Breastfeeding Twins

hi W.!

have you gone to a La Leche League Intl meeting in your area yet? you really should do this as soon as you can. you will find your local chapter easily on the website by googling the organization. they really have the best, most up to date, mother-to-mother support from experienced mothers who are dealing with all the nursing issues right now. this is the place where you will find people who are and have done this, and all the reasons why it's great to do, and what you can do to support yourself and your family.

that said i would add this; nursing ONE child, as you know, is often a full time job. i would be willing to bet that yes, this will be an incredibly time consuming endeavor, but it might well be worth it. all the current studies are showing that nursing for a minimum of one year, prefereably two, has far reaching health benifits for the baby and the mother; prevention of childhood and adulthood obesity, reduciton of reproductive cancers for the mom, just to name a few. plus, most importantly, it's just much, much better food for your babies by leaps and bounds.

when your two new babies are toddlers, and you are caring for 4 whole people all by yourself, you're going to have a lot of tough nutrition choices to make; what's easy, what's cheap, what they'll actually eat, etc etc; but for now, while you can tank these babies up on the highest quality nutrition IN THE WORLD and WHICH IS FREE and WHICH YOU MAKE YOURSELF WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, i would say, you should really do this.

and here's another thought; maybe this will be hard, but what if it's really easy???? nursing my first child was very hard the first few months, but my second child latched on so easily, so effectively, so lightly, and nursed so efficiently, that i swear i didn't even know she was there half the time. i'm still nursing my almost 3 yr old boy, and my wonder-nurser 13 month old, and it's so easy! people are astonished by this, but you know what? it's totally natural, and it's been great. so why not be optimistic???

as you already know, it will also be a time that will fly by. they wil be 1 yr old before you know it. you can pump and have your husband, even the other children, help you with feedings some of the time, and still get this amazing, fabulous milk of yours into them.

W., you're already a great mom. you can do this.

good luck to you!
J.

Hi, My daughter just gave birth to her third child. She has a 3 and 4 year old also. Before the baby was born the other two were under foot all the time. When the baby came home the older children seemed to bond like glue. They began to go off to other parts of the house to play and have become each others best friend. As for feeding, my daughter is all about breast feeding and says that womens breast know what the children need and will provide enough for the children. From what she says the more you feed or pump the more milk you will produce. Good luck. J.

W.,

I am in charge of marketing for HAPPYBABY and the best parents group is Manhattan Mothers of Twins Club. They are so supportive of each other. In fact the founder of Big City Moms had twins and joined them as well. You will have lots of help and guidance. www.manhattantwinsclub.com

Good luck, H.

Hi!
You can do it! BELIEVE! You breastfed before, and breastfeeding twins can be done FOR SURE! People might discourage you, even doctors, Just don't listen. Believe in your body and let the milk flow.

I have breastfed my twins for 21 months now. I have girls too! :) (I never expected to be doing it this long, but they have not lost interest and I love the bonding. Just 2 times a day now)
For the first 6 - 7 months I did it exclusively till I introduced solids. I have never needed to supplement.
I do not have other kids, so I recognize that that will be much harder. However trying to make formula and bottles cleaned and ALWAYS making sure you have it with you will also be difficult. In my opinion harder! and expensive.

The EZ 2 Nurse pillow is the BEST! I found that nursing them together saved time and milk (no leaking on other side while one nursed). They lay there in happy bliss and your hands can be free (to stroke their hair, trim their nails, or read a book, whatever!)

The beginning is hardest as I am sure it always is with breastfeeding. But once you get past those first few weeks of feedings every couple hours (as you would have to do with bottles too) it gets much easier. Having newborn twins is a full time job no matter how you feed them. It gets easier. Join of Mothers of Twins club for support.

