breastfeeding twins

[courtney98]

As my babies' birth gets closer and closer, I've been thinking a lot about bf'ing. If any of you have any advice I'd really appreciate it. Is it nearly impossible? Should I stock up on formula to supplement? Thanks in advance.

[dosmas]

I am having my twins in about three days so I am not really an expert on breast-feeding twins, but I did breastfeed my son.

My conclusion after my experience and after talking to friends and family is that every situation is different. Different babies take to it differently and different moms produce differently. I had a very easy time b/f my son and produced tons of milk, which I pumped the excess and stored for later use if necessary.

What I learned and am prepared to do for this time around.

1. I will definitely try to tandem nurse.
2. Use your time in the hospital to get the experts to teach you how to get the baby to latch on properly.
3. Practice allot at the hospital i.e. feed the babies as often as possible so you get proficient. (even through the night)
4. Definitely pump if necessary to keep your milk supply up; however beware of the engorgement period. I was very very very engorged for three days but it normalized after that. I don't think pumping really made it worse so you could use it to stock up on milk and encourage a good milk supply.
5. It is very important to encourage a good milk supply so have them feed often or pump in-between.

I hope this helps, like I said this was my experience and may not apply to others, but I had a very easy time breastfeeding my son.

[dosmas]

I think the twin EZ feeding pillow is probably going to be indispensable.

[MichMom]

Courtney,

I still am waiting for my twins to arrive and wondering how breastfeeding will go. I did, however, breastfeed my son and have to say that it was a bit rough going at first. I agree that getting help in the hospital is a good idea. I didn't do that and suffered for a week or so (which felt like forever). My pediatrician recommended seeing a lactation consultant. Within 5 minutes of meeting with her, my son and I were doing much better.

Good luck!

[Truffles]

I highly recommend checking out the BF forum here.

[mama2jared+2]

JMHO if you want to breastfeed than I wouldn't stock up on formula. I am currently breastfeeding my 6 month old boys even though Jordan is not able to nurse due to some facial deformities. I pump milk for him and I have since he was born and haven't needed any formula yet. John nurses now but I had to pump for him for the first 3 months before he and I could establish a good nursing relationship. So if you want your babies to get breastmilk, it is possible even if you have nursing difficulties. All that being said my 2 sisters also have twins and are nursing them without any problems.

HTH

[proudmomoftwins]

When I was pregnant I definately wanted to breastfeed. My doctors office was giving away some free samples of formula so I took two cans, thinking, this will be handy if I need to supplement. I ended up bottle-feeding and wanted to kick myself for not accepting more formula. If I were you I wouldnt go out and buy formula, but if someone offers you samples, i think you should take them.

Dena
Calvin and jacob 6/14/2003

[~*~Jennifer~*~]

Hi!! I am from baby bargain hunters jacknjennifer. I just had my girls 2 weeks ago and they are nursing really good!! I am a little sore, but other than that - it is sooooooo convient!!!! You don't have to wash 16 bottles!! :) I hate washing bottles!! I BF and pump too to build up a good supply. Then at night to help me get more rest DH feeds one of the girls with a bottle and then I only have to spend 15 minutes with the other and then 15 to pump and it seems to go realy fast!! I just bid on the EZ 2 Nurse pillow so that I can try tandem feeding to try to just keep them on the breast, but we will see. I have yet to stock up on formula. I have bought a couple cans, but they are still closed! I am hoping to BF as long as possible, without supplimenting.

I guess one good piece of advice I got, is when you think you can't do it, give it one more day or week and it will get better!!

Oh and make sure that you drink and eat lots!! You need just as many calories nursing as you do PG. I notice a HUGE drop in my milk when I don't eat enough or drnk enough, so make sure you keep that up!! What a good excuse to keep eating huh!! :) :) Good luck and you can do it!!! :) :)

[denverduo]

I had my girls July 25th and have been breast feeding ever since. I do suppliment with formula when we go out in public, that way I don't have to feed them in public. They drink too much of my milk at home during our feedings and I can not pump enough to take with me.

