To Breastfeed Twins or Not?

Disclaimer - I did not have twins nor did I breastfeed (but I did EP for quite some time), so take my comments for what they're worth.

3 of my co-workers had twins and they all breastfed for a year minimum. One of the co-workers had their babies at 30 weeks, so they had to pump at first and then got them 'with the program' at around 7 weeks when they came home from the hospital. They ended up BF-ing just fine.

I imagine it won't be easy, but there are a ton of resources out there to help - LLL, online, etc. If you want to do it, then don't let anything hold you back! Good luck to you.

It's ALWAYS worth the shot. Even a little time with breast milk is good! :) I would say try, if it doesn't work you can always go to the formula and you tried.

Hi M.. I was able to breastfeed my twins for a year. I also had an older child (he was three when my twins were born) whom I could only nurse for three months. My advice would be to invest in/or rent a nice electric pump for the first few months. It will help build up your milk supply. Also get the twins on the same feeding schedule so you can feed them both in one sitting. Sometimes I would just turn on a show for my three year old and we would sit together and watch it while I feed his brothers. Once you get past the three month mark, it seems to get easier. Read whatever you can on the subject too. I hope this helps a bit! It is possible.
Good luck, J.

M.,

Yes, I have a friend who successfully breastfed her twins until they were about 2 years old. She did find that she needed to wake one so they would eat at the same time and she could actually get some sleep or they would "tag team" her with one asleep while the other ate and vice versa.

Be sure to eat plenty, drink lots of fluids, and feed on demand especially when they are newborns. This will give them their needed nutrition and antibodies.

Best wishes, and congratulations on nursing your first baby--you did a good job!

K.

I would just try to remember that each experience is different, even though you couldn't get it going with your first one - doesn't mean you shouldn't give it your best try.

Get some support like Le Leche or something. And a good pump. I have BF 4 chilren (no twins) and every time I rented the big but good one from the hospital for the first month. It really helps.

Hi M., I am a Mom of 17 month old twins and a 4 1/2 year old. I breastfeed my son for 14 months and I was certain I would do the same with my Identical twin girls. I personaly found it very difficult. I am a larger women so i could not BF both of them at the same time. There are nursing pillows for breastfeeding twins that was highly recommened by some moms from my local twins club. I sold mine on e-bay so check there. My twins were born at 37 weeks but were in NICU for a week because they had TTTS (twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrom)Baby A was very sick but now they are both very healthy and have no health problems. When they were in NICU they had to feed them from a bottle because they both had a hard time eating and Baby A was also on a feeding tube. She was the hardest for me to breastfeed. But i found it hard to breastfeed one and not the other. I did breastfeed and pump for 6 weeks but my husband and I decided to switch and go to formula. All I can say is I really tried but I was so exhausted. I feel I made the right choice for me at the time.

I wish you lots of luck if you have any questions about having twins please contact me. I know I had tons. I will also recommend contacting your local twins club. I have met alot of moms my age (30)and they have been a great support and my girls now have friends that are "double blessings" too!!

It is possible to breastfeed twins succesfully and if you choose to I wish you well. 4 of my friends have and 1 cousin all moms of twins.
Twinserley,
H.

Of course you can!! It really annoys me when Doctor's say things that they obviously know nothing about! The amount of milk produced is dependant on the amount of suckling that occurs - so if 2 mouths are sucking, you're going to get twice as much.

I nursed my twin boys till 14 months, and frankly, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. It was so easy. I definately recommend getting the EZ-2-Nurse pillow, it helped a LOT, especially when they were smaller, and didn't have the neck control. I fed them separately when I needed to, and also at the same time (which was a great time saver). I couldn't imagine having to make up bottles, clean them etc.. nursing is so much easier than bottles, plus, it's free!!

If you are having trouble, consult with a lactation nurse, but don't give up - it will be worth it in the end. Formula tries, but cannot duplicate the benefits of breast milk. Good luck!!

Definitely breastfeed all children at least 12-15 months! That is until they can have the same milk YOU drink!

It is the ONLY WAY to go! Best for the babies and easier than BOTTLES! I can't say that for a fact - I never gave any of our kids bottles of formula - NEVER --- one is 18 - another is 14 and youngest is 5. I have NO REGRETS at all --- I loved nursing!

I nursed my twins (not exclusively) until they were about 10 months old, at which point they weened to a sippy cup. The first 2 weeks were exhausting and I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but after that it was ok. Once they can hold their heads a little you can sometimes nurse them both at the same time. The two keys are 1)How well does your son play on his own? b/c nursing both of them may take an hour each feeding. 2)How often will you be able to pump. I found I didn't have supply problems b/c of the demand of feeding two, and pumping for every missed feeding (when they got a bottle) and pumping in between feeding when I could to make sure I had enough milk stored for bottles and going back to work. We used formula also, they came home supplemented with formula in cup feedings to keep their weight up. We stopped supplementing after 2-4 weeks, but continued to use some formula to mix with breast milk in bottles. Hope this helps. Good luck, its a wild ride but worth it, my twins are 3 and their older brother is 5.

