2007GuideToTheFirstYear

Weaning babies from the breast or bottle requires planning
and patience. It has to be gradual. Once you determine
when to start weaning, think about how to do it.
Your babies can go straight from the breast to a bottle, then move on
to a cup. Or they might move right from the breast to a cup with ease.
Bottle-fed babies, of course, go straight to a cup.
When weaning babies from the breast, twinfants may wean individually
or at the same time. “There is no natural rule specifying that
complete weaning must occur by a designated age,” explains Karen
Kerkhoff Gromada, author of Mothering Multiples (La Leche League
International). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
“that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and thereafter for
as long as mutually desired.”
You can approach weaning your breastfed twinfants in several
ways. “Baby-led weaning” occurs when you're breastfeeding based
on your babies’ individual cues. This works best with twinfants with
Freeze
the
season
Blend or process fresh-cooked veggies. Never add salt or
sugar. Freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays or small muffin
tins. When frozen, remove the individual portions
and store in small glass dishes, covered.
different temperaments
and needs. “The mother
doesn’t offer breastfeeding
as a distraction
or a way to quiet the
baby or toddler, but
she doesn’t refuse the
child when he indicates
the need to breastfeed,”
Gromada emphasizes.
“Mother-guided
Weaning
babies-led weaning”
takes place when you
Awareness
“begin to set flexible
limits on certain aspects of breastfeeding,” Gromada continues. This
can include breastfeeding one at a time, or only at home, or only in a
quiet room or feeding only in a certain position, such as lying down.
“Partial weaning” may be initiated by a mother who wants “to
decrease the number of feedings while meeting the needs of her babies
or toddlers to some extent,” Gromada says. Some approaches that
are part of “mother-guided, babies-led weaning” can be used in tandem
with limiting the duration of feedings by slowly counting to 20.
You can limit the number of feedings to the 1-2 per day that appear to
be most important to your children.
Weaning breastfed or bottle-fed multiples is different from weaning
singletons. It often requires much more reassurance and support
from mom to each infant.
Twins? No Way!
“If anyone had ever asked
me if I thought
I would have twins, I would
have replied,
‘No way!’ …The day before my ultrasound,
my mother-in-law…said, ‘I really think you
need to have four children
because we love
the other ones so much,
and you two make
great parents. I don’t think
you should stop at
three, so I’m going to put a hex on you so you
have twins.’ …The thought of twins
never
even crossed my mind. … My twin boys are
beautiful, wonderful children. I can’t imagine
my life without them. My sister has the most
adorable identical twin girls. How wonderful
it was to share our twin pregnancies!”
—Excerpt from Barbara Mettler’s story in
“Family Ties” chapter
How Lucky I Am…
“When my twin boys were born, I was
amazed at how much easier it was to care
for two newborns than I had expected. They
were five weeks premature, and so they slept a
lot. …Fast forward four months. … My sons
started to cut teeth, and suddenly I was holding
two screaming babies all day and waking
up seven times a night to put someone else
back to sleep. I started
to lose my san-
•
ity… at some point
in the middle of a
particularly stressful
night, I realized
•
that all this must be
easier than when the
twins start walking
•
and can run away
from me in opposite
•
directions. I sobbed
and sobbed. Suddenly I remember the last
time I had sobbed through the night … I had
been trying to have another baby for the better
part of a year. … I felt like the only woman
in the world whose body had betrayed
her. …Finally when we got pregnant, it was a
blessing…when we discovered we were having
twins. … I vowed I’d never forget how
lucky I am to be the mother of twins.”
—Excerpt from Katie Tatton’s story in “Treasured
Moments” chapter
The Long Road Home
“Parents of twins know it’s often a long road
we travel until our babies come home. Pregnancy
complications, premature birth and
other difficulties are common. …When we
heard the words ‘Baby A is exhibiting severe
growth retardation’ the walls of the room
began swallowing me up. …Maybe they’d
survive, but there were risks of cerebral palsy,
mental retardation, a lengthy laundry list of
undesirable conditions. …Our two newborn
children lived in the hospital for twenty-eight
days. …I don’t remember much of that first
year. Between pumping and feeding through
the night, sleep deprivation turned my mind
into a prism. …My confidence increased as
it became more obvious the boys were developing
normally. Now that they are almost 2,
we have entered a more joyfully exhausting,
albeit challenging season of wonder.”
—Excerpt from Jennifer Lambie’s story in the
“Trials and Triumphs” chapter
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