Advice on Breastfeeding Twins

My friend used to put one on each boob.

But I believe that you might have to pump or supplement,

this is more due to the fact that your gonna be very tired, and need a break, your gonna be feeding twice as often and your breasts will be sore. Hopefully you produce enough milk.

Just have a plan set JUST IN CASE your plan needs to change, Don't feel guilty if it doesn't turn out the way you hoped, Your trying it out and I am certain it will work out for atleast the first 3 months, after that who knows, My boys always started eating around that time.

Remember that your feeding 2 babies, so perhaps you can ask for a family member or friend to come by and help you fold clothes,wash dishes, or make meals, If you don't have family, you could ask a local church group for help,

GOOOOD LUCK !!!! And congrats!

M

Hi K.
Congrats on the twins and best wishes. My twins are now almost 19, and a delight. Perfect, no; but a delight just the same.
My suggestion is to not compare. Don't compare the pregnancies, births, or anything else. Can it be done? Yes, is everyone who wants to breastfeed able to? No. Stuff happens. Mine were early, C-section and I was exhausted. I was on lots of meds to hold the pregnancy.
Praise God for there is a time to be born and it was June, not July, but not Feb either.
They weighed in at 5#11oz(premie with the pealing skin) and 6#8oz(no pealing skin, therefore not considered premie) Alive and well 3 weeks early. Compared to the prediction at 18 weeks, We were thrilled. So was my OB. With boys 14 & 19 years old at the time I was old, and I tired easily, but breastfeeding was not an option.
God bless you and your lovely family.
Again I say--- don't compare anything.
Check out Twins magazine as well.
K. SAHM married 38 years --- adult children -- 37, coach; 33, lawyer, married with 10 month old, and the twins are in college after homeschooling. Journalism and Fine Arts, commuting and on campus respectively.

Congrats on the twin arrivals. You totally can do it. 2 boobs, 2 babies! You already know how to latch properly and check for suck and swallow along with counting wet and dirty diapers. You body makes milk based on what is taken away so nurse, nurse, nurse. My friend swore by the twins nursing pillow that was previously mentioned. I assume your two older ones will be in school starting in September so hopefully that will give you some time to rest when the twins do.

I would definitely contact the La Leche in your area: http://www.lllusa.org/NYE/Saratoga/saratoga.HTM

Also if there is a moms of multiples group around that may help also.

Good luck!

My twins are my first children, so I don't have experieince BFing a singleton. I was able to meet their needs from the start with the exception of a formula bottle (for each of them) once a day. I pumped like crazy to increase my production and used a rented hospital grade breast pump as it seemed stronger than the store bought one that I had. I did have my hubby bottle feed them breast milk at times so I didn't have to tandem nurse them. I struggled with this . . . never got to the point where I was totally comfortable. Best of luck . . . twins are awesome :)

Congrats on expecting twins! I nursed my first child and am currenlty nursing my 7 month daughter. I've returned to work and double pump milk for her. You can do it! Of course you'll need support but you can do it. Remember breastmilk is the best thing for our children.

congrats! you can do it!! i nursed all 3 of mine to about a year an a half each, but no twins. but my girlfriend nursed her twins to about a year, and that was with a 3 year old running around. i remember her sitting on my couch with one baby on each boob, the most natural thing in the world, just like i (and you) did with ours. i wanted to put a cape with a big "S" on it around her neck! but she found her rhythm just like we did, and you will too. she used one of those big boppy type things, not a boppy, i dont know the name, its big and kind of square-ish, maybe the breast friend one? i can ask her if you like. she had help, and i second the other poster who said to get help wherever you can. she had "crazy time" from about 5 to 7 every day, and friends would come by whenever they could to grab a kid or 2, take the little one to the park or something... she nursed them at the same time until they got big enough to start messing with each other while she was trying to nurse. then she had to split it up. but she got into a system where she would nurse one while burping the other, etc. you can do it mama!

