breastfeeding twins: tandem or one at a time?

Jodi - posted on 05/30/2012

I realize this is an old thread, but there aren't many threads out there about breastfeeding twins. So, in the off chance someone else wants to ask this question and stumble upon this...here goes! My twin girls are 16 months and still nursing! I got a nursing pillow for in the begining, and it was 50/50 tandem feeding vs individual. I think it's different for everyone on what works for you. at 16 months, they tandem nurse at nap and night time...but individual other times in the day. the nursing pillow saved my life though when they were babies and I highly reccomend one! (My breast friend, and boppy makes one too!)

Charity - posted on 05/28/2012

When I was pregnant everyone said you should/need to nurse together. I did at night and tried the first few months and learned it wasn't for us. They are 6 months old and they are breastfed one at a time and that way I get to spend one on one time with them. It works for us and don't think I would of continued nursing as long if I only tandem fed. I think it is easier for me and you will soon find out what will work best for you. Good luck and congrats!

Patricia - posted on 10/30/2009

i exclusively bf my b/g twins for 15mo and only did tandem once to see how it was but otherwise always fed them separately. They never seemed to be hungry @ the same time anyway!

Ashley - posted on 10/17/2009

I did tandem to save time and I felt they like being close.

Leslie - posted on 10/17/2009

I pumped for the most part, so I could track how much each was eating. I breastfed one at a time when they needed to be soothed.

Candice - posted on 10/17/2009

During the day, I would nurse my girls tandem football style. At night (I have a wonderful husband) I would nurse them one at a time. My husband would feed one with breast milk that I had pumped earlier while I was feeding the other one, then if needed we would switch. This worked for us for almost a year. I was glad for the help at night.

Congratulations on your twins they are a joy!

Stephanie - posted on 10/16/2009

oh goodness. Do them tandem! for everyone's sanity, please. :)
I liked football hold best for both my daughters. You'll need a few pillows though. Two bed pillows and a small square couch pillow was usually enough. Put the square pillow on your lap, and the bed pillows angled on the edge of the square one with the length against your body. Place twins on bed pillows and nurse. You can watch their happy faces and play with their soft hair. Watch tv/movies.
and this hold can be done with out another person to help--you just have to maneuver a bit more.
I did pump a little, but It was to keep my milk supply up, not for feedings. I used a playtex manual. It worked really well. I almost lost my supply around 6 months, because I was supplementing too much. So I began pumping every two hours around the clock for a week, and it came back up again. I nursed my twins for 13 months.

Jamie - posted on 10/16/2009

I nursed mine together starting night 3 ~ I just wanted to sleep! :) We made it 15 months but not without trial and error. Pretty much what everyone else has posted is what we did. My only added is the cracked nipple part! This nearly stopped us dead in our tracks as it hurt ... bad!! I continued to nurse through gritted teeth but applied everything the doctors/friends/internet/books suggested. The only thing I found to help and fast was Aquaphor. It doesn't need to be cleaned off before they nurse and I applied it every hour. Sorta helped 'lube' before they nursed and latching didn't hurt and healing went faster. My other suggestion is to pump. I headed back to work at 2 months and pumped the liquid gold! Once they went to sleeping through the night I continued to get up and pump every couple to 3 hrs to keep the supply up. Only need to for a while but it's well worth the sacrifice. My girls are now 6! Enjoy and Congratulations!

Laura - posted on 10/15/2009

I nursed them one at a time usually. But there were those occasions where I just wanted to shut them both up so I nursed them together. It wasn't hard when they were small, but when they got a little bigger, it was hard for me to get comfortable with both at one time. GOOD LUCK!

Sarah - posted on 10/15/2009

I started determined to do tandem, but in the end did about 90% solo feeding. I had a HUGE nursing pillow designed by a mom of twins called the EZ Twin Plus Nursing Pillow, but I loved it even when I was nursing just one. Get a couple Boppy pillows too. Beyond nursing they make great "chairs" for babies as little as preemie. I had my good pillow upstairs and two Boppys downstairs.



A agree with a good pump. Either rent one or buy a Medela. Make sure you see a lactation person who will get you fitted with the right flanges. And know that nursing twins hurts. More than nursing just one baby...twice the wear. So I recommend the Ameda ComfortGel Hydrogel Nursing Pads. They feel soothing and actually help heal the nipple.



But, the best advice I can give is to be patient, try not to overstress. I was totally anti-formula for my first born, but it drove me insane and it nearly landed him in the hospital. If it came down to a little formula while learning how to breastfeed, and not going to the hospital, I'd do that. You need to give yourself a little grace and know that as long as you're comitted to breastfeeding, bottling, formula, pacifiers, they're not going to get in the way.

Lindsay - posted on 10/15/2009

My twins are now 4 yrs old, I breast fed them both, as they were prem, I found it easier to feed seperate to begin with, but at 3 mths I fed them both together, its all try and error but I would recommend plenty of pillows and a very comfy chair and a table that u can use of easy access to drinks and anything else u want. I do agree with other comments u will produce lots of milk and fast, plenty of pads and i used a collection cup when I was feeding one at a time ment daddy could use the collected milk to feed. You do need a pump to make life easier as ( I dont know about anyone else) I was always feeling full.

Candice - posted on 10/14/2009

I breastfed my twins for a whole year! I actually just started a blog with tips for mothers of twins. Check it out, there are a lot of tips for breastfeeding. You can do it!!! http://motbits.com/breastfeeding/breastf...

Let me know what you think!

Candice

http://www.motbits.com (A Mother of Twins Blog with Tidbits and Advice)

Jennifer - posted on 10/14/2009

Ok, I have 4-month-old b/g twins who never get formula, and while I DO nurse them every day, I MOSTLY pump for them and let whomever wants to help me feed them do so. This might seem like a hassel, but I did not have the stamina to never sleep so that they could have the breast. Tandem saves time, but requires help from your partner every time. I nurse each one seperately once daily.

Shelley - posted on 10/13/2009

To get started, a pump, a nipple shield (or 2), reusable breast pads and a boppy are necessities. A helper would be nice too to help you all get situated. It wouldn't be a bad idea to start one at a time so that all three of you get used to it incrementally. I had one that got great suction and one that didn't. (They're always opposite. =)) After a month of all three of us crying at feeding times, I slowed down and just tried one baby on the breast and one on the bottle at each feeding, alternating them each time. With a good pump, they were still getting all breast milk. Don't be hard on yourself if you have to introduce a little formula. It may be necessary to keep your sanity! I would stock some formula for when you get home from the hospital and are waiting for your milk to come in. Utilize the lactation consultants at the hospital and try to learn as much as you can from them while you're there. The best advice I got from them was that I had to have it together in order to get through it. For me, that meant that I had to stop pushing myself so hard and being so hard on myself about ONLY feeding them breast milk. I eventually went down to just pumping and only putting them on the breast at one feeding each per day. It helped me get some rest, not feel like a milk machine, and slowly get back into it. Be flexible!! Good luck!!

Haylli - posted on 10/13/2009

All I can say to you is if your going to breast feed try tandem, getting them both done at once is such a time saver. I could only breast feed for a few months sadly my milk went away, but still I feed them together, one wakes up you wake up the other aswell. Lucky for you as me aswell, this was the first children so I didnt know any different if I was to have had 1,2,3...it's all about patience and time. Take time for yourself when you can, you'll need it trust me it helps keep you sane. And just take each day as a new day because it will be fun and rewarding.

Ruth - posted on 10/13/2009

If I was at home, I breastfed them at the same time, usually using a pillow either side of me to get them up to the right level, in a football kind of hold. But if we had visitors, or I was going out, I would feed one, then the other. And definitely get them on the same feeding schedule - especially in the night! So, as for equipment, all I used extra was a normal pillow. And don't put too much pressure on yourself for exclusively breastfeeding - you just don't know until it happens.

Shannon - posted on 10/13/2009

My twins were completely different sizes and I found it easier to use pillows to adjust them correctly. A chair never really worked for me except in the very beginning when they were tiny and it still didn't allow for much room. Doing tandum feeding is the best so you aren't wasting so much time but it was really hard for me to do by myself. So, most of the time I had to feed them separately so that they could both get the most out of their feedings which was a main concern when they were little so that they would gain weight.

