Medela SNS questions

[Jen in South Florida]

Has anyone ever used the Medela SNS to feed two babies
simulatiously? I've tried to use it twice now, with the largest
tubes attached, but it seems like nothing flows out of it.

Does this mean the babies just aren't sucking hard enough, or is
there some adjustment that I'm missing. I thought that it worked
with gravity flow but that just doesn't seem to be happening.

In the hospital, we successfully used syringes and tubes to help
the babies eat while still giving me some stimulation to help my
milk come in, but the syringes are worn out now, and they require
two people to use them anyway.

Can anyone give me some tips for using this contraption? I need
help!

Jen
twin boys born 11/26/03

[Buzzy Bee]

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 16:00:10 GMT, Jen in South Florida
> wrote:
but then again I might just have mucked up the snipping as usual!
>Has anyone ever used the Medela SNS to feed two babies
>simulatiously?

Jen, I know iuil has some experience with an SNS, though only with a
singleton of course, but she has cxn probs right now. Do you want me
to get in touch with her. I'm sure she'd be OK with you calling if
you have questions.

Megan
--
Seoras David Montgomery, 7 May 2003, 17 hours: sunrise to sunset (homebirth)

To e-mail use: megan at farr-montgomery dot com

[DeliciousTruffles]

Jen in South Florida wrote:

> twin boys born 11/26/03

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?! No announcement?

You can't do that to us in MKP! LOL! :-D

Congratulations, Jen! :-)

--
Brigitte aa #2145
edd #3 February 15, 2004
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/j/joshuaandkaterina/

"Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare."
~ Harriet Martineau

[A.L. Bell]

Jen in South Florida > wrote in message et>...
> Has anyone ever used the Medela SNS to feed two babies
> simulatiously? I've tried to use it twice now, with the largest
> tubes attached, but it seems like nothing flows out of it.
>
> Does this mean the babies just aren't sucking hard enough, or is
> there some adjustment that I'm missing. I thought that it worked
> with gravity flow but that just doesn't seem to be happening.

a) Air has to enter through one of the tubes so that milk can come out
the second tube. If babies are sucking on both tubes, each one is
using his/her full sucking power to keep milk from getting into the
mouth of the other baby. So, if you want to nurse twins with the
Medela SNS, I think that you either need to get two SNSes or ask
Medela if there's some special way to adjust an SNS to feed two twins
at once.

b) Seriously: I tried to nurse one 9-week-old baby with an SNS and
hated it. If you are trying to nurse twins with an SNS, I think that
you need ongoing support from a lactation consultant who has lots of
experience with an SNS. Not just any old LC.

[Jen in South Florida]

DeliciousTruffles wrote:

> Jen in South Florida wrote:
>
>> twin boys born 11/26/03
>
>
> WHAT!?!?!?!?!?! No announcement?
>
> You can't do that to us in MKP! LOL! :-D
>
> Congratulations, Jen! :-)
>

Sorry! The short version is, the babies are here and are fine.
They were born via emergency C section on November 26 around 5 PM.

Mommy has been very very sick -
pre-eclamspia/eclampsia/PIH/HELLP/weird unknown clotting disorder
- what ever you want to call it, 4 doctors couldn't agree for
sure. I was in the hospital for 9 days, 4 in the ICU. The
babies were actually discharged before me and allowed to stay as
visitors in my room. I'm home but still very weak and not able
to do much. DH has been the most wonderful man on the planet.
He has stepped right up to provide all baby care and lots of TLC
for me too.

Nursing wise, absolutely nothing is happening at all. I'm 12
days post partum and no milk has come in at all. I have to take
Lasix (diuretics) for 12 more days and have been told that maybe
something will happen after I stop taking them. I have a
hospital grade pump and two babies who are still willing to
latch, one better than the other. So, we're trying the SNS as
much as possible, but they are getting bottles at night. Right
now we're using the Medela bottles and nipples (the ones that
come with the pump collection kit) too, but I'm open to
suggestion for something that would be better anyone has opinions.

Jen
twin boys born 11/26/03

[Jen in South Florida]

A.L. Bell wrote:
> Jen in South Florida > wrote in message et>...
>
>
> a) Air has to enter through one of the tubes so that milk can come out
> the second tube. If babies are sucking on both tubes, each one is
> using his/her full sucking power to keep milk from getting into the
> mouth of the other baby. So, if you want to nurse twins with the
> Medela SNS, I think that you either need to get two SNSes or ask
> Medela if there's some special way to adjust an SNS to feed two twins
> at once.

We played with it some and it turns out that just squeezing the
bottle some after they've sucked for a while seems to "prime the
pump". It was much easier yesterday.

>
> b) Seriously: I tried to nurse one 9-week-old baby with an SNS and
> hated it. If you are trying to nurse twins with an SNS, I think that
> you need ongoing support from a lactation consultant who has lots of
> experience with an SNS. Not just any old LC.

I hate it too, but see my above post as to why I'm bothering.
It's all I can do right now.

Jen
twin boys born 11/26/03

[Barbara Warner]

Molly Fisher wrote:
> (((Jen))) You are really going through a lot right now. I applaud you
> for your effort to breastfeed your twins considering everything that's
> going on in your body. Your babies are very lucky to have such a
> wonderful mom.

Hear, hear! WEll said, Molly.

> The SNS is a great way to feed your twins until you can breastfeed
> without it. You need the stimulation to bring in your milk. Keep
> bothering.
>
> I have a condition called Insufficient Glandular Tissue. I was never
> able to exclusively breastfeed. I used an SNS with my daughter for about
> a month, but switched to a device called a Lact-Aid:
> http://www.lact-aid.com/ . I continued with this until DD was 7.5 months
> old. I used the lact-aid with *every* feed until DD was getting enough
> additional calories from eating solids that I could ditch the formula.
> If I can be of any help, please feel free to email me privately or ask
> here. I'll be thinking of you and looking for your posts.

Just jumping in to second the recommendation of a LactAid. I have no
personeral experience but have read and heard good things.

My number one personal recommendation is to get a prescription for
Domperidone ASAP. 20 mgs x 4 times a day is the standard dose to build
up supply...I don't know if it would be contraindicated with your other
meds right now, but it's actually a drug used for GI problems which has
the side effect of increasing lactation/milk production.
Most if not all of the twin mothers I know have tried domperidone, with
good success.
Email me if you want details or whatever.
Lots of love to all four of you :-)
-Barbara