It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Actually, it was just the worst. For baby number 6, I had to triple feed her.
This was something that took me completely by surprise. It was the source of many tear filled, stressful days.
Even with my 9–5 office job, I never had to pump or provide bottles for my kids. I was always able to breastfeed them without any problems (the daycare was at my job).
When I gave birth to baby number 6, I was pretty confident that I got this. I mean it was baby number 6, I think the confidence was well-earned.
Everyone doesn’t share the same story. I had 5 kids before I found myself here, but I wanted to share it for those who may find themselves in the same place. It is frustrating, discouraging, and frustrating (did I mention that it was frustrating?). I searched online for answers, scoured Pinterest for anyone who was in my shoes, and I couldn’t find much. I’ve never even heard of triple feed until now.
I was reading articles with titles like, When Your Boobs are Bigger than Your Baby’s Head, or Nipple Confusion: How to Fix it the Easy Way. And, oh so many more. They didn’t help. This only added to my feelings of stress and frustration.
Before we get too deep here. I am going to tell you the conclusion because it does have a happy ending. She did get to the point of nursing full-time. Triple feeding did not last forever! But it did take her 3 months. I will explain why it took this long, keep reading. There weren’t any quick fixes or quick solutions…despite what all the Pinterest articles said. But eventually we got there. Now I want to start weaning her, and she is not a fan of the bottle or sippy cup…such is life.
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Everything that Caused us to Triple Feed
When she was born she latched on immediately and started nursing. She had her first poop before we left the birthing center. She was on track for successful eating. And, then, it happened she wasn’t gaining weight. She was still nursing, but she wasn’t gaining. I would sleep in the rocking chair with her and keep her latched on all night. Her latch was fine.
After a few days of stressing myself out because being postpartum isn’t stressful enough. We decided to see a lactation consultant. I never used a lactation consultant with any of my previous babies. And what we found out added even more stress, but at least we knew what we needed to do.
We found out that she had a lip tie and a tongue tie. Yep, she was latching on fine, but her tongue wasn’t working properly to extract the milk from the breast. She needed a laser surgery that would melt the extra tissue and allow her mouth to form properly. Because her tongue was restricted throughout the pregnancy, it didn’t sit on the roof of her mouth when she was in the uterus. So her upper palate was more concaved (also called a bubble palate), and this also affected her ability to breastfeed.
I read reviews before we did the laser procedure. They were all raving about how their babies latched on immediately after having the surgery. Everything was back to normal within a week. I was excited to find a solution that would get us back on track quickly. Only to be disappointed because it took her 3 months to get there. It was 3 very long, long months.
Triple Feed Schedule
If you are new to triple feed, it is basically this. In one feeding you are breastfeeding, pumping, and giving baby a bottle. And this does take a lot of your day. Here is the schedule that we finally worked out.
For the first few weeks, I fed her every 3 hours for 24 hours. She needed to regain the weight that she lost, so we focused on that. I would nurse her, give her the bottle, and pump while she drank the bottle. This whole process was 45 minutes to 1 hour long, every 3 hours.
Some days I would see improvement, and then other days it seemed like we were going backwards. If you are feeling that, just continue to be consistent. You got this.
After she regained her weight, I adjusted the night schedule so I could get more sleep. The last pump was at midnight. I was always a bottle a head. The bottle she drank at the current feeding came from the previous pump. I also produced double to triple the amount of milk she drank, so I had a lot of extra. Then I would pump again at 4-5am.
Here’s a sample schedule (this is just an approximate schedule).
5am: Pump, bottle feed
8am: Breastfeed, pump, bottle feed
11am: Breastfeed, pump, bottle feed
2pm: Breastfeed, pump, bottle feed
5pm: Breastfeed, pump, bottle feed
8pm: Breastfeed, pump, bottle feed
11pm/12am: Pump
Always breastfeed first. This way baby is nursing when she is most hungry.
How to Triple Feed
Here are some tips from the lactation consultant, and my own experience that helped get us on track.
1. Paced bottle feeding
This is simply a method of bottle feeding a baby that mimics breastfeeding. Instead of pouring the bottle into the baby’s mouth, the baby will eat at a pace that is similar to breastfeeding. It also helps to keep baby from preferring the bottle to the breast. If your goal is to get baby breastfeeding full-time, then this is a tool to use. Here is a more thorough explanation on paced bottle feeding. And there is a video too.
