Many moms love snuggling up with their babies, whether it’s to nurse them or give them a bottle. Gazing into their little faces as they sweetly suckle is such a peaceful bonding time.
Moms of multiples, however, have to adjust their strategy. Extra hands from family and friends when the babies come home from the hospital are exceptionally helpful, allowing the babies to nosh at the same time in the comforting arms of others.
Some parents opt to utilize bottle props or try hands-free bottles. But oftentimes multiples arrive early and have feeding issues like reflux and slow feeding, which require a different approach.
Mom Marcella knew that she wanted to bond with her triplets at feeding time, especially after her babies James, Caleb and Danae spent their first two months of life in the NICU.
She couldn’t hold her babies until they were seven days old and could only engage in kangaroo care for 60 minutes at a time.
“When they did come home, snuggling with a baby was a luxury. There was always someone who needed something, bottles and formula to make or sleep to try sneaking in. We struggled with whether we were really forming that crucial parent-baby bond and our approach made us feel like we were, if only for 20 to 30 minutes every few hours.”
Marcella and her husband Chris’ approach was to feed one baby at a time, taking upwards of 1.5 hours or so per baby to accommodate for their reflux. But when their beautiful parental leave was over, Marcella found herself alone with the triplets while Chris went back to work, os they switched to feeding two babies at a time. They found a system that worked and reduced feeding time to approximately 45 minutes.
Finally, the babies were old enough to hold their own bottles. Marcella was elated!
“Danae was the first to do it, and I cried big fat tears of elation the first time she held her bottle for an entire feed. The boys followed suit not long after. This milestone brought feeds down to 30 minutes—30 minutes! We could do more with the babies, accomplish more around the house, and adult for longer. We were like Julie Freaking Andrews frolicking through the mountains of Austria. And boy did it feel good!”
Vanessa, mom of triplets Brandon, Christian and Aiden, found a clever way to feed her triplets. Mom prepped their bottles and placed them at one end of the hallway. Then she carried her little darlings to the opposite end of the hallway and laid them down.
With their eyes set on the prize, Vanessa waved the white flag at the finish line at the boys took off army crawling like speedy little champs. They’re obviously hungry, because Brandon takes off like a flash — well, as fast as a baby can army crawl.
Following behind him is Christian, but sadly, he’s briefly distracted and waylaid by a paper price tag that he thrusts in his mouth. Aiden isn’t as competitive as his brothers, because he pauses a moment simply to stare at something plugged into the wall.
“Who wants the babas?”
Vanessa can’t stop cracking up as she records their race down the hallway to feeding time. Vanessa cheers them on with a screechy voice and she’s just as funny to listen to with her pep talk as the boys are to watch.
Brandon was the first to reach his bottle and plunks his fingers in his mouth when he was victorious. Christian arrives next followed by Aiden.
Watch these adorable triplets find a fun way to enjoy mealtime in the video below. They’re so cute!
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