Breastfeeding octuplets?

[MsMummy]

There was a story on one of the breakfast programs this morning about a woman in California who had octuplets.

They said she was planning to breastfeed them.

I know people breastfeed twins, or tandem feed, but it made me think how many babies/children can you breastfeed?

I struggle with one so I'm amazed to hear about attempting to feed 8.

Does the body just keep producing milk? I imagine the babies would get pretty impatient while their siblings feed...

I'm really curious how many babies other people have fed now.

...?

[SuperGranny]

hi, i wonder about this too, I fed twins, but eight, my goodness. She will have to have plenty of help close by, I could see that it could be possible, but she would be feeling like one of those sushi train conveyor belt thing. Im sure she will have to formula feed also, it would be very physically draining to be just breastfeeding. Good luck to her, what a champion , Marie.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

I don't think you could no. the body would keep producing milk endlessly - but it would be really hard to eat enough to get enough energy to make it all. And I just don't think logistically you could get 8 babies fed before the first one was hungry again.

I did hear of a woman with 4 babies (quads?) doing is making sure each baby had at least one breastfeed a day, so that might be more of an option.

[workin'mumof2]

yes it is very possible// there was a story a while ago i think on operah where a woman had 6babies and exclusively espressed and fed all 6 ebm for 6 whole months.

i would imagine she would need alot of help though. and alot and alot of water

[LilMissnBoo]

If it is Sunrise you are referring to, then I think Kochie was joking, as in his next breath he then said she was planning on using cloth nappies, and then everyone laughed.

Not sure if it could be done, you would be just exhausted!

[Nex]

A chinese policewoman was reported as having fed 9 motherless babies pulled from a hospital nursery in the earthquake.

That's dedication to feed 9 not even your own!

[squiglet]

There was a woman on Opra that bf her 6 (I think it was 6 children) for 6 months. She pummped and pumpped I'm not too sure she actually put baby to breast???

[Mrs Nietzsche]

That was only for a few days and each baby only had 1-2 feeds before with her before going on to further help.

But yeah... thank god she was there, some of them had mother's who had been walking through the mountains for days and were severely dehydrated and lost their milk.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

hm - maybe it would be possible if you pumped (so long as your boobs worked well with the pump etc). i had attachment issues with my first and pumped... and it just caused me to have sooo much milk, I had to tip so much down the sink.. i guess if you responded well to a pump, and pumping worked really quickly for you, and you had other people around who could actually feed the babiest he EBM in a bottle, it could work?

Hopefully they can all at least get something though.

But are they very premature? i haven't seen the story so I'm just assuming that octuplets would come out early.

[Sheer Bliss]

There was a woman on Opra that bf her 6 (I think it was 6 children) for 6 months. She pummped and pumpped I'm not too sure she actually put baby to breast???

I remember the mum on Oprah too - she would give them 'turns' at being at the breast, other than that she was a pumping machine! Some woman can produce loads of milk.....a friend can pump 500mL in one sitting! So if they went with supply and demand, and just pumped like crazy in those first few months to etablish one hell of a supply, then it probably is possible. I think if hse tried to exclusively feed each one at the boob with no pumping she would sit there all day and do nothing but feed, but with expressing, i think it's do-able. to her!