Believe in yourself and that your body knows what to do. It is supply and demand. Get them nursing early and often and your milk will come in loads. If you can, avoid supplementing at the beginning because it tells your body you don't need to make as much and that makes a vicious downward cycle. If you have to supplement though, that is okay too. Do what works for you. Just don't give up until YOU want to. Try to find a doctor that believes in breastfeeding so that they are less likely to push formula on you.

I wish you success! People might tell you you can't. Don't listen to them. :) P.

One of my closest friends successfully breastfed her twin boys for 6 months. She both pumped her milk for bottles and supplemented with formula so that other people could help out. Her method of breastfeeding was to set herself up on the couch with a pillow on each side of her and the babies were laid on each side and she actually breastfed both at the same time. She has said more than once that if she did not have to return to work after 6 months, she would have continued to breastfeed. It was not easy, but I know that she wouldn't change a thing.

Good luck!

I am the Mom of 18 month old twins. I did not breastfeed for medical reasons but I am involved in a twins group and have many twin Mom friends and many of them breastfed. Like anything once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. Congratulations and best of luck!

You can do it. My boys were 2 and 5 when my twin girls were born. When they were first born, I nursed them at the same time by sort of criss crossing them in my lap. As they got bigger, I nursed one at a time because it gave me a little time with them individually. It helped with the boys to have some small toys and books close for them to play with. Also, as the girls got bigger, the boys loved to help entertain the one that was not eating. I made it until they were 13 months old. You can do it too...good luck.

I started attending the Bergen County Twin Mother's Club when I found out I was pregnant. I learned so many great tips from the twin and triplet moms there. I would strongly recommend you go to a meeting this Spring (we break over the summer), and it will help you so much! The meetings are the 4th Wednesday of every month...3-26, 4-23, 5-28...and start at 7:15. We break out into discussion groups before the actual meeting starts and have guest speakers and refreshments. This week the speaker will teach self-defense.

Regarding breastfeeding: I didn't have any children when my b/g twins were born, but I found without a shadow of doubt that getting the babies on the same schedule right away paid off immensely. It would go something like this: They wake up, we change both diapers (regardless), feed them, they fall asleep, start over.

We bought a special feeding pillow for twins...much larger than a boppy, but I don't remember the name. It was foam with a washable cover and straps to hold it around your waist. The foam angled inward, so it naturally held the babies close to your body. It was great, because I could easily feed them and have my hands free (which it sounds like you might need....although you will also have good little helpers with your big boys, too!). We also bought a pump, and I pumped a little after most feedings to increase production, as well as have some extra milk for when my hubby was alone the twins.

To keep track of who ate on which side each time, I would use safety pins on my bra, and switch them to where they'd need to eat next time around. This is a lot easier than switching them half way through a feeding and helps if one is a bigger eater.

I did only make it 3 months...by that time they were sucking me dry...but that's way better than the odds for nursing twins! Plus, with my 1/2 A cup breasts, I was shocked I was able to do it at all!

Good luck and try to make a TMC meeting....here's the website: http://www.tmcofbc.com. I'll be at all the upcoming meetings, because I'm on the program committee.

Good luck!

W.,
I have a mom-owned business here on mamasource - a product that I sell on ebay - custom feeding, diapering, bathing charts and organizing kit for multiples, called TwINspirations. Included is a long list of suggestions and supplies that you will find invaluable. Just email me at ____@____.com and I'll send you the file free. My twins are 18 months old now and I nursed them for 12 and 15 months, after nursing my son for 15 months two years prior. I knew I would have plenty of milk because I was a good producer with my son, and like others said, the EZ 2 Nurse pillow is a gift from heaven. Must go take care of the crew!
-Kat

I think your body adjusts to the supply needed, and if you did not have any problems before, I would not worry about it right now. I bet you will get back into your skinny jeans in a hurry!

W., you can totally do it! I have twin girls, too, who are 17 months old, and I am still breastfeeding them, which all three of us really love.

I got two pieces of advice when I was pregnant that really helped me in the early weeks, when establishing breastfeeding was tough: 1. Your body *will* make enough milk to feed two. And 2. If you are determined to breastfeed your twins, you'll be able to accomplish it.

