Breastfeeding twins

Miss_Bump

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Id love to hear from anyone who has done it and how did you do it!?

I know BF can be hard at the start even with just 1 baby but with twins that must be exhausting :wacko:

I really want to BF these little ones and i know ill have to start weaning Evie sooner rather than later but please be honest, was it constant feeding?

Did you feed both at the same time?

Did you express? I was always worried about nipple confusion at the start with Evie

Just how on earth did you manage?

xx
 
Hi hun, I BF my boys and I have to be honest, it wasnt easy to begin with. THe boys took to the breast straight away although they tired very quickly when newborn as they were so small, but I ended it with mastititis and very painful breasts because of the constant feeding and expressing. I used to express twice a day once in the morning and once at night plus feed every 2 hours (or less!) throughout the day. I was very close to giving up as my boobs because so painful but GP suggested I stop expressing and I have to say things improved soon after that.

Yes it is constant feeding. SOmetimes I felt like I'd been BFing 24/7. In fact up until I weaned them about a month ago, I was still BF on demand about every 2 hours! The boys could never go for longer than that. Now they get booby about 4/5 times a day. ONce in the morning, afternoon, early evening then just before bed.

It is very do-able. As long as you have patience (lots of it), support and determination you can do it. I did tandem feed them in the early days with a twin BFing pillow, which was a godsend (which I'm thinking on selling on by the way), but they are now far to big to feed together and plus I prefer feeding them seperately as that is my time to bond with them and have one-to-one time with each baby.

If you have any questions, dont hesitate to PM me hun. Good luck x
 
I am breastfeeding my boys...and it was hard for me as well. They were in NICU for awhile and given formula. They were too little and couldn't latch without shields. They too were sleepy and wouldn't empty my breasts or get enough to eat. I perservered and made it through to exclusively breastfeeding at 10 weeks and I'm so glad I did!

The first 10 weeks were super duper hard. They were on a 3 hour schedule from the NICU. I would tandem nurse using the pillow, then top them up with ebm or formula. After feeding, I would pump, after every single feed! I really didn't want to give them formula so that's why I did it, I wanted them to be topped up with BM. At night they were bottle fed only because I couldn't stand to do all that. Somwhere around 8 or 9 weeks they decided they hated the nipple shields, YAY, and I was confident I had enough milk so off we went.

Now at 4 months I still tandem feed during the day, at night I feed them separately. If one wakes up, I feed him, then wake the other so it doesn't seem so bad.
 
Oh yes, tried my hand at it for just over a month and I won’t lie it was SUPER hard for me. I think Bfing was made harder because Clarissa always had latching problems (I have bad nipples for bfing, believe it or not. They are almost nonexistent) and when she did latch (which wasn’t often, I mostly expressed for her) BFing took forever. I honestly felt like I was BFing 24/7. The babies, or rather Gabriel, was glued to my boobie and slept on it (when I took him off, he would wake up and start crying). I had terrible stomach cramps after my c-section and when babies sucked my nipples, I felt the pain in my stomach. After a few weeks, feeding become a nightmare with both babies constantly crying because I didn’t have enough milk (probably because I wasn’t eating well either because of stomach cramps and constantly BFing), so after about 5 weeks my doctor told me to give them formula because they were losing weight. After he took the bottle, Gabriel wasn’t interested in my boobie anymore because he didn’t have to work hard to get his daily meals. Teats become his best friend. Just as well, I literally had no more boob milk left.

That said, I would like to tell you that to this day, I terribly regret that I’m no longer BFing. I always beat myself up and often wonder what I could have done differently. I miss BFing and I’m jealous of anyone that does it longer than I managed to, especially with twins.

