Breast Feeding Twins

I nursed my twin boys for 8 months but I also used formula. Before the boys were born, I had my heart set on exclusively nursing, but it didn't work well for me or my boys. That's not to say that it can't be done, but it is different than nursing a singleton. If your friend would like to nurse her twins exclusively, I would first recommend that she meet with someone who has done it herself (nursing books don't offer enough information and advice on nursing twins). It's also essential that she has a significant other who will be able to help out with household chores; especially in the first few months, nursing twins is very time-consuming and she will need help in keeping the house running while nursing her twins. That said, what worked really well for me was alternating nursing and formula. I would breastfeed both my boys when they woke up in the morning. Throughout the rest of the day, I would alternate: I would simultaneously nurse one boy while I gave the other a bottle, then at the next feeding I would nurse the boy who had been bottle fed during the previous feeding. Whatever your friend ends up doing, the most important advice for her is to do what works best for her and her babies and not to let anyone else make her feel guilty about it. Please let her know that she is more than welcome to email me if she needs advice or someone to talk to.

It is absolutely possible and not nearly as hard as I expected. I am currently nursing almost 5 month old twins and we show no signs of stopping.

I recommend the books "Juggling Twins", and "On Becoming Babywise". I did a lot of twin book reading and most of them were junk. Babywise is not a twin book, but it's great for understanding newborns and getting on a schedule, which you need with twins.

Have to get the EZ2nurse pillow!! It literally holds them up so I have my hands free while nursing.

Touch base with a lactation consultant, twins are often early and preemies sometimes have nursing issues. My consultant begs me to call her with any issues so we can fix problems at the small stage. She has been a great help.

Twins are a wonderful blessing, I'm glad she has good friends like you (she'll need your help).

Hi S.! I have 14 month old twins who I am currently still nursing a couple of times a day. It is totally possible--although certainly stressful in the beginning. For me, I found that it was much easier to nurse them one at a time. I had the double nursing pillow and everything--just didn't work as well for us. Other people say they only nurse at the same time. If your friend, or you, has any questions, please feel free to send me a message. Best of luck to you and your friend!!!

I have twins and they were premature so we had some issues with their sucking reflexes. After they caught on to breast feeding it was great for 5-6 monthes then I was getting stressed about them not gaining weight. My doctor suggested adding formula. For the first feeding of the day I breastfeed both, then alternated one on the breast and the other bottle for the rest of the feedings. For the night time feeding I gave bottles so other family members could help with the night time routine.
I had a little bow on a safety pin that I pinned on the baby who was going to be breast feed next. After I breast feed her I would pin the bow on the other girl. That just helped me remember because they came home on monitors and things and there was a lot for me to remember. Thank goodness I had a good husband, family and friends. It sounds like you will be a great help to your friend. Good luck to her.

I nursed my son and pumped for my nephew so it can be done. There was also a mom in my WIC class that nursed her twins. Most lactation councilors will be able to help and give you ideas as well.

As the others said LLL would be a great resource and they have monthly meetings. Also, not sure where she lives, but Be By Baby in the city has a multiples playgroup. It may help her to go to some type of mom of multiples meeting prior to the arrival of the babes, it may help answer some questions early on and relieve her anxiety!

Find a great lactation consultant BEFORE giving birth! Ask for referrals, actually interview them beforehand, and find one with whom she thinks she can have a good working relationship. It's never too early to get that ball rolling, especially since sometimes twins like to come early. Also, like another poster said, start attending LLL meetings to help increase knowledge and confidence.

Definitely encourage her to get to know her local La Leche League group. The ladies there have all breastfed and will have some wonderful suggestions and help for her. Also there are many Moms of Multiples groups, tell her to look for her local group and start attending meetings now while she doesn't yet have her twins to look after. Be By Baby in the city has breastfeeding multiples classes and meetings- she could also attend those while pregnant. It may be a good idea to have the name of the lactation consultant on standby- my LC is Jeanne Cygnus in Mundelein and she is wonderful. Most of all- encourage her. It is very possible to breastfeed twins with the right knowledge and support.

I breast fed my twins until 20 and 21 months.
She will want to get an ez2nurse twin nursing pillow. It is bigger and more stable than a boppy pillow and allows for hands free breastfeeding. It saved my sanity, as I was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to hold 2 at once. She should also get a hospital grade pump. The best one on the market is the Medela pump in style. It has 2 horns and you can adjust the suction on it. By pumping in between feedings, she can increase her supply. She may also need to eat oatmeal, mother's milk tea, and fenugreek to increase her milk supply.

There are local twins clubs that she can become a member for additional support and to go to their resales.
I am a member of TCMOTTC (Tri Cities Mothers of Twins and Triplets club) which serves mostly Kane and Kendall counties. Another resource for support is www.twinstuff.com

If your friend is in the area here, contact Carol Chamblain at www.breastbabyproducts.com ###-###-####. She is a WONDERFUL lactation consultant with an office in St. Charles. She does house calls as well. Carol is highly trained and very knowledgeable on all things breast feeding. Best wishes!

Hi S.,

I know this post is a bit old, but I thought I'd weigh in. I have seven month old twin boys that I have breastfed exclusively, no formula. The first thing she needs is the EZ to Nurse Twins pillow from doubleblessings.com. I started tandem nursing my twins as soon as they were born, and they were my first children. Also, one of the best pieces of advice I was given was to always feed both babies at the same time. If one is ready to eat, feed the other. If one wakes up to eat, wake the other one up to eat. It works very well for us, and if I didn't do this I would be feeding all day long. Both boys have a healthy weight gain and are doing great!

Good luck to your friend!

S., I'm a pp doula and a lactation educator. It would probably be easiest if at first mom breastfeeds each baby at a time. Once everybody gets the hang of it feeding both babies together becomes very easy. Twins very often maintain the same schedule. A nursing pillow will probably make it easier. NOT a Boppie!!! My Breast Friend is a good one. It's important to have good positioning and latch-on so as not to injure the nipples. That would make it not much fun to nurse. Hope this helps! E.

I did not have twins, but I did tandum nurse my boys. There are ways to feed both children at the same time. It does take some help in the beginning. I would contact the nearest La Leche League. That group was very helpful for me.

My SIL has nursed twins successfully for over a year now. She used an extra large nursing pillow when they were little. She would nurse them at the same time putting one in place and then the other under each arm. So their heads were at the breast and their bodies under each of her arms.

She kept a log of when they fed, how long the fed and which child was on which breast so she could alternate them everytime. One nursed harder and longer than the other.

Her husband often helped out by changing them and helping to burp them during each feeding. He was a great help for her.

Getting them on a schedule is key according to her just to maintain your sanity. Since I've only nursed one at a time and nursed at will, I can see her point. I often felt like I needed to go topless since I never seemed to be done. She always knew exactly when to nurse because of her log and the schedule she kept. It really helped her stay sane.

Then as soon as she could, she started them on cereal to help fill them up. And she never supplemented at all.

S.:

She may benefit from working with a lactation consultant who has worked with other mothers of multiples.

there are not right or wrong ways to breastfeed twins/ everyone is different and what works for one may not for another.

she may also benefit for having a doula though it sounds like you may be filling that role for here which is awesome.

she needs your support and encouragment more than anything else.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions