Expecting Twins - BF?

Kit_Kat_Kate

Hi Im expecting twins in approx ten weeks. I have a DD (2yrs) which I breast feed. Can twins be BF? Any tips/ advice/ experences? Thanks.

mrsa

My aunty had 2 sets of twins and sucessfully bf them all ! Her best advice was to use one of those 'v' shaped cushions around your waist and feed both at the same time !!

joanie

yes you can,

my friend had twins and fed them both at the same time in the "rugby ball" position by resting their bodies on a pillow each and supporting their heads with her hands

if you see what i mean!

Krystaltips

There was an excellent article in the most recent newsletter from the breastfeeding network about breastfeeding twins, if you email them I'm sure they'd forward a copy to you...

I know two women who have managed to breastfeed past 1 year old... Your body can make as much milk as you need to feed two (or three or four...) babies... Tamba also have information on feeding more than one baby. Sorry I can't give you any links, I'm posting on an iPod but I'm sure google can help you out

skintchick

From TAMBA:
Is it possible to breastfeed twins or more?
Yes. Many women successfully breastfeed their twins and some have fully breastfed triplets. Breastmilk is produced by 'supply and demand' so it is possible for mums to produce enough milk for two or more babies. And once breastfeeding is established it can make life easier for mums to get out and about and it saves on cost. Having the right support in place can make all the difference so for lots more information on breastfeeding, see the Tamba booklet 'Breastfeeding More Than One' or call Tamba Twinline on 0800 138 0509 to talk through the options.

If you register, you can download a factsheet about it apparently. It's free. http://www.tamba.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=208

Icklebeans

As a new mum of 5 week old twin boys..yep, you can breastfeed twins!!!

In hospital, and again at home, I was shown how to breastfeed them at the same time, rugby ball style.Was not for me - even with a v shaped cushion, I felt you still had a lot of their weight to support, plus if one came off you had to get him back on again with one hand as your other hand is supporting the other one. Also meant no free hand for drink/remote/phone etc.

I breastfeed mine one at a time and make sure they get my full attention (albeit while the other might be crying if I am on my own). I found v-shaped cushions just don't work for me and I breastfeed with babe on a normal pillow and one foot resting on my other knee.

I breastfeed from first thing in the morning until their 11pm feed at night and then during the night they have SMA feeds so hubby can help out and give me (and my nipples!) a break! Was given much advise to say babies don't like breast and bottles as it confuses them but haven't found that with either of mine. In the past couple of days I have tried expressing twice with a manual pump - I got enough out for a small feed each but might try buying an electronic pump to make it less labourous.

Hope this helps...

HariboJunkie

I breastfed mine and if you are able to I would say it is much easier than bottle feeding twins.
I found the rugby ball position ok but preferred to have one twin on left boob with her legs going to the right and the other on the right with legs also going to the right. It meant one was lying slightly on the other but I wasn't carrying so much weight on my arms. The feeding pillow worked for me. I also fed them individually too when they needed it. It can be tricky to remember who has had which boob but you shouldn't need to worry about that unless they are hugely different feeders.
It gets trickier as they get older as my two used to bite eachother and pull eachothers' hair. :rolleyes:
Express as much as you can so your OH can help with night time feeds and get as much rest as possible. Twins are knackering but very, very special.

Congratulations. :beer:

chmmy

I bf my twins for 10 months. :jI was only able to feed them one at time for maybe the first 6 weeks or so but after that I fed them both, rugby ball style with about 4 pillows piled up either side.:p

At times I wish Id introduced a bottle earlier, but by the time I wanted to, they werent interested and wouldnt take formula :mad:and I had to wait until they were eating well on solids, and able to drink cows milk from a sippy cup (though I think cows milk is recommended from 1 year so it was about 6 weeks early:o).

The advantages are that its cheaper, good for baby, you dont have to make up loads of bottles and I fed them in bed with me at night when they werent tiny any more (DH on sofa!) and I had one of those bedside cots. Oh and sometimes they used to hold hands when they were feeding, sweet:D. Also if one baby is stronger than the other they will help build your supply for your weaker twin.

The disadvantages were I lost confidence in going out in the day as it was difficult to feed them when out and about, and also you can feel like a bit of a cow or milking machine:rolleyes:. I could never remember who'd had which side. I watched a LOT of daytime TV those months, thank goodness Big Brother was on lol.:rotfl:

fembo_2

I breast fed my twins for about 6 weeks . I then started to run out of milk so I alternated each one with bottle and breast. They adapted perfectly well and it also meant that hubby could help out on the night time feeds! They are now strapping 18 year olds so didnt do them any harm. If you can feed both together unless you want to spend your whole day on a feeding regime!

Peanuckle

I breast fed my twins using a V shaped cushion, their legs going underneath my arms. I was told to use the same side for each twin then the flow would adjust to feed that babe. That worked well for me as one twin was noticeably hungrier than the other (and it didn't make my boobs wonkier than usual which I worried about )

helwarren

I only breastfed my twins for the first day, I wanted to give it a go and they took to it very well. However I had a 2 year old who I had previously breast fed for 10 months and remember being on the sofa for endless amounts of time feeding him and I just thought if I continue with the girls then I'm not going to be able to give him the time he needed. So the second night I made the decision to bottle feed, which also means you can draft other people in to help.

I could never successfuly express with my son (not that he would take a bottle anyway) and maybe if I had had better luck with that I could have breast fed the girls and expressed at other times to get a bit more freedom.

I wasn't prepared for the amount of guilt I felt for my son after the girls birth - hormones I guess but this probably influenced my decision to bottle feed but I don't regret it -they are no worse off.

Good luck