Quite a bit has happened in the last week or so! First of all, the babies are growing! Mollie weighed 6lbs 7oz and Charlie weighed 8lbs 4oz yesterday at exactly 6 weeks old. Next, Charlie is smiling at us! He smiled the first time (while awake) on Sunday (9/4), and then again last night. He also saw his twin sister and gave her a big smile as well. :) The little things like smiling for the first time are just so sweet and make being a mom so worth all the stress!
As I've posted before, I'm feeding the babies by pumping breastmilk and giving them bottles. I'm on the verge of weaning the babies off breastmilk and introducing more formula. I've really struggled with nipple/breast pain from pumping since the beginning (definitely not as comfortable as nursing), and even with my new "Pumpin' Pals," I think I just need to quit. I have such a difficult time finding free time to actually do the pumping when I need to. I'm only doing it 4 times a day now (7, 12, 5, and 10), but finding time to be completely "free" for 30 minutes with twins and a four year old is stressful. Someone inevitably cries, or I feel rushed, and it has just become too much for me. I hate having to stop snuggling with a sweet, sleeping baby to pump. I wish I could just nurse them; but with two, it is just so difficult (not to mention they still aren't nursing effectively). I am not coordinated enough to tandem nurse, so that brings up the issue of having to make sure one is happy while nursing the other - then switching! Whew. So, I'm going to try to pump 3 times for the next few days instead of 4, then 2 times for a few days, then one, then none. It is truly a bittersweet decision, and I'm still struggling with it, but I think it may be the right one. Everyone (family, friends, and their pediatrician) has said how awesome it is that I've given them breastmilk for 6 weeks now, but I still feel guilty for not continuing. I'm sure the feeling of guilt will pass when I can sleep past 7am or hold my babies instead of pumping or go out without making sure I have the pump and all its parts. Right now is hard, though.
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