Episode 34: Fefe with AppleTwinning shares her IVF story, what twin life is like and tips on pumping for twins

The Twinning Podcast: A Show About Parenting and Twins

Episode 34: Fefe with AppleTwinning shares her IVF story, what twin life is like and tips on pumping for twins

We had a great conversation with Fefe from AppleTwinning

She shares her and her husbands IVF journey, what twin life is now like and tips on pumping exclusively for twins.

Here is the list we refer to:

So it's been 4 months since I became a mom! I have been #exclusivelypumping for my twin girls and I thought I would give some handy tips to the moms to be out there.

1)Hydrate and eat plenty of calories. My production seems to dip on days that I have not made sure to eat plenty. Count on burning 500 per day per kid for pumping. Make sure it's a good combo of protein/carbs/fat. I really like avocado toast with red pepper flakes and an egg on top. As far as fluids, Gatorade and water seem to be my #bffs ! I drink a couple of 33oz bottles of water and 2-32oz Gatorade’s per day. Again, when I do not drink enough, my production seems to dip a little.

2)Rest! I know it's hard, and easier said than done, but when I sleep more , I make #moremilk ! I am further along in my #pumpingjourney , but I now try to get a good pump before bed, and then I wake up before the girls wake up and get in my first morning pump.

3) Make time to pump! You can be relatively flex after you get a steady supply, but I think what helped me at the start was making a schedule and sticking to it. To get things stimulated, I would power pump once or twice a day. (Look up on google to get an idea as to what this looks like). At the start I was pumping 7-8x a day. I now pump 3-4x a day. I tried to drop to two and it did not seem to be enough to keep my supply where I want it.

4) Supplements- I take more milk plus by mother love and lecithin. The milk plus helps production and the lecithin helps from getting mastitis. (I am not a medical professional, so discuss with your dr to make sure these are safe for you. There have been some people shown to have reactions to the fenugreek in the more milk plus).

5) Having everything ready to go at all times! I mean plenty of bottles, pump parts, storage bottles ,ect to make your life easier. I have a small 6 can fridge in my bathroom to keep my parts in so I only have to sterilize parts once daily. Do I get lazy? Yes. Does it help to have the parts ready to use at all times? Yes!

6) Massage and heat! I shower if I have the time, but if not I use hot wash rags and massage the boobs before I put my falanges on. I also shake the heck out of my boobs before I put the falanges on. I feel it loosens up any clogs I might have and really gets things ready.

Bonus tip- get some lansinoh 3-in-1 breast therapy pads! They are amazing! They help with keeping things flowing during my pump and helping me continue to get let-downs!

Go to @ivftwinmomadventures for an entire blog post she wrote about #pumping! I did not know that there was exclusive pumping when I left the hospital, and I wish that I would have when I struggled with breastfeeding. My girls did not latch properly, were not eating enough when they did latch, and all around were too sleepy for feeding. They lost weight and were not gaining properly. I was stressed, sad, and felt like I was failing at being a parent. Pumping allowed me to feed my children and know how much they were getting. It also helped others feed them so I could get breaks when I needed them! I was entirely disenchanted with the breastfeeding process, but wanted my children to have the nutritional benefits of breastmilk.

Good luck and reach out if you have any questions! #pumping #pumpingmom #pumpingbreastmilk #workingmomsrule #exclusivepumping #twinmom #ivftwins

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