On the evening of August 20th, 2020, we welcomed our divine twins to the world. Born just one minute apart, Liam came first, weighing an impressive 7 pounds 1 ounce, and Mila a healthy 6 pounds 4 ounces. The hospital staff was incredible at supporting us through all our uncertainties, and especially through my C-section recovery. Of all things, though, feeding and settling two newborn babies on somewhat of the same schedule has been the most challenging.
It was my hope to get breastfeeding established early, and despite the surgical trauma, I produced enough colostrum to do so. I was even luckier to tandem feed them a few times each day, thanks to the helpful tips from the nurses. Five days later, we returned home, and my days have been taken over by feeds for the precious little beans. I am now striving for a daily balance of self-care and time with my sweet older son, Hudson. The teamwork that I’ve established with dad has given me the confidence to keep going, and any additional support we can get has helped tremendously. It has been exhausting, but so very rewarding.
As a new twin mother with a four-year-old son, I knew that having feeding flexibility would be the key to my survival. The twins are primarily breastfed, but we also do bottle feedings, and it’s nice that dad can have a big role with the experience, too.
I soon became reliant on my new Medela Canada breast pump to keep up with the milk supply. Medela strives to empower busy, on-the-go moms with products that work as hard as they do. The reinvented Pump In Style was created to build and maintain more milk production (up to 11.8%) in less time with new MaxFlow vacuum technology. It’s a modern, compact and portable design that features personal fit breast shields for maximum pumping comfort. There are fewer parts, so it is very easy to clean, too!
My experience so far using this pump has been very positive. When the twins started up their cluster feeding a few weeks ago, the evenings got much harder on us. I attempted to breastfeed through the passing hours, but as the flow slowed down, we were all getting increasingly frustrated. Once I started pumping a few ounces, instead, we were able to work through these trickier hours in the night.
I love how quickly I can make bottles when needed with this model and have definitely noticed an increase in supply over the last few weeks. I am finding now that I can take that break when I need it- be it windows for self-care or quality time with my older son. It’s so important to not lose sight of the necessary balance in these early days, and take advantage of support wherever you can get it. Medela Canada has been a huge contributor to this for us, and I am so grateful to share my experience with other moms who may need it.
I’m also excited to extend a special offer from Medela Canada if you’re interested in using this new pump. With every purchase of the New Pump In Style® with MaxFlow™ Technology, receive a FREE Maternity & Nursing Pillow (valued at $89) – Just use promo code MOMMAPILLOW (free item must be in cart before entering promo code at checkout). The promo code will be exclusive to Medela.ca, but the pump is available for purchase at Babies R Us and Amazon as well.
Thanks for following along, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments!
Love, Momma Mills xx
Photography by: Tails & Wings
