How long did you breastfeed twins?

Tine - posted on 05/27/2012

I never used bottles, but I breastfed my daughter until she was nearly 3 and a half years old, through my pregnancy with my son. He's going strong on the good stuff at 6 months, and I'll let him wean whenever he's ready (at least 2 years though).
Sounds like you're doing a great job with your twins :-)

Malinda - posted on 05/26/2012

with each of my children the amount of time I nursed was different. The longest I ever nursed was 1 yr. I had plenty of milk, my son refused to drink from a bottle, ever. Worked for us, though there were those that had negative opinions but ... really it's none of their business! =o)

Charity - posted on 05/24/2012

My twins are 6 months old and breastfeeding 90 to 100% most days only breastmilk some days maybe 2-4 ounces of formula. There has been ups and downs in my supply and some days I would have to pump after every feeding to help boost things. I take fenugreek and drink mothers milk tea. We are going to make it to at least a year or longer! It hasn't always been easy and pumping at work I am behind on what they drink by pumping but we always strive and work to get back to 100% breastmilk. Go to all mama's nursing Twins or more! it's not always easy but it can be done!

Clairerfoster - posted on 05/21/2012

Hi, my twins are 10months now and I'm still bf them both completely. when they were 6weeks I introduced bottles at night to take the pressure off but once they started solids properly at 7months, I didn't feel the need for bottles any longer and they were and still are happier for it. That saying they were used to cups for water. I've watched friends of mine trying to get their babies off bottles and its hard. I made this mistake with my nearly 3 year old as he was just over 2 even though I bf him till he was 14 months old, I felt sorry for him growing so fast. At times I felt like I didn't have enough milk but extra feeds gets your milk supply up and expressing if you have time and energy..well done though and keep it up and be very proud at all times:-)

Michelle - posted on 07/23/2010

Hey, 50/50 is a great effort - if you can keep that up, that's heaps more than some singletons get!! Good luck!

Sharon - posted on 07/23/2010

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! I did try domperidone and the herbal remedies to boost milk supply early on and it didn't really help much at all. Pumping does help but as I'm sure you all understand, the trick is finding the time to do it! So as it stands, the boys are now three and a half months old and I'm still doing 50/50 breast and formula. I'm going to try to keep it up at least until 6 months.

Penny - posted on 07/21/2010

First I want to congratulate on being successful on breast feeding twins. That much be so hard and a lot of work. I breast feed both of my daughters. My first daughter I breast fed until she was 13months old.My second daughter I breast fed until she was 7 months old. If you are wondering why I only breast fed for 7 months it was because she was a nosy baby. Lol. I believe that a baby should be fed when they are hungry. I am a very modest person and with my second child it didn't matter how discrete I tried to be when i was breast feeding her she would unlatch without no warning! Then there was part of my breast showing. Oh NO!!! If you can you should try to breast feed up to 6 mo. .They say that breast milk is the best thing for children and technically that is all they need till 6 mo.According to a breast feeding class I took my daughter to.
Best of luck to you.Keep me posted. :)

Ashley - posted on 07/15/2010

I started out doing the same thing 50/50 i didn't have enough milk to supply for two babies so I only got to breastfeed for 6 wks but at least I did it for that long it is a very difficult process!!

Beth - posted on 07/14/2010

twins are 6 months now and about 50 50 too , went through a period of a couple weeks where they neither one wanted breast , and i thought we would be weaning, but not happening, allycia needs to nurse more than neal , he seems to prefer the bottle, i think cause its easier , she seems to like the slower flow while nursing ...
they are very indidvidual about it , and i kind of felt bad , well no i seriously felt bad about it for a long time , but now its just something i try to roll with .. they are thier own individaul babies thats for sure .

Stephanie - posted on 07/12/2010

My girls are almost 4 months old and I have exclusivley breastfed them. If you tried pumping more between feedings it might help make more milk. If you breast feed every 2.5 to 3 hours your body will tell itself to make more. I pump after the last feeding and after the first morning feeding. I plan on breastfeeding until they are one. I hope this helps.

Melissa - posted on 07/12/2010

I breastfed my twin girls for 13 months with no supplementing with formula. I decided to wean myself off of BF because it was so time-consuming and tough to do at work (I'm a teacher.) I am glad I stuck with it for a solid year. Best of luck to you! I know it is tough, but is well worth it!