2. Pump and feed at the same time
This is where your imagination needs to kick in. When the whole process takes 45 minutes to 1 hour (8 hours out of your day) it helps to do two things at once. I had a pumping bra, so I could pump hands free.
She would get propped up on the Boppy, usually with a blanket under the Boppy to make her higher. I would sit on the bed feeding her with the bottle while I pumped. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. I would pump for about 15 minutes.
3. Get comfortable
Get as comfortable as you can. Usually to feed and pump, I would sit on the bed with a lot of pillows behind me. When I nursed her, I would sit in the rocking chair with a pillow behind my back. Since this process was time consuming and stressful, I wanted to be as comfortable as possible.
4. Skin-to-Skin
This was probably the best piece of advice I read online. Especially at the beginning of this process. I would sit with her skin-to-skin in the rocking chair before feeding her. This helped to keep her calm. She would get frustrated with the process too, and we needed to work together on it. For some feedings she didn’t want to nurse, so this would help to coax her on as well. I would also sit skin-to-skin while she sucked on her pacifier, and then switch out the binky for the breast. We had a lot of bonding time together.
5. Night feedings
I did not try to nurse her at night, because we both needed to rest and a break. The night feeding was the last bottle feeding to be eliminated. Eventually, we did eliminate it and she went full-time breastfeeding at night.
I would pump around midnight, and then sleep until about 4am or 5am. When she woke up during the night, I just gave her the bottle.
6. Tracking
I used an app to track how long she breastfed (this is the app). I used the free version. It helped to see how long she would nurse for and to measure her progress. I also tracked how many ounces she drank from the bottle at each feeding.
When she started to significantly decrease the amount she was drinking from the bottle, I started to celebrate. Since the progress was made incrementally, I needed this record so I could look back over a week or two and measure her progress accurately.
7. Don’t get frustrated when you triple feed
Telling you not to get frustrated is like saying don’t go to sleep when you are exhausted. It is a frustrating process. You have good days and bad days. Your job is to be consistent. At least that is what my husband told me…every day. Progress is slow, but we made progress, and she got to the point of nursing full-time, which was the goal I was aiming for.
Life-Savers When You Triple Feed
1. A good pump
Spend the money on an electric pump because it is worth it. A hand pump and your hand won’t be able to handle the demand you need to produce. I had a Medela pump and it was great.
2. Boppy/nursing pillow
A nursing pillow was necessary so I could bottle feed and pump at the same time. I couldn’t do both without it.
3. A pumping bra
This was just so sexy. I almost cried every time I saw myself in the mirror. Those ads with the mom walking around the house pumping while holding her toddler’s hand…yeah, those are beyond ridiculous. But it was helpful to be able to have my hands free while I pumped. It is actually very hard to hold the bottles and pump.
4. Slow flow nipples for the bottles
You want bottles that have slow flow nipples, so that you can pace feed your baby.
5. Kindle/tablet
Watch, listen to books, listen to podcasts. You will be spending a lot of time in one place. Keep yourself entertained.
If you are reading this and you find yourself in this place, I totally understand. I hope this encourages you not give up. No matter how slow the process is, keep going. You can do it.
FAQ for Triple Feed
Q: What is triple feeding?
A: Triple feeding involves breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle feeding your baby during each feeding session. This method is often used to ensure the baby is getting enough nutrition while working to improve breastfeeding effectiveness.
Q: How long did you have to triple feed?
A: It took three months of triple feeding before my baby was able to nurse full-time. The process was gradual, and I saw incremental progress over time.
Q: What is a typical triple feed schedule?
A: For the first few weeks, I fed her every three hours for 24 hours. Each feeding session, which included breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and pumping, lasted 45 minutes to an hour. As she regained weight, I adjusted the schedule, particularly at night, to get more sleep.
Q: How do you pace bottle feed?
A: Paced bottle feeding mimics breastfeeding by letting the baby control the flow of milk, helping prevent preference for the bottle over the breast. It involves holding the bottle horizontally and allowing the baby to suck at their own pace.
Q: Did the tongue tie surgery help immediately?
A: While reviews suggested immediate improvement after tongue tie surgery, it took my baby three months to nurse effectively. Progress varies for each baby.
Q: Is it possible to eliminate night feedings while triple feeding?
A: Yes, eventually, you can eliminate night feedings. I continued to pump around midnight and then sleep until about 4-5 am. Over time, we transitioned to full-time breastfeeding at night.
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