So please know that quitting when you are so determined comes with lots of guilt. And if you can persevere though the sleepless nights, sore nipples and endless hours bfing, you’ll have no room for regrets. All the best
 
Ill be watching this post with interest, my twins are coming up 3 weeks and the lovely 3 hourly routine have gone out the window the last week and it seems all my big twin wants to do is feed every hour! yes its bloody hard work but i do love breasfeeding and will remain feeding my bigger twin. I fed my daughter for 6 months but she was always a good feeder and went 4 hours, slept through by 6 weeks. These two are a differnent story, my little twin still wont latch on well so if i can sneakily feed him without his brother waking ill try but sometimes it takes 20 mins trying to get him to latch in for a measly 5 min feed before hes no longer interested and i have to get a bottle of ebm anyway! I would say he has one decent breasfeed a day the other two are total rubbish and both are frustrated at the end. If they both wake toghter i no longer try breasteed him with his brother as he no longer does the rugby position despite doing it for several days. Im constantly expressing also so his bottles are EBM and give one bottle of formula at night so i get a break.

I have a breastfeeding nurse coming out in a few hours when hes due a feed to see what she can suggest, if its not happening then ive had enough trying and need to admit defeat and solely bottle feed him as its all too time consuming. I'll try to express as much as i can but realistically with toddler at home will probably only be able to do half his feeds EBM and will use fornula for the other half. Its very easy and much quciker to bottle feed one and breastfeed tandemly so im not worried about that.

I just wish they would both latch on as i know it would be easier just feeding them myself togther but its not always so simple even if experienced in breastfeeding from previous children?

If it works for you and both feed well the normal initial stage will always be hard, i now have to crack my bigger twin going back into a rountine but thats pretty normal for most babies. Once you get to 8 weeks they take much bigger feeds, you and them are much better at it and it does seem to get much easier. I personally enjoy it and miss it when it stops so would love to crack it with these two??

Good luck
Chantelle
 
My boys are 10 months old now, and one takes a bottle sometimes, when I just need him to, but the other does not...And I mean like once a week, maybe..I did pump at first, just so my hubby could help with the late night feedings but now, no more, and yes, sometimes I do feed them both at the same time..If we are at home and they both get hungry..Sometimes, because my boys are so different, they feed at different times..One goes through a growth spurt and feeds more than the other..It's just a time thing..it takes more time, but it's so worth very moment..I would not change a thing!
 
Ill be watching this post with interest, my twins are coming up 3 weeks and the lovely 3 hourly routine have gone out the window the last week and it seems all my big twin wants to do is feed every hour! yes its bloody hard work but i do love breasfeeding and will remain feeding my bigger twin. I fed my daughter for 6 months but she was always a good feeder and went 4 hours, slept through by 6 weeks. These two are a differnent story, my little twin still wont latch on well so if i can sneakily feed him without his brother waking ill try but sometimes it takes 20 mins trying to get him to latch in for a measly 5 min feed before hes no longer interested and i have to get a bottle of ebm anyway! I would say he has one decent breasfeed a day the other two are total rubbish and both are frustrated at the end. If they both wake toghter i no longer try breasteed him with his brother as he no longer does the rugby position despite doing it for several days. Im constantly expressing also so his bottles are EBM and give one bottle of formula at night so i get a break.

I have a breastfeeding nurse coming out in a few hours when hes due a feed to see what she can suggest, if its not happening then ive had enough trying and need to admit defeat and solely bottle feed him as its all too time consuming. I'll try to express as much as i can but realistically with toddler at home will probably only be able to do half his feeds EBM and will use fornula for the other half. Its very easy and much quciker to bottle feed one and breastfeed tandemly so im not worried about that.

I just wish they would both latch on as i know it would be easier just feeding them myself togther but its not always so simple even if experienced in breastfeeding from previous children?

If it works for you and both feed well the normal initial stage will always be hard, i now have to crack my bigger twin going back into a rountine but thats pretty normal for most babies. Once you get to 8 weeks they take much bigger feeds, you and them are much better at it and it does seem to get much easier. I personally enjoy it and miss it when it stops so would love to crack it with these two??