Carrie - posted on 07/11/2010

My twins were my 4 and 5 babies. #3 was just 21 months old when my twins were born. I knew it would be difficult to get breastfeeding established, but once it was, it would be easiest. So for the first few months, I did little but feed. My large twins were exclusively breastfed for 9 months, and then they had solids, breastmilk and the occasional water until they were 2 & 3/4, and 3 & 1/4 years old. Complimenting needs to be very carefully managed, or it will reduce your supply very quickly! When your supply is low, breastfeeding more often will usually boost it - you can top up with a breastfeed about 20 minutes after the last feed, if necessary.

Heather - posted on 07/11/2010

I was never able to get more than 4 ounces of milk with the twins. With my other kids I always had tons of milk, but it just never came with the girls. So I only lasted about 2 months before I gave up. With four kids I didn't have time to spend feeding for and hour and having them not get hardly any milk. I wish someone would have told me about lactation pills! I have never heard of those until reading this thread! I was exhausted and defeated, and they were already being fed 90% from the bottle because of my low supply...

LeeAnn - posted on 07/11/2010

I breastfed my boy/girl twins until they each wanted to stop, which was 11 mos for my boy and 14 mos for my girl. I supplemented my boy because he always seemed to be hungry, and then he calmed down a lot.

Jenn - posted on 07/11/2010

12 months with no supplementing.

Dominique - posted on 07/10/2010

My two girls are 6 1/2 months now and im still bf for the two morning feeds. they were not getting enough milk so at about 2months i put them on 1bottle a day. found i could keep up with then having that extra bottle. at 4months i put them on solids in the evening along with still bf. my milk has dried up a lot due to not bf every hour. they are much happier now with the extra bottle and 3-4 meals a day. i also have 2older children (5y and 6 1/2y) at home so its pretty full on

Tracy - posted on 07/10/2010

I nursed my twin girls for 16 months; pumped when I went back to work after 9 weeks and supplemented with formula as needed.

Patricia - posted on 07/08/2010

My twin girls will be 3 on October 31st and still nursing and they are great eaters as well. I did not have to supplement though. There are many things you can do to increase your supply. The most effective way is baby to breast as much as humanly possible.

Nancy - posted on 07/07/2010

I breastfed my twins 50/50 the same way form about 4 1/2 to 5 months thats all I could take, it got to the point where all i could do was walk around with my shirt off or undone all the time as they get bigger they want to eat more. One was a great eater the other not so much took a lot of coaxing...so i had to stop.

Jennifer - posted on 07/07/2010

Hi! I had twin girls who were 4 lbs 12 oz and 4 lbs 11 oz when they were born. I tried to breastfeed but they never really were able to latch on and I never produced enough milk. However I tried very hard for a month, also while supplementing but they just were not gaining weight. So, I stopped and went to full time bottle after one month. As soon as I did that, they gained weight like they should and are now healthy 8 1/2 years old. However, I had another daughter 15 months after the twins and she was great at breastfeeding. However I stopped her at 3 months because I went back to work.

Melinda - posted on 07/07/2010

Hi. My twin boys are now 6 months old and I just stopped bfeeding them. I also used formula since their birth and just kept trying to feed as long as I could. In the end, I kept getting sick (got mastitis and really bad infected sinuses) and had to go on antibiotics, so it kind of forced me to stop.
Bfeeding twins is so, so hard. Do the best you can. I did find that up to about 10 weeks was the hardest and it got a lot easier after that. But don't torture yourself, do what is best for you to be a good mum.

Gail - posted on 07/07/2010

I had plenty of milk. It just seemed like that was all got done doing because breast milk seems to be digested faster and thus hungry faster. So that's why I choose to us formula w/ the breast.

Gail - posted on 07/07/2010

I did the same thing. Gave 1 the breast and other a bottle then flipped it for the next feeding. I only did it until they were 4 mo. old. I also had a 22mo old. to take care of. So it was helpful to be able to hand my twins off to someone else at times. Which wasn't very often. I also tried to stagger their feeding, but that ended up taking up to much time. So in the end I got my older childs plate ready and got her set up to eat and then I put the twins in their bouncy seats next to her and give them their bottles. It helped to that my son started holding his bottle around 6-7mo. old.