For the first six to eight weeks or so, I nursed the babies individually. That gave all three of us a chance to get good at breastfeeding (these are my first two babies, so I'd never nursed before). After that, I started nursing them simultaneously. The EZ-2-Nurse Twins nursing pillow was essential for this -- I still use the pillow (even though they barely fit on it now!). Since you've already breastfed before, you may not need the individual time, or maybe you won't need it for as long as I did.

I also pumped after every feeding for the first two months or so, as a way to establish and maintain supply while the babies were still catching on. For the first two months, we supplemented after every nursing on advice from our pediatrician -- with the pumped breast milk, mostly, but they also got one or two bottles with formula. Since I was pumping after the nursing everytime, the formula bottles didn't affect my supply.

In addition to "Mothering Multiples," another good book to look at is "Twinspiration." The mother who wrote that book breastfed her twins for their first year, and she has some good, practical advice about it.

Please feel free to message me privately if you want to talk more or have more specific questions. It really is not only possible, but a lovely experience.

Best wishes!

I have only breastfed my singleton son, but I do know lots of people who have successfully breastfed twins or more. I would do as much reading NOW as possible. La Leche League has a book out called "Mothering Multiples" and there's a special interest LLL meeting at Realbirth in Chelsea for moms of multiples (I'm not sure where you live.) I would also talk to twins/multiples support groups for advice. Talking with a lactation consultant and/or a LLL leader now would also be helpful, I think. Just my thoughts.

I breast fed my twins for 3 months while my mom was staying with us. I also supplemented because I had a ad experience with my first son, and I didn't want to get into the same troubles (he was getting enough). You think you can't do it but you actually can. Buy the EZ pillow for twins, it really helped.
Good luck!

You can do it!

I'd suggest contacting a post-partum doula. Lots of doulas that assist families after birth have worked a lot with moms and multiples (because you really need the help!).

I've seen lots of moms breastfeed twins in whatever way fits their lifestyle and family. Some moms give each baby a breast of their own. Some moms give one baby the breast and the other a bottle at one feeding and alternate the next.

Remember how challenging it was to breastfeed your first baby? It is as challenging to figure out a system with your twins but you can do it with support. I'm not sure where you live, but you could go on the DONA (Doulas of North America) website to find someone close to you. I'd also consider contacting a breastfeeding support group, lactation counselor, or moms of multiples group.

Good luck!

-A.

I breastfed my twins nine years ago. You have to be in a comfotable place in order to feed both at the same time. The boppy pillow and a recliner helped with that. I did supplement as it was very hard to keep up with everything, but it can be done. Make sure to have a good pump so that you can express your milk so others can take on feedings while you take care of the one million other things you have to do. Continued Blessings to you.

Hi W.,

You have a lot of good advice here, so I won't repeat it. Just want to tell you that I am still nursing my 27 month old b/g twins. I don't have other kids, but I hear sometimes older kids can be very helpful. They can bring you burp clothes, diapers, snacks, etc.. so it can definitely help (though I'm sure it has it's own challenges)

The 2 things not mentioned that helped me are
1- The breastfeeding twins board at http://www.twinstuff.com
A great set of women there that had some amazing advice.

2- Also the apmultiples yahoo group. It is geared towards those interested in attachment parenting, but Karen the author of mothering multiples as well as a lot of knowledgeable moms post there and respond to posts often.

Congratulations and get help if you can.. those first few months are HARD, but definitely doable.

:)
S.

