Breastfeeding 1-2-3

An Inspiration to Breastfeeding Mothers of Multiples

by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor on April 10th, 2007

I happened to catch the Oprah show today about siblings. The first guests were the Harris sextuplets, the only set of African-American sextuplets to survive. Their mother Diamond Harris explained how she and her husband used intrauterine insemination to conceive. At first they were told they were having twins, then a subsequent ultrasound showed five heartbeats, and during the birth they got an additional surprise–a sixth baby had been hiding behind the placenta!

Oprah applauded Diamond for breastfeeding the sextuplets. The interview wasn’t entirely positive but it was amazing to hear Diamond say that she breastfed the six babies until they were six months old. She said that when she was pumping exclusively she pumped between 50-60 bottles per day! That accomplishment is even more amazing when you consider the fact that the babies were born at 26.5 weeks gestation and weighed between 12 ounces and 1.4 pounds. They were so tiny they could fit in the palm of their father’s hand, and his wedding ring could be pushed up over each of the babies’ thighs! Luckily the babies were born perfectly healthy and they are now thriving four-year-olds!  

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