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How to Breastfeed Twins and Succeed!

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Sounds like a lot of work to do!

That's what I thought when I found out about my twin pregnancy! Sure, I had some experience with my first child whom I breastfed, but feeding TWO babies? I wasn't so sure if I was up for this task! As a mom expecting twins, it can already be very overwhelming, more so if this is your first pregnancy. So if you've made the decision to breastfeed, kudos to you! Write down a list of reasons why you want to breastfeed your children and pin it up somewhere prominent so that you will be motivated to press on whenever you feel like giving up!

Demand = Supply

Probably the Only Rule You Need to Remember!

You body responds to the demands of your babies. If the babies need more milk and send the right signals to your body to produce milk, it will do so! In the first few weeks, trust yourself and your babies. If they want to nurse, feed them. It will usually take anything from 4-6 weeks for your milk supply to stabilize so it's very important to nurse your babies whenever needed to ensure that you have enough milk!

Newborn babies can nurse 10-12 times a day! They also tend to be very sleepy in the first week, so be prepare to have each nursing session lasting up to 45 minutes. Trust me it's all worth it! You don't have to feed your twins 24 times a day, that would be too much to handle! You can however, feed them both together, with the help of a nursing or breastfeeding pillow (more on that later!) You will be breastfeeding on a similar schedule as a mom with a singleton!

The benefits of feeding both babies together doesn't stop here. With both babies nursing on each breasts and alternating sides, you are more likely to increase milk supply quickly. If you alternative babies on each side for every feed, you'll also avoid feeling lopsided. Both babies and mom also get bonding time together!

Breastfeeding Positions for Twins

With my first child, I was very comfortable with the cradle position and even with a newborn found it a challenge to do the football hold. However, after I delivered my twins via a C-section, it was hard to breastfeed them in a cradle position, and so I had to do it in other ways. As I mentioned earlier, you can synchronize things so that both babies are fed together. Here are some my favorite positions when breastfeeding twins.

You don't have to sit up in order to breastfeed your twins. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Lie back with a pillow to support your back and enjoy the skin to skin contact with your babies. Hold them in a football hold on each arm if that's what you like. Remember to support the neck of your newborn babies! There is no right or wrong in breastfeeding position. Experiment and find one what makes both mom and babies happy!

For the first few tries, don't be afraid to get a nurse or daddy to help the twins latch onto your breasts. It may seem a little daunting at first, but with more practice it will be natural for you!

As your babies grow older, certain positions may not seem practical anymore. For example, it was hard for me to breastfeed my twins in the cradle hold once they were old enough as they would start kicking each other. Instead, I'd position them on my twins nursing pillow on either side on me. When they were around 6 months old and feeding less often, I would sometimes feed them individually whenever I felt like it. Sometimes my toddler would come and ask me to play with her, so I'd have on twin on my breast so that I'd have the other hand free to interact with my toddler.

Synchronize!

Sometimes one of the babies may choose to feed earlier than the other. When that happens, simply offer your breast to the other twin anyway. If one is feeding, feed the other too and their feeding schedules will eventually be similar saving you time. The same rule also applies to sleep. If one twin is down, the other twin should be down too, and both should be awake together. It would be much harder if you had both twins with totally different schedules, so I highly recommend all parents of twins to try and synchronize things!

You may wish to check out the book on Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins which discusses both feeding and sleep.

My Lifesaver - Twins Nursing Pillow

This was my life saver and a great investment that really helped me kick start my breastfeeding journey with my twins. This is not compulsory as some mothers claim they can prop their babies with some pillows. However, I love how the pillow is sloped so that the baby's head is naturally supported towards the breast. Plus I hated to fiddle around with the pillows to find a good position, and the twins nursing pillow saved me lots of time and effort!

As the babies got older, the pillow also supported their weight well. Sometimes I would also breastfeed one baby while burping the other on the pillow. This also doubled up as a bottle feeding pillow later on when I began to feed them expressed milk. My toddler also loved using this as a little chair! It helped her to feel involved.

Do I need nursing bras?

Nursing bras are again not necessary, but I felt that the easy access these bras gave saved me a lot of frustration from fiddling with a normal bra and having to hold the cups while the babies latched on (I only have 2 hands!) Nursing bras are also recommended as they provide good support for breastfeeding moms and tend to reduce the risk of having blocked ducts.

What about breast pumps?

If you are intending to feed your babies expressed milk and returning to work, an double electric breast pump is definitely recommended. My favorites are the Hygeia Enjoye and the Medela Pump in Style, both of which provide the best comfort and efficiency.

During the early weeks of breastfeeding, you may feel tired, stress and overwhelmed from needing to feed your twins among completing other chores. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to let daddy take over a feed by offering the babies a bottle of expressed milk. Some women also tend to take things up another level by expressing milk after a feed to increase their milk supply. The extra milk is then kept for occasions where daddy takes over a feed or during a growth spurt (of which I would highly recommend you to just nurse the twins more often anyway).

A full time mom may not find an electric breast pump really necessary, but it's good to have one handy anyway, just in case you need to express extra milk in the morning, as that's the time where we tend to have most milk. Get a manual breast pump or a single electric breast pump. You can refer to Electric Breast Pump Reviews for a range of breast pumps to suit your needs.

Recommended Breast Pumps and Reviews

Here are some of my favorite breast pumps and their reviews. Click on the links to read more reviews.

Ameda Purely Yours: Ameda Purely Yours breast pump - closed system that ensures pure breast milk to your baby!
Medela Free Style: Medela Free Style - fits in the palm of your hand!
Medela Pump in Style: Medela Pump in Style - all time favorite double breast pump.
Hygeia Breast Pump: Hygeia Breast Pump - a decent rival to the leading brands.

Getting Support

Daddy should play an important role here, but he doesn't have to breast feed. Communicate frequently with your husband about your desire to breastfeed the twins and have him encourage you along the way. Ask for his help if you feel that you need to take a break from the twins, need help with chores, or just need to catch a 10 minute power nap. It is challenging to do this all alone by yourself, and he also plays a part too!

Another form of support that helped me through my pregnancy to my first year with my twins was TwinStuff. There are lots of stories, tips and advice from mothers of multiples that everyone should read. The community is really friendly and encouraging so go check it out!

SLEEP

I know this sounds really ironic, what with the infinite number of diapers changes and feeds!

The body is most efficient in producing breast milk while resting, so catch up on sleep as much as you can. If the chores can wait, let them wait or have someone help to take over for a while. Remember that if you don't get enough sleep, you won't be producing enough milk for the babies and your health could suffer as well. Your babies need you so love yourself and take care of yourself so that that you can take care of them too!

Tips to Share?

If you are a mom of twins, triplets (or more!), share with us your breastfeeding experience. What was the most challenging part and what was the most enjoyable part?

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