Danielle - posted on 10/13/2009

I would get a twin nursing pillow and a comfy chair for you to nurse in. I almost always fed my boys tandem. It took a while to get used to it, but it was the fastest way to feed, and it kept them both on the same scheduel. You may want to get a double pump as well. I had troubles getting both of my boys to be full after a feeding and they usually had bottles afterwards. I wish you the best of luck. I made it to 4 months with twin B and 5 months with twin A. I would have loved to have nursed longer but they weened themselves. HTH

Kristen - posted on 10/12/2009

I have almost two year old twin boys I nursed for a full year. I almost always nursed them at the same time. An over-sized chair is great and believe it or not, I just used a boppy. The football hold for both of them worked great for me. Anytime we were in public though I did do them separately because it take a bit to get them into position.

The best advice I ever got though was to keep them on the same schedule, feed them and let them sleep at the same time. If one of them wakes in the middle of the night to eat, wake the other one to eat at the same time or right after you feed the first one. You will be so thankful for it!!!!!!!! Congratulations and Good Luck!

Holly - posted on 10/12/2009

I also used the EZ2Nurse pillow. It was most effiecient for me to nurse tandem more often than not. I have identical girls and they were on pretty much the same schedule so it worked best for us. I set up a "breastfeeding station" in a big arm chair with a table beside it. I kept the table stocked with a cordless phone and a big cup of water or juice and some snacks and the TV remote- because I spent a LOT of time in that chair during the first months! :) I really didn't use a breast pump since I nursed exclusively but I understand they can be a big help in the beginning to build up your supply. One thing I have to say- be flexible and don't give up! Nursing is very rewarding but if you have any problems getting started get help immediately!

Amanda - posted on 10/12/2009

I always fed both girls at the same time, and they got used to it very quickly. I would absolutely get the EZ2Nurse Twins breastfeeding pillow--it was my lifesaver!

Sophie - posted on 10/12/2009

i have to agree with the nursing pillow and extra hand to help get the babies in position. Also burping at the same time is difficult. My boys are about a 1/2 hour different schedule so one finishes and the other starts. i feel like they both get mommy time that way, too. Also as they are now getting bigger it is difficult to sit comfortably with them wrapped around my back without lots of pillows for my back.

Toni - posted on 10/12/2009

Nursing twins is a challenge but it can be done. Investing in a nursing pillow, which wraps around your waist, was the best money I spent. Along with a good quality breast pump. Nursing both babies at one time takes some doing, you just have to figure out what works for you. Being big breasted, the football hold worked best for me. Be sure to buy LOTS of nursing pads that fit inside your bra, you'll go thru them in no time flat. I did.



To bond with each baby individually, nurse one at a time. Give Daddy a bottle full of breast milk so he can join in the fun of feeding baby while you nurse the other. I did that as well. It worked out great. Finding a bottle nipple was a challenge though. Playtex Nursers is what I used. It also helped to cut down on the gas, which bottles are notorious for.



Good luck! Just remember, feeding two babies at once is a challenge but well worth it! You won't regret the decision.

Tansy - posted on 10/11/2009

I breaastfed my twins.. i did both at the same time most of the time.. it is a bit difficult spesh in public as its harder to make it discreet but as long as your with a friend or someone to help if you blanket falls to bare all! lol also i think the milk tends to flow better when feeding at the same time! But i would worry about doing either just go with the flow if they want it at the same time give it to them if not do one at a time! It is hard work and you seriously need to eat and drink alots because with one baby you would feed off one breast wind the baby change a nappy bla bla then finish off the other breast.. with twins they only have one breast each, horlics is good to drink before bed or a biiig glass of milk! when they wake in the night down a glass of milk or water or something to keep you milk through the night and for a good feed in the morning! They say guiness is good to drink so mayb when you are out and about have a half! :D good luck you have so much fun in store!

Melissa - posted on 10/10/2009

I found the My brest friend nursing pillow was a lifesaver. With it I could nurse both at the same o4 one could lay on it and nurse while I changed the other, etc. Congrats and enjoy breastfeeding-- I breastfed mine till 20 months.

Gladys - posted on 10/10/2009

Thanks for the tips suzanne! We'll start shopping for the babies soon so I'm coming up with the essentials list now. :)

Suzanne - posted on 10/10/2009

A good dual pump and a large chair with arms. Tandem will give you more time but it does take some figuring out. If you can find a hospital grade medella it has the best suction.