Jenny - posted on 07/07/2010

I breastfed for about 6 weeks, I also have 3 other children (boys) so it was akward to do it in front of them but didnt like being shut up in the bedroom all the time. I think it is just important to make a decision based on your individual situation. I do not feel bad for not doing it longer. My girls didnt do well for whatever reason and it just didnt work for me. They were constantly spitting up and constantly hungry. Once they lost more than a lb a peice and were still losing weight in the hospital I decided to suppliment and that went way smoother although my lactaion nurse was very rude about it, the dr said it was ok. ultimatly you have to decide whats best for you and if its working out well for you then thats awesome but if its not dont feel like it makes u a bad mom if you dont continue

Liesha - posted on 07/07/2010

I nursed and pumped while they were in the NICU for 3 weeks. They had me "Power Pump" to get my milk supply up. I would pump every 2 hours all day and night. That was doable when the twins were in the hospital. It did help. When they came home we made it for about 1 1/2 more months, then I got two infections and I would sit and cry the whole time they were nursing. We decided it wasn't helping them or me if I was that unhappy. Don't feel guilty about not nursing. My twins are now just shy of 6 years old and they are happy, healthy and very smart. They have never had any serious health issues and been on very few antibiotics. Do what you can and make an honest effort if that's what you really want to do, but don't beat yourself up! I never propped them up with a bottle, but I tried to make our feeding time with the bottles just as sweet and quiet as it was when we nursed. The great thing is, they can bond with others as well. Remember, every mom is different and has different limitations!

Sheila - posted on 07/07/2010

I breastfed my twins until 4 months. I supplemented as needed, but just didn't have the milk supply...I was pumping 5 times a day and only getting enough for one bottle each so it just wasn't worth the time and effort at that point.

Kristina - posted on 07/07/2010

I nursed my twins exclusively and I weaned them at 30 months (mind you, they were down to naptime/bedtime nursing sessions at that point). It can be done. The thing about nursing is that it works on a supply and demand basis, so if you are supplementing too much, naturally your production will decrease. Did someone tell you that you don't have enough milk? What was their "proof"? Were the boys losing weight? As long as they have 6 to 8 very wet diapers per day, they are getting enough milk. Very few mothers truly don't produce enough milk, even for twins. Breastfed babies feed more often than formula-fed babies because breastmilk is digested so completely. I'm a bit passionate about the topic. :) I feel that as women, we don't trust our bodies enough to do what they are designed to do. Anyway, if you want help with breastfeeding in any way, you should contact a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (many hospitals have one on staff) or a La Leche League leader in your area. Good luck!!!

Sara - posted on 07/07/2010

I breastfed my twin girls until they were 4 months old, and also supplemented with formula. I had enough milk to give them to supplement 50/50 until they were 6 months old. Breastfeeding twins is HARD! Kudos to you for making it as long as you have! I couldn't have done it without the support of my husband. Good luck!

Karen - posted on 07/07/2010

BF mine until 15 months, no supplements. Weaned to a cup, no bottles, ever. It can be done. I had them on a schedule, but it was more frequent than the books say! Very grateful.

Lesli - posted on 07/06/2010

my babies didn't latch :( since they were in the NICU for such a long time and hooked in korpack... i pumped for only 3 months, then my mild dried out because of stress ( stay at home with no help 6 days a week) My babies just wanted bottles, and my boy was a fragile eater. his tounge got tired of sucking and barely ate anything, he didn't suck hard enough to get milk... i tries everything, but nothing worked! their pediatrician told me it was ok to give up, since they were doing so well on formula... but i'm still bummed out about it... the more you pump the more formula you make, so if you are lucky to make some for more than 3 months, YOU GO GIRL! :)

Marlene - posted on 07/06/2010

I pumped and topped up with concentrated formula for 7 months (as per dietician's orders for weight gain). One baby never latched on, and the other was an inefficient feeder. They were born at 34 weeks and spent 4 weeks in the hospital to grow and feed. The nurse told me about getting a prescription for Domperidone. It's a drug that's side effect is producing more milk. It will help out your supply, but you also need to pump every 3-4 hours. I would have to pump in the middle of the night even if I had enough milk pumped ahead of time. When I started getting lazy to pump at night, my supply diminished. I also found that I didn't have any time left once they started solids because they took so long to eat. I felt guilty for not lasting the full year, but I started feeling normal again once I could sleep through the night. I'm just glad that I went as long as I reasonably could.

Maya - posted on 07/06/2010

Hi Sharon,
My twins are 15 months and I am still breastfeeding once before bedtime. I didn't supplement, but wished I had at 9 month when I feel I grew more tired and my milk slowed and they acted like they were going to wean and I had blown through my frozen supply. My milk came back up when my twins started sleeping at night and I could take care of myself better again. People told me to go as long as you feel comfortable with it and as long as they feel like it. La leche hotline helped me tons and gave me the courage to continue and feel great about it. Good luck to you!