I have an EZ 2 Nurse pillow and would have quit breast feeding them if it weren't for that fact. It is too hard on a boppy. We took a spontanious trip to the mountains and stayed the night and I had to feed them by propping up pillows and let me tell you, that was darn near impossible. The EZ 2 Nurse pillow is awsome and I love it. I have the foam one and actually got it from this board. A very nice lady sent me the one she was unable to use. I plan to return the favor when I am done with it.

Nursing them is great, they hold hands, whether or not they mean to, it is too cute!

I love to nurse them and highly recommend it, also, nursing babies are less fussy I've read and mine are angels, we can take them anywhere, and we have!

Good luck and congrats!

~Kimberly

[JennB]

I nursed my girls for 6 months - would have gone longer but Audrey and Sarah had minds of their own and decided the bottle was easier. Plus they bagan rolling around and scooting and didn't want to be held down. I would not have traded anything for those 6 months. I really felt no greater closeness to them than while nursing except maybe while I was still pregnant with them. I predominantly tandem nursed especially at night -- it cut feeding time down to half. Before putting them down for the night, I did supplement them with formula to keep them sleeping longer. DH would get them from the nursery, help me burp them and then take them back to their cribs. That way he could have some bonding time as well. They are 8 months old today. Each have 1 tooth and they sleep from 8:30 to 6:00 almost every night. Good luck with your decision. Breastfeeding can be demanding but it is very rewarding. As someone else said -- it definitely beats washing all those bottles and nipples everyday!!

[Momma to 3 Wonderful Boys]

I also recomend the breastfeeding forum on this site. It is so helpful.

I am bf'ing our 11 week old twins. The first six weeks were HARD. There are several growth spurts in that period of time and I was home alone with them and our toddler. I did supplement an average of one bottle of formula a day from weeks 3-7, but haven't had to since. It generally is not "nearly impossible" but support is almost a necessity. Again, another plus of this board too, although my dh is extremely supportive. I would also recommend contacting a lactation consultant and please listen to them for bf'ing advice rather than the ped (typically). Doctor's are given very little training on bf'ing and often give out misinformation about it which can be detrimental to your supply and ultimately, your success at bf'ing.

I have found it to be extremely convenient. I haven't gotten the hang of tandem feeding, but if I could, it would be even easier! But, nursing one at a time is good too because it allows me to have a free hand to hold a book or draw with our older son.

Please come to the bf'ing board with any questions you have and you are sure to get a lot of advice and support. :)

[Bonny]

I am still nursing my 13mo twins. I have found it easier to tandem nurse as they've gotten older. Now that they sit on my lap it's a lot easier than when they were floppy and needing to be propped on pillows!

My best breastfeeding advice would be to surround yourself with as big a support network as possible. Get help from a LC. Get as much help with the housework, etc., so you can concentrate on building a good nursing relationship with your babies. It *is* a lot of work to breastfeed twins, and if you are running yourself ragged and not taking very good care of yourself, the nursing relationship will definitely suffer (as will you!).

I'm not a believer in stocking up in formula if you want to breastfeed. While I did use the hospital samples to supplement before my milk came in, I didn't have a *just in case* stash. I knew that it was very likely that I would rely more on the formula than I really wanted to, and perhaps wean sooner than I was ready.

[SarahC]

Hey, I have several friends who had twins and bf sucessfully, one til about 3 months the other still is I believe and her twins are just over a yr old. I'm planning to exclusively bf ours, I exclusively bf our first to for almost a yr so a little experience may help me. You CAN do it though :-) It may help to find a good LLL before the babies are born and get some advice. My plan is when I get closer to my due date or a month or 2 before call a Lactation Consultant and get some one on one advice and at least know her before the babies are born so she can be there to help me after.

These links may help:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/breastfeedingtwins/

http://www.breastfeed.com

http://www.breastfeeding.com/

http://www.twinstuff.com/breastfeed1.htm

http://members.tripod.com/~breastfeedingtwins/index.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org/bfmultiple.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T026200.asp

http://www.babycenter.com

http://www.parentsplace.com/features/primer/qas/0,10338,166429_108830,00