Tandem Nursing - Notes from the Field

The Good: Still nursing JJ seems to be helping JJ adjust to having a little sister, in that he feels like he still gets his "mommy time". It also makes ensuring I get alone time with him easier on me because it's sort of built in. When they nurse together,it gives him a chance to "play" with his little sister (hold her hand or rub her head gently) in a closely supervised environment.

For Zoe, it has meant an easier time nursing since my milk was already "in" with less frustration. She's gained weight well and didn't have any jaundice issues. And finally, I'm down to 3lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight, just 3 weeks after birth (I gained 25lbs total during the pregnancy) and my bleeding has almost stopped. The Not-So-Good - Think of all the time you spend feeding a newborn. Then add half again as much time during the week and twice as much on the weekends because now you're feeding 2, one of whom doesn't really need it physically, but definitely needs it emotionally. I often feel like a walking cafe and that can get downright frustrating, especially when you're tired. Occasionally, I just want to scream "What?! Am I just a pair of boobs to you people!?!" And of course I know that's not the case and after a nap and a chocolate bar I've got my perspective back, but I'd be lying if I denied that I had those moments several times a week. Night times can be especially hard when Zoe wakes JJ up and he decides he wants "MILK!" too. It's hard enough to get a squirmy newborn latched on properly without having to juggle an impatient nearly 2 year old while operating on an hour of sleep. Also, it's nearly impossible to eat enough. I'm not surprised I've lost weight so quickly - it's hard to find time to eat (since I'm feeding someone else most of the time) and then it's just hard to eat enough to keep up with the calorie demands from nursing 2 kids. I'm hungry a lot. This is getting slightly better since JJ is back in daycare, but still a challenge. Would I do it again? Yes. In spite of the obvious challenges, I think the positives outweigh them for us. JJ clearly needs the emotional support and connection he gets from nursing and I really value the extra time I get to spend with him. It also made nursing Zoe SO much easier for me - I really struggled with JJ and had to supplement for a year because my supply was never enough. It's been good not to have that frustration this time.