Hi K.,
I can only imagine what this is going to be like!! I wish you all the luck in the world. I have 4. Ages 18, 16, 8, and 2 1/2, and I have nursed them all (14 months, 10 months, 18 months, and 15 months consecutively.)
With my first, I didn't use a pacifier, and regretted it. She nursed constantly and vomited often!! With my second, I learned and she had a paci by 2 days old (she stayed in the hospital without me for jaundice). My third also took the paci, and nursed on a regular schedule. My last didn't want anything to do with the paci, and still nursed on a regular schedule. Amazing how that worked out!!
I would definitely expect your body to make much more milk than your used to! You should be able to do this with minimal complications. I can see that you want to do this, and that alone will make it easier!
I'm sure you already know about schedules, you will just have another mouth to include into your schedule. I can only suggest you alternate often with who eats first and feed them right after another, if not, you will be nursing someone every hour to 1 1/2 hours. and hope they dont get hungry at the same time. If they do, keep the other, if awake, close to you so you can talk and soothe him/her while feeding the other. or use a paci to hold off a feeding for a couple minutes. If you get too overwhelmed, do not feel badly for thinking about a formula/bottle suppliment. with 2, it may be needed once in a while.
If you do happen to need to use a paci or a bottle occassionally: Make sure you use a NUK nipple for both. They are the only nipples that are shaped more like the real thing and will eliminate confusion and latching problems.(sorry, not the only one, I do think I remember another brand, maybe Gerber who makes a similar nipple) NUK pacis are somewhat simple to find, and are age orientated. The bottle nipples are a little more harder to find, most hospitals dont carry them anymore and dont know what your talking about when you ask for them, I have tried with my last 2. I found the last ones I used at Weis Market and are also marked by age or maybe try websites. www.NUK.com, I just checked it out, should help you alot should you ever need the extra feeding/soothing help.
Gerber.com, in products, has a gerber nuk orthodontic pacifier listed.
Good Luck!!
You can do this, do not be discouraged!!!

Congratulations K.!

Our twins are 3 yrs now. I had 2 other children at home also, at the time 8 and 3.

I agree that you can not compare what you did with your other children. I had a c-section with the twins and was on medication and was in the hospital for 4 days. My milk didn't come in until the day I got home, with the other 2 who were delivered naturally, my milk came in on the second day.
I was fortunate to have someone helping me for the first 2 months of their lives, but even with the help my milk supply was not as 'flowing' as with my previous kids. I was older, very tired and a bit stressed (HA!) and I am sure it all contributed to my supply. When I did bf, I prefered tandem (at the same time) because it does feel like you are constantly feeding.
Just know that however lomg you can/choose to bf, you are doing your best, for yourself and the kids!

Wishing you an easy delivery, and reminding you to savor it!

You can! Especially if you are a stay-at-home mom! Starting at five months, I went back to work and had to pump and give 1-2 formula feedings on certain days when I was at work. My secret to exclusively nursing them in the early months is the EZ -2-Nurse Twins pillow which allows you to tandem nurse which was the way I did every feeding in the early months when they wanted to eat every two hours. Also I had extra help from my mom for the first seven weeks. It helps to have someone hand you the second baby to place on that pillow when they are little. If you keep eating/drinking and nurse as frequently as I did in the beginning you will have enough milk for both. I think it would be hard to nurse twins if you never nursed before, but like you I had successfully nursed an older sibling and wanted to give them that same experience. I am still nursing them about 3 times a day at 14 months.

Best wishes to you and your family!

I have 4 yr old twin girls. I breast fed for about 3 mths, but always supplemented with formula and pumped also. Even then, I sometimes felt like all I did was feed them. Also, they are my only children. I can't imagine having to deal with the needs of a 7 and 4 1/2 yr old as well. So can it be done? I think we can do what we set our minds to, but don't be too hard on yourself if you can't. I would recommend discussing this with your doctor. I rented a pump from the hospital - you buy the attachments. Good luck.