Good luck
Chantelle

Just to let you know hun, my little twin couldnt latch on well in the beginning. He weighed 4lb 13 oz when he was born and had the most tiny little mouth, and I have quite big nipples and he just found it really difficult to latch on properly, and when he did, he never fed for very long as he'd get tired really quickly. Well, he's not my "little twin" anymore! If anything he's chubbier than his brother. If you can, do persevere as he will get used to it. My little man is a complete pro now, but it did take us a good 10 weeks to get the hang of it. x
 
Just to let you know hun, my little twin couldnt latch on well in the beginning. He weighed 4lb 13 oz when he was born and had the most tiny little mouth, and I have quite big nipples and he just found it really difficult to latch on properly, and when he did, he never fed for very long as he'd get tired really quickly. Well, he's not my "little twin" anymore! If anything he's chubbier than his brother. If you can, do persevere as he will get used to it. My little man is a complete pro now, but it did take us a good 10 weeks to get the hang of it. x[/QUOTE]

Thanks that gives me some hope though ten weeks seems forever away! the breastfeeding health visitor watched him feed and agreed hes just totally lazy lol. His latch will happen but can take 20 mins to get right, she talked me into swaddling him which may have helped and to hold back until he really wanted it when i was more inclined just to get nipple into his mouth as im clock watching before his brother wakes demanding a feed too. He took a better feed when she was here so just need to practice more. Its just a shame he needs the extra time as you know with twins and a toddler you just dont have that luxary sometimes.

Did you do bottle top ups to get enough into him or just struggle along until he got it? ive been topping him up and his weight gain is excellent gaining over a pound by 14 days old so dont want to cut these out if i can help it?
 
Just to let you know hun, my little twin couldnt latch on well in the beginning. He weighed 4lb 13 oz when he was born and had the most tiny little mouth, and I have quite big nipples and he just found it really difficult to latch on properly, and when he did, he never fed for very long as he'd get tired really quickly. Well, he's not my "little twin" anymore! If anything he's chubbier than his brother. If you can, do persevere as he will get used to it. My little man is a complete pro now, but it did take us a good 10 weeks to get the hang of it. x

Thanks that gives me some hope though ten weeks seems forever away! the breastfeeding health visitor watched him feed and agreed hes just totally lazy lol. His latch will happen but can take 20 mins to get right, she talked me into swaddling him which may have helped and to hold back until he really wanted it when i was more inclined just to get nipple into his mouth as im clock watching before his brother wakes demanding a feed too. He took a better feed when she was here so just need to practice more. Its just a shame he needs the extra time as you know with twins and a toddler you just dont have that luxary sometimes.

Did you do bottle top ups to get enough into him or just struggle along until he got it? ive been topping him up and his weight gain is excellent gaining over a pound by 14 days old so dont want to cut these out if i can help it?[/QUOTE]

I did top them both up with a bottle of formula every night - just in case, as I wasnt sure if they were getting enough. By 10 weeks or so I cut the formula out and exclusively breastfed. He will get there, trust me, and I know exactly how hard it is as I have a 4 year old too, so know what you must be going through. Maybe you could try feeding the bigger twin first, so that he's satisfied, then if the little twin takes longer, it won't be so bad and not as rushed? Also when you say you cant tandem feed as he wont go into a rugby position now, how come? Does he not like it, you mean? I also found tandem feeding helped as it meant one didnt have to wait while i fed the other. IF you need any help, let me know as I really struggled in the beginning also and know how tough it can be. Take care hun x
 
I tandem fed. And still do. 15 months and still going strong.
 
The boys are ten months old now, and this is how they eat..The one closest to the camera likes to push his feet up and almost stand while he's nursing, and the other was sitting...I love this age!
 

