I was about 6 months pregnant with our twins and suffering from a bout of pregnancy insomnia when I stumbled across my first photo of “tandem nursing.” Go ahead, Google it. I’ll wait…
Ohemgee I am going to actually turn into a human milk producing machine and how in the world is she even doing that?!?!
I started bawling immediately. (Hello, pregnancy hormones plus mild twin panic.)
Fast forward a few weeks and two beautiful little people were born (at 34 weeks) via emergency C-section. An entirely new breastfeeding journey began. Here are a few tips from my experience breastfeeding twins…most of which, lets be honest, I learned the hard way.
Pump It Up
Remember that each baby is unique and will approach breastfeeding differently. My son was a LAZY baby when it came to nursing at first. Fortunately his sister was a champ and did all the work getting the milk supply started. (Of course, when things were rolling he was happy to reap the rewards!) If you aren’t as lucky, prepare to make friends with your breast pump to establish your milk supply. Either invest in a quality pump or rent one from the hospital for the first few weeks if this is the case for you.
Pillows and Posture
Invest in a few different styles of nursing pillows. Not only will it benefit you to have a few different places in your home set up to nurse, as the babies grow different positions will work better than others and so will different pillows. Even though it can be difficult, try to remember your posture. After 4 months of nursing twins and recovering from emergency abdominal surgery, I bent over one day only to not be able to stand up. Needless to say that was…inconvenient.
Find your Tribe
My babes were born weighing 5lbs and 4lbs 9 ounces. There was A LOT of pressure to supplement them with formula. If this is a successful route for you and part of your overall plan for your babies, then by all means you should utilize it. However, if you do plan to exclusively breastfeed, educate yourself and plan to advocate for your plan. Meeting with the lactation consultants for your hospital and your pediatrician to discuss your plan before the babies are born can be helpful in achieving your goals. I am actually quite sure that if I hadn’t already successfully breastfed my other two children I would have gotten discouraged and given up the idea of breastfeeding twins because of outside pressure! Have faith in yourself, mama, and have a team of people in place to encourage you in your breastfeeding BUT that will ultimately support you in doing whatever is best for you and your babies at the time.
This Boob Next
Buy the breastfeeding reminder bracelet. I know. It sounds silly. But trust me you are about to enter into depths of tired you have not experienced before and you WILL forget which boob you left off on. (And, possibly, which baby but I suggest you just feed the one that is crying.) And so you will either have the bracelet to remind you or you will have to do this awkward “which boob seems to have more milk in it?” squeeze. I promise you that the bracelet is less noticeable…
Just Say Yes
Breastfeeding twins is going to take a lot of your time! While people can bring you babies, most of the work is on you here. Self care will be important. Stay hydrated, eat as well as you can and let others around you take care of ANYTHING THEY OFFER TO. Meals, diaper changes, a load of laundry, an outing with your other children, anything at all – especially during the first few weeks while you are establishing nursing and bonding with the new babies.
Your breastfeeding journey will be unique, especially if you are breastfeeding twins. Remember to give yourself grace, listen to the wisdom of your body and do what is best for your family!