My 50(!) year old friend had twins 6 months ago and is still breastfeeding. It is baby boot camp and YES it is a full time job. She is pumping after feedings to be able to minimize supplementing with formula and on some days she has it down to only about 6 ounces of formula. She is a single mom and has help for about 10 hours/day during the week, and is trying to figure out how she will be able to continue breastfeeding when she goes back to work next month. She wouldn't give up the breastfeeding because she feels it is so important, but it is VERY tough.
You will have to see how much your milk supply is, how content they seem, to know how much you will need to supplement if at all. She uses a scale to measure their intake, and based on that she supplements with pumped breast milk and formula if she has run out of milk. It is extemely taxing to do it that way and I can't imagine doing that with 2 other kids. But if you have a wonderful milk supply and/or are content with providing formula as supplement without doing the pumping, it would be a truly wonderful thing!

I have twin boys, now 9 months old. I breastfed for the first 2 months. It was very tiring. When I could I would feed both at the same time. You hold them like footballs, by the head, with their feet towards your back. Unfortunately, I found that I was always either feeding or pumping. I was exhausted and that's with supplementing formula during the nighttime feedings. Most people I've spoken to didn't make it passed 3 months breastfeeding twins. Perhaps, if you have lots of help in your house, such as family and friends, I guess it can be done. I didn't have anyone but my spouse. Good Luck to you, twins are the best, be sure to register for all the twins "freebies". And when you shop, tell them it's for twins, Most stores offer discounts for twins. Babies r Us, Buy Buy Baby, Carters, Osh Kosh and the like all have multiple discounts.

Hi W.,
I am a stay at home mom of three. An almost 14 year old daughter and 12 year old twins...one boy and one girl. I very successfully breastfed them for 10 months with very little supplementing. I pumped alot and seemed like I was feeding them all the time.. But It was only for 10 months and so worth every minute of it. I have to admit, I literally had no time for anything the first 6 months but it got so much easier just feeding first thing in the morning and last thing at night. They weined themselves as they got teeth and started to get bored. Ha ha ha. I could not feed the football hold , so did one right after the other. A must if you want any sleep or time to get in the shower. If you would like to contact me further let me know and I will give an email address. Good Luck and at least give it a try. P.S. when are you due?
D.

I would look into this book, "Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More!" It is endorsed or put out by La Leche League, one of the foremost leaders in breastfeeding. I personally have never done it, but there is a mom in my LLL group who successfully breastfeed twins and is always saying how much she enjoyed it. She did say it was hard at times but so is nursing one baby. Good luck.

Hi W., I did not breastfeed my daughter for longer than 3 months because she was not satisfied after the feeding at all. I was told that with twins one will take the bottle while the other one breastfeeds so you will not have a problem with two screaming babies at the same time. However, girls are much easier than boys.
Good luck.

well its harder and very time consuming,

try using one breast for each baby,

eventually you'll have to pump, but initially for the bonding and colostrum, nursing is the best,

it can be done, but no body is wonder woman, just feel it out, and see what works best for your family,
plan on formula supplements, just in case,

I found it very hard and draining ,time consuming, and actually made me feel a bit resentful.

pumping was great because they got the breast milk

I would even nurse one, or the other while bottle feeding the other one

just make sure to alternate the babies.

But like i said its diffrent for everyone

M

Hi W., I have much respect for you in your desire to nurse your twin girls! First, I have not had that experience, although I have had six (6) children and nursed each one of them; I know how difficult it can be nursing and trying to take care of the toddlers at the same time! I have a question for you: Have you been in touch with the Le Leche League or Mothers of Multiples? They might have some suggestions for you since, I am sure, you are not the first Mom to have twins and want to breat feed them! Here is my suggestion: You can nurse one baby for 10 minutes on one breast, put her in the cradle and then nurse the other daughter on the other breast. At the next nursing time, switch the babies and the breasts. Like this: First: Baby A goes to breast A; baby B to breast B. Second: Baby B gets nursed first on breast A; baby A on breast B. Third: Baby A on breast A; Baby B on breast B. Rotation nursing! But I would ask the "pros" at Le Leche or Multiple birth parents how they worked out their systems. God bless and much happiness! (I had 4 sons before I was blessed with 2 girls!)

~EL