“The only thing I could do for them was provide milk.”
A mother in the US has shown just how much milk it takes to feed triplets, admitting she is “pumping around the clock.”
Nina Dufrenne, from Missouri, says feels “emotionally attached” to breastfeeding as a result of not being able to hold her babies when they were initially born at 29 weeks gestation back in January.
When triplets Aubree, Emma and Louis were put in NICU incubators, the 27-year-old mother felt there was little she could do for her newborns.
“I couldn’t touch them,” she told TODAY Parents. “The only thing I could do for them was provide milk. So I think I kind of emotionally attached to it.”
She said that she wasn’t put off by those doubting that the triplets would take to being breastfed.
“People said stuff like, ‘They probably won’t latch because they’re on feeding tubes.’ But I was determined to try.”
Doubters from both hospital staff and online strangers were a regular occurrence, with the mum hearing comments like: “We don’t really see triplet moms successfully breast feed, but you can try,” “Your hands are going to be way too full to pump,” “You’re never going to sleep again,” and “They’re going to want you all the time.”
On top of the difficulty of feeding three babies, Nina had the added difficulty of suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can affect the sufferer’s hormones, menstrual cycles and weight. It can also affect milk supply.
Still, she was sure breastfeeding her triplets was what she wanted to do, and last month the babies celebrated their 6-month “nurserversary.”
Nina has now shared a series of photos and clips documenting their successful breastfeeding journey in a TikTok video that has since amassed over one million views.
“When I was pregnant, I had a hard time finding sources to teach me how to breastfeed triplets,” she explained. I wanted to show other moms that it’s possible and it can be beautiful.”
@elle.plus.fourrFeeding isn’t a one lane road. The message is never doubt a determined mother. Just let us feed our babies. ##breastfeeding ##fedisbest ##triplets ##fypシ
