Breastfeeding Twins!!
In the very early days of breastfeeding, you may need some help getting settled, but once you get the hang of tandem feeding you’ll be able to manage it all by yourself!! Here are some tips:
- Create a nursing “nest” someplace with extra room – maybe on the bed or the couch, or even the floor (rather than a rocking chair or armchair). This will give you some space to spread out as you get everyone settled. Arrange your pillows in advance and have a basket with the phone, TV remote, water, and maybe a special toy or book for your 2-year-old to make nursing time special. Some mommies make a nest in the corner of an L-shaped sofa, and another may use one of those arm/back pillows for support in bed.
- Put the babies in a safe “holding area” that you can reach from your “nest.” Some moms use a crescent shaped nursing pillow (something like a Boppy pillow or “baby lounger”) on either side of them on the couch, or a bouncy seat on either side on the floor. When they’re smaller, you may be able to just rest them on the couch next to you, depending on your furniture setup.
- Get settled with the pillow, then lift one baby at a time up onto the pillow with you. You may want to use a rolled up receiving blanket behind the baby for added support and reassurance, though the baby is more likely to roll toward you than away as you lean over for the second baby. Sometimes having the babies swaddled makes them easier to scoop up – you can unswaddle them once they’re on the pillow.
- Once both babies are on the pillow, many moms latch the “easier” baby first, then help the baby that needs some extra assistance. Others start with the baby with the stronger suck, so that baby’s sucking will help out the second baby.
- To burp the babies, you can keep one baby latched while lifting the other to an upright burping position, or roll the “need-to-burp” baby onto his/her tummy to burp.
You can also nurse laying down. Some moms find that at night they prefer to feed one baby at a time, while others create a semi-reclined nursing position and cradle one baby in each arm. Depending on how big your babies are, you may need to adjust to find a comfortable position that still enables the babies to have a nice, deep, comfortable latch.
Will I have enough milk to breastfeed twins?
Many new moms worry about whether they will have enough milk but, in fact, there are very few women who don’t have enough. Milk supply works on the principle of supply and demand. Breastfeeding tells a mother’s body to produce more milk in response to her baby’s (or babies’) needs. With two babies, more milk is removed from the breasts so more milk is made. The best way to make sure you establish a good supply is to feed your babies often in the early weeks and to ask someone knowledgeable to help you check that they are latched on and breastfeeding correctly.
During the first few months, babies go through growth spurts. Some mothers interpret this more frequent feeding as a sign of a lack of milk, but if they allow babies to feed more often for a day or two, their breast milk supply will swiftly increase and feeding will settle into a pattern again. Moms expecting twins aren’t always encouraged to consider breastfeeding, but twins, and even triplets, can be breastfed exclusively.
How can I breastfeed two babies?
Confidence and the belief that it can be done are two of the most important factors in making breastfeeding twins a success. Attending a breastfeeding support group or workshop while you are pregnant is a good way to increase your confidence and find out where to get support locally. If you have any questions after your babies are born, you’ll then know whom to ask. Perhaps your healthcare provider, midwife, doula or breastfeeding counsellor can put you in touch with someone who has breastfed twins!
Twins can be breastfedfed separately or together. Many mommies find that they do both in different situations and when their twins are at different stages of development. Feeding babies together can be a good way to establish a plentiful milk supply quickly and can save time. The football hold can be useful for one or both babies as well as (or instead of) the more traditional cradle position. While mom and each baby are still learning about breastfeeding, it may be easier to spend some time feeding the babies separately.
Some of the possible positions for feeding twins together
V-shaped cushions are useful when feeding two young babies at once but ordinary pillows or cushions can also be used to help support the babies. If you have someone to help you in the early days, they can help you position a second baby after the first one has started feeding. As the babies grow and their head control develops, it´ll be easier to breastfeed them together without pillow support or an extra pair of hands. Later still, the babies will be able to position themselves.
Many mommies find that, in the first few weeks, it works well for each twin to have his own breast, to establish his own milk supply. There may be exceptions to this depending on the relative size and growth of the babies. Later, some mothers prefer to vary the positions of each baby and don’t always offer the same breast to the same twin.
As with everything in parenting, you will become the expert in your babies. This is one method, but certainly not the only one. Do what works for you!!
