Thanks -- what a great, inspiring story -- just what I needed, helpful details
and all.

Re: "baby led breast compression" --- when I went through a prolonged
(stress'related?) period of very slow let down my daughter used to punch,
pinch and slap the breast until the milk came down --- made me think eerily of
Melanie Klein (good breast/bad breast infant psych) -- but it worked well,
used to "force" let down in no time.

Elisheva Urbas
[log in to unmask] (but going nomail due to computer snafu)

In a message dated 98-01-27 16:09:47 EST, you write:

<<  27 Jan 1998 15:45:43 EST
 From:    DPF616 <[log in to unmask]>
 Subject: nursing triplets

 Dear Elisheva-
      I have a friend who is also my children's pediatrician.  She is
currently
 breastfeeding her 8 month old girls---all three of them!  She also has two
 older  (4 and 7) boys and works part-time in a busy pediatric practice.
      She uses a nurse-mates pillow (Brand name used on purpose here---it's
 wider than many others) and nurses two at once.  The third sucks on a sisters
 thumb, or toes, or sleeve until it's her turn.  When one pulls off, bites, or
 gets sleepy, the one who is waiting gets "her" breast, and then has dessert
on
 the one vacated by her other sister.  Sometimes a baby will come back a time
 or two.  You know how babies will often nurse, seem satisfied, then cue
hunger
 again a short time later as the cholecystakinine levels return to baseline?
 After a short break, one may be ready to return to the breast, just as a
 sister is ready for *her* break.  They often stroke each other while they
 nurse, and offer a thumb to the baby-in-waiting  to tide her over.  Very
 sweet!
      As they are bigger now, they do interesting things like stroking the
 breast to increase flow---sort of a baby-led breast compression!
      In the early months, my friend tried to nurse each one alone, one time
 each day.  She enjoyed the one-on-one time with each little girl.
     LLLI has some older articles written by mothers of triplets.  I have
 copies that I like to give moms with "great expectations", to encourage them
 and let them know that breastfeeding their babies can be done and is even
 desirable!  They may not hear that anywhere else.
      Once you have one mother of three who breastfeeds and enjoys it, she may
 be willing to be a resource for other moms.  Good luck!
 ---Debi Page Ferrarello, RN, IBCLC
     Abington, PA   Outside of Philadelphia, another IVF capital!
  >>