I first met Kelly when she was in the second trimester of her pregnancy. She was determined to breastfeed her triplet boys. She wanted to meet early to learn as much as she could about breastfeeding triplets. From the beginning she has been extremely successful in providing breastmilk for her boys. Hear what Kelly has to say:
"My boys were born 5.5 weeks premature and I knew they would need everything I could give them to grow strong. Before they were born, I knew I wanted to breastfeed but wasn't sure how it would work with three. I told myself I would do the best I could.
Once they were born, and I felt for the first time what it was to be a mother, I suddenly wanted to do ALL breastfeeding once they came home. It quickly became clear that was not realistic - between a low milk supply, trying to satisfy three hungry babies, and limited time for pumping, I had to do a mixture of breast milk and formula.
My supply has never been what I'd like and there have been many times I have wanted to stop. But each time I think about stopping, I remember why I am doing this: the health of my boys. My goal has been a moving target. I now know that I may never reach the amount I was hoping to provide, but I also know that every bit I give them helps them nutritionally and helps them to fight off illness.
My boys are my motivation - I look at their sweet little faces and think, okay, I can keep doing this for them. I keep thinking if I can make it through the winter, I will help them through their first cold and flu season. We'll see what happens when spring hits!"
Truly a mother that understands the value of every ounce of breastmilk. Thanks Kelly for taking the time out of a very busy schedule to share your story.
Do you have twins or triplets? Have you struggled with making a full production of milk? What was your motivation to keep going? What solutions worked for you?
Debbie
"Viva la Baby!"