or
> debate, I really want to know. I just have seen
> smaller babies foremilk feed, and either fail to
> grow well, or else want to feed all the time, some
> choking etc, because of not being able to "get to
> the cream" when their larger more vigorous sib has
> driven up production on both breasts. I'm talking
> about twins who are maybe 25% of so different, the
> babies who at two weeks are 5 and 6 1/2 lbs, or 4
> and 5 lbs, or even 6 and 8 lbs, whatever. Sure,
> it's great to use that vigorous baby to help
> establish milk supply on both sides, but once it's
> established, and each is nursing ok, does this
> really work?

Are the MOM switching on a 24-hour or more frequent basis?


> Maybe you are talking smaller
> differences or bigger babies? (Like the difference
> between an 8 and 9 lb baby is not the same as the

See twins of 8 to 9 lb maybe once a year; most are at the smaller end.

I'm not "against" assigning a breast; I'm against doing anything routinely that may have long-term implications for one or more babies or mother, unless or until one or more babies demo the need or preference. If "need to do" is the issue, would think MOM should be informed of possible down-the-road implications and let her know the option is there to go back to a (24 hour?) rotation once little guy has the hang of the whole thing.

What I usually see is that one or the other, usually the more discordant on the small side, is not the best milk remover anyhoo. So mom has to pump to remove more milk, and the very scenario you describe above still occurs for this baby. Then I may suggest she pump for this guy to let-down, let flow settle, and put him/her on. (This is if there aren't other issues with latch or sustained suckling, which there often are.)


> Or maybe that's how you do it, nurse both of them
> on both sides, but try quite often to put the
> little one on whichever breast is emptier, to give
> creamier milk?

Hasn't really presented as an issue with the "switch every 24 hours" routine. Each baby takes only a specific breast for the 24 hour period and then mom switches; each only gets the other breast for the next 24 hours, and so on... MOMs say they like this routine because they don't have to think of who goes where, but they don't end up lopsided either. But maybe it also incorporates the advantages you've observed with a less flexible "assignment"?

Karen

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