L.

I just spent a week with my sister-mom of 3 boys (including her 2 month old twins). I was curious how she'd do it too but she breastfeeds them exclusively. She feeds them right after each other because she thinks nursing at the same time is harder-at least until they can latch on with no help from her. It did seem like a juggling act but they all just had to get used the fact that one might be crying for a little while waiting for his turn (swings and pacifiers nearby at all times :) helped. She thinks over all it's easier then bottle feeding twins would be and same goes for that dreaded pumping. Good luck.

I do not have twins, but I am one. My mother breastfed my sister and I until we were over a year old. (she had a hard time weaning me, though;o) I did not want to take a cup. But I asked her while I was pregnant about breastfeeding just one, and how she could do 2 at the same time. (she did not breastfeed my older brother, just my sister and I)
She said it was all about routine. You feed both at the same time- one on each breast. Otherwise you will end feeding all day doing it one at a time. It will take some practice, and I am sure you will claim a whole couch or loveseat to do it. My mother did no amtter where she went. But it depends on determination.
Mom's determination, (in my belief- money was tight, breastfeeding was cheap).
I wish you the best of luck!

Hi K.,
Congratulations! Twins are so awesome. I breastfed my twins foa short time. It was difficult but the reason I stopped was for medical reasons. I needed to monitor what they were eating b/c of weight loss so I had to use a bottle. I decided to pump b/c I wanted them to have strictly breastmilk. I did this for 6 months. In the beginning b/f was difficult b/c of time. I had trouble nursing them at the same time so I had to nurse them one after the other. I felt like that was ALLL I did and I was burnt out. They are my only 2 and you have 2 already so it may be harder for you. I say definately try it. Do what works best for you and your family. Using the pump wasnt that bad though. It allowed others to help me and they still had the benefit of breastmilk. If you do go the route of bottles and a pump make sure you get an electric pump and try the Playtex drop ins. Cuts back big time on washing bottles since you just throw the insert out. I wish you lots and lots of luck. E-mail if you have any questions. I would be happy to help if I can.
Danielle

I nursed my twins for 12 and 15 months (one gave up and started sucking her thumb instead). I can not stess how important it was to have EZ 2 Nurse Twins pillow - a huge foam nursing pillow that is far superior to your boppy for twins. I also created nursing-diapering-bathing-sleeping charts for my girls so I could keep track of all the details. I will send you a copy of my charts as well as the detailed advice that I used to sell as a kit on eBay (with customized charts) if you just send me your email address. I can be reached at ____@____.com or through mamasource.

Nursing twins is not any more difficult than a singleton - as long as you have done it before! But I would suggest an Avent hand pump and few bottles for those time when you need an extra hand. Good luck and I have a lot more advice, but it's in a Word document that I can just send to you! :)

Hi K.

If you have your mind set on nursing the twins it is for sure possible.
My twins are now 17 month and still nursing. I did not find it any harder than feeding my older daughter (singleton).
As aprevious person said, get the EZ 2 nurse pillow, which I consider essential in nursing twins at the same time.

Mine were born 8 weeks premature and spend 2 weeks in the NICU. I was pumping at this time and they were able to get the breast milk from the beginning on. I think they only got formula the first two days until my milk supply came in. From then on I pump until they were around there due date and were finally strong enough to latch onto the breast. From then on it was so much easier to nurse then to bottle feed. No preparation, no cleaning and much faster. You just put one right and one left and your hands are free to attend to other things. (like my older daughter or burping one while the other still feeds). The EZ2 nurse pillow will support them fully until they are over 20 lbs. Mine are 23lbs right now and still fit on it without me holding them.
One thing to consider is to tandem nurse to speed things up. It takes me 10 minutes to do both at the same time but 15 minutes each if I do them one at a time. (Go figure).

There can be a lot of obstacle on the way especially with twins, but it is definitely possible.

Good luck.