Nina Dufrenne heard a lot of opinions about her decision to try breastfeeding her triplets. People told her she'd never sleep again. That her babies, who were born at 29 weeks, would not latch. That parents of triplets typically aren't able to breastfeed successfully.
Breastfeeding a baby is hard. And breastfeeding three preemies? That's incredibly hard, time-consuming, and physically demanding. But Dufrenne was determined to do it.
And for the past six months, she's triumphed, despite all the odds.
The mom shared a TikTok video to celebrate six months of nursing—and it's an incredible look at what nursing multiple infants is really all about. The video is full of shots of Dufrenne pumping, storing milk, delivering it to her babies (who spent 55 days in the NICU and were on feeding tubes for eight weeks), and directly nursing the triplets. As the images flash, comments from others who discouraged her from nursing appear onscreen as well.
The comments include things like "your hands are going to be way too full to pump," "we don't really see triplet moms successfully breastfeed, but you can try," and "can they really learn to latch after being on a feeding tube for so long?"
Of course, breastfeeding doesn't work in every situation, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that (fed is best, after all!). But Dufrenne's account of nursing three babies at once is such a testament to how incredible mothers are—and it gives us a glimpse at just what it takes to care for multiples.
"There's no right or wrong way to feed a baby. I shared my journey to inspire moms to believe in themselves," Dufrenne tells Parents.com. "We are capable of so much more than the world gives us credit for. I wanted to breastfeed because I love breastfeeding, and felt passionate about experiencing that magic with each of my babies. It was definitely a lot of work, but it also brought me a ton of joy."
Dufrenne says she typically nursed two babies per feed, then pumped for the third. And through her experience, she has a strong message for parents everywhere.
"Nursing isn't an all or nothing ordeal. I hate the word 'exclusive,'" Dufrenne says. "My babies have taken milk through feeding tubes, breasts, and bottles. I would have given it to them through syringes if that's what helped them thrive. No matter how you feed your baby, if you're doing your best, and your baby is loved and happy, you're an amazing mother. We deserve to hear that more often."