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Also when you say you cant tandem feed as he wont go into a rugby position now, how come? Does he not like it, you mean? I also found tandem feeding helped as it meant one didnt have to wait while i fed the other. IF you need any help, let me know as I really struggled in the beginning also and know how tough it can be. Take care hun x[/QUOTE]

Hi yes he just wont latch on at all in the rugby position, trying to get him to do it can take 30 mins while in the meantime his brother is constantly getting knocked off so all 3 of us are frustrated at the end. I use the ez nursing pillow but still no help. The breastfeeding nurse is back next week and will see how he goes in the cradle poition this week, if improved she will help crack the next step. Problem with feeding individually and one taking forever to latch and sometimes only then feeding for a measly 5 mins anway so i have to them go and get a bottle is i may only get an hour inbetween. Im really on edge of giving up now as i iknow im making things more difficult for myself and all this trying is making them really fall out of sync feeding and night times hell. Will give it one more week even for improvement not any miracles!
 
Ok...if you can take a break from nursing both at the same time, do! They are still learning how to do this. They need the 1 on 1 time right now until they get really good at it. Even with all the babies I've nursed, I could not feed them both at the same time for some time. Kallen was really bad at latching on..So, one at a time, till they get a bit older..
 
I have twins due in May and am desperately hoping to be able to BF. Is a twin feeding pillow REALLY necessary? Won't a body pillow or my long pregnancy pillow work just fine? also- has anyone expressed to feed them while they are in the NICU? I really don't want to start them on formula if I can help it...
 
I have twins due in May and am desperately hoping to be able to BF. Is a twin feeding pillow REALLY necessary? Won't a body pillow or my long pregnancy pillow work just fine? also- has anyone expressed to feed them while they are in the NICU? I really don't want to start them on formula if I can help it...

Hi, i would recommend the EZ breastfeeding pillow any day, even bottle feeding and breasteeding both babies at the same time the width is great so they can both feed and not roll off. Its one purchase if you can afford would be well used.

As for expressing yes i did it for the 4 days they were in SCBU however it can take this for your milk to come in so due to the boys being low birth weight and really jandiced i allowed them to feed them formula with the little breastmilk i could express which was no where near enough to feed 2 babies at that time. This flushed out their janudice much quicker and stopped their weight from dropping too much so we were able to come home. Once my milk came in on day 5 there was no need for any formula feeds unless i chose to have a break for a feed. All SCBU's have machine breatpumps and sterilising equipment for you to use whilst there.

It really is your choice and circumstances your babies may be completely fine and not need any expressing as they latch on from the offset. If not and you do have to supliment with formula its not the end of the world and makes no difference if you want to fully use EBM or breastfeed long term.

Congratualtions with the pregnancy x
 
Yes, I agree. I think the pillow is a must! Honestly. Now that they are older I can often feed with just a normal pillow or no pillow at all. But, when they are little, it's an absolute must!
 
WOW!!!!!!! :wacko:

Thanks ladies and thanks for the pix :haha:

As is says in someones signature... 2 breasts, 2 babies or something ;)

I just hope i can wean Evie first as i dont want to feed 3 lol
xx
 
while I have found twins hard work, feeding them has been the easiest part of it. I'm lucky that they were term, boy latched on right away and girl by day 3. I used an EZ pillow in first few weeks and couldn't have done without it. even if feedi8ng one at a time, it allowed the other to sleep safe next to me. I did need to set up a big drink, lots of snacks and the laptop/tv remote before starting tho!

the early weeks were pretty intense, but now feeds only take 10 mins every 2-3 hours (4 months old) and I have to entertain 2 babies for a couple of hours at a time I miss them - much easier to sit still and feed!

my advice would be to feed often in the early days to build up a supply and have the helpline numbers handy if you need advice. I haven't enough posts here to add a link, but google "breastfeeding helplines uk"

I have never expressed, I find it easier to just follow babies' cues.
 
I just ordered the My Breast friend nursing pillow for twins- and hubby has a big overstuffed recliner on order for me as well- Thank you ladies for the advice!
 

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