I have 3 months old twins and I breastfed my twin for 2 and a half months the doctor said the samething it is going to be hard but I did it as long as I could
You should do it as long as you can it is best I promise even if you breastfeed one twin it will help a bunch I took turns beastfeding mine
It is hard when the babies are born early mine were born at 34wks and 5day breastfeeding the twins if they are early it will help mine grow like crazy and now they are 12lbs and 11lbs 5ozs

please let me know if you have any question ok

D.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I definitely recommend breastfeeding. I know several mothers who have successfully breastfed their twins. There are so, so many benefits babies (and especially those who are born early) and mothers receive from breastfeeding. My strongest advice would be to do some "homework" and preparation before the birth and then to be absolutely certain to get some good help from a lactation consultant in the first week after the babies are born. Every hospital has a lactation consultant, so be sure to press them to send her around to help you. If the babies are early, there is no better food than pumped colostrum/breastmilk. In fact, Dr. Sears has a fantastic book on preemies called "The Premature Baby." My favorite book on twins is by Elizabeth Noble and called "Having Twins." She has a ton of advice for successful breastfeeding of twins. I would also recommend that you start cooking double batches of meals and freezing the second batch (soup, chili, stews, casseroles, whatever) so that you'll have an easier time feeding the household after the birth. Consider putting together a list of friends and family who are willing to help out after the birth - and do a sign-up for people to run errands, come to your house to do laundry, clean the kitchen, drop off meals, help with the babies (there is a lot of diaper changing and holding that people can do while your star role is breastfeeding) and/or play with your older child. Get it started now and then "assign" a "volunteer coordinator" for once the babies are born. Also consider, if your budget permits, stocking up on household consumable items (toilet paper, toothpaste, batteries, canned goods, paper plates, etc) so that you'll have less errands to worry about in the first 4-6 weeks. Below are some great websites where you can find more information about the benefits of breastfeeding as well as breastfeeding twins:

www.lalecheleague.org
www.breastfeeding.com
www.mothering.com
www.askdrsears.com

Best Wishes!

J. Steinbach, PCD(DONA)
Postpartum Doula Services

Hello M.!!
I work with a Mom that just had her twins about 8 weeks ago and she is successfully nursing them both. I am still nursing my son at 12 months and know how hard it can be. You have to be very aware of what your body demands in order to keep up with what they demand also! I think its great that you are trying! Congrats! and Good Luck!

Congratulations on expecting twins! I personally think it would be great if you were able to breastfeed your twins. I myself do not have twins but did breastfeed my son for 13 months and plan to do the same for my second child that I am expecting in January. I would recommend that you see if there is a lactation consultant in your area and talk to her. They are quite helpful and would be able to answer alot of your questions. Good luck!

Hi M.,

My twins are now 16 months old and I breastfed them until 6 months. I would have loved to have done it longer but at 6 months my one twin no longer wanted to nurse (except at night when he was still half asleep. I continued to nurse the other twin but about 6 weeks later he too no longer wanted to nurse. I also think that my supply started to dwindle when the first twin stopped BF becuase he was the stronger nurser. By the time I realized that my supply was less all the tricks I recieved from other BF twin moms and lactation consultants didn't work. But while I BF both, as long as I had a high volume of liquids (water) I seemed to be okay. I also drank Mother's Milk tea which I think helped as well (can be found at any health food store). It was challenging at first and when I first sat with the twin nursing pillow I wondered how in the world I would manage this but I did. And having had to switch to bottles, I will say that BF was easier. I had free hands and no bottles to wash, sterilize, prepare, etc. I also recommend a very good pump. With twins it's all about efficiency. I bought the Medela Pump in Style and in 10 minutes could pump two bottles!

As I look back on it now I'm not sure what made me perservere. I always knew I wanted to breastfeed but it is challenging. I was feeding one and pumping for the other who was in the NICU for a little over a week. He had latching problems and we had to use a nipple shield for him but we worked on it and he eventually didn't need it (something we discovered accidently in the middle of the night when I thought the other twin was on that side!).

Best of luck! One of the best resources in the area is the Dayton Mothers of Twins Club (www.daytontwinsclub.com). Come to a meeting if you havent' been to one yet. They have a loaner closet with the nursing pillows and pumps that members can borrow. These women are a great support for new mothers of twins!

I am not going to tell you to or not to breast feed as some have! What I can tell you is that I am a twi, both of us were breastfed and supplemented with a bottle. If you dried up with the first in a few weeks chances are the same cou;d happen with this one, give it a try what will it hurt, if it doesn't work bottle feed, or supplement that way your hubby can help.