Renee - posted on 07/06/2010

I breastfed my twin girls for 13 months. Alternating with pumping BM and putting in bottles for others to help feed. The Medela Pump In Style really kept my milk supply waaaay up.

Kate - posted on 07/06/2010

I'm just weaning my girls now and they are 7 months. I am down to one feed in the morning. I breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months....no bottles, it was easier!! I was lucky as I produced lots of milk. Each baby had their own boob,that way each boob knew how much to make. The twin breastfeeding pillow is a definate must!! I stopped b/c I wanted some freedom to get out of the house more! I have a 3 yr old boy as well, and now that they are bottles in the day, I can have nan and pop come babysit and I can take my son out. Plus, I can get out by myself=) Freedom is a sweet thing. Although, it was sad weaning them at first, I'm happy now. They love their bottles and are really contented little babies.

Tiana - posted on 07/06/2010

I actually breastfed my twins exclusively for the first 6 months and pumped and stored milk that they had until they were about 11 months. BUT I was a dang milk factory! My pediatrician told me that I could feed a third world country. LOL It sounds like you are doing great using both!! Just remember the more you pump and feed the babies, the more milk supply you will have. Check out http://igotmompower.com/archives/categor...

Chaundra - posted on 07/06/2010

Hi Sharon. Congratulations on your boys! I have twin boys who are now 16 months old. They are my # 6 and 7 and after nursing my last three children for over 2 years each, I really wanted to nurse the twins. I tried so hard, one would latch well, one wouldn't. I pumped and pumped to increase my supply - never could make much milk. I consulted a lactation consultant and took Fenugreek with Blessed Thistle. I was told over and over that my supply would increase to meet their demand. It didn't. The only think I accomplished was to stress myself completely out and cry all the time! I had to supplement - at first only at night, then by the time they were two months it was 50/50. I struggled until they were 6 months old and then it became more like 90/10 - 90 being formula. When the boys were born they were only 6 ounces different in weight. Now, one is 2 pounds bigger. They are both very healthy, one just has a smaller frame. They have had no more ear infections or colds than my girls did who were exclusively breastfed. What giving them a bottle has done is help them to have great relationships with all of my other children and my husband, who all love to snuggle, rock and give them bottles.
I say to you that you should not allow others to put pressure on you to breastfeed or formula feed. You have to do what is best for you and your family. The really cool thing about being the mom is that you get to decide how long you nurse - I have learned that all babies are different and they all nurse differently. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Those babies are getting great nutrition from both. As long as they are gaining weight and are healthy that's all that matters.
I wish you all the best and hope you have a wonderful time with your new sons.

Lisa - posted on 07/06/2010

I had very low supply with my twins, who were born at 32w, and after the initial few weeks when their intake was low enough for me to keep up I was basically supplementing formula with BM rather than the other way around. I stopped BFing my daughter when she was 7 months; her teeth came in and she insisted on biting and chewing. I continued to BF my son until he was 18 or 19 months old. Again, my BM was the supplement, but I felt good about continuing to give him whatever I could.

Whatever works for you, works for you. Don't let anyone make you feel that you should be BFing "more". Conversely, don't let anyone feel like you're wrong for doing what you can to BF twins when you have a low supply. Do what works for you and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!

Best of luck!

Terri - posted on 07/06/2010

It's tough because you are supplementing. That is less stimulation to make milk. But you have to intervene if they are losing weight. I agree with pumping after feeding every 3 hours. You may not get anything out or minimal but that's ok...it still stimulates. Another thing you can try is fenugreek--natural supplement (you can find it at GNC) this will help raise your lactin levels to produce more milk. I breastfed one twin until 10 months, and the other I stopped at 2 weeks because he was losing too much weight....come to find out when he was three that he had weak oral muscles, thus could not efficiently remove milk from the breasts. If one is doing o.k. keep him on the breast and you can pump the other side while you nurse and supplement that pumped milk with formula for the other baby. Good luck...not easy infants...esp twins.

Andi - posted on 07/05/2010

I was breastfeeding for 13 month. I had to supplement it after 3 month, but I mainly brestfed my girls. I pumped my milk for 8 month, I wanted to make sure they get all the milk what I can give to them. At 13 month they just stopped, which broke my heart, though they still talk about it!! I think that was the best time in my life!

Elana - posted on 07/05/2010

I have 9 month old twin girls and still exclusively breastfeeding! I've tried to get them to drink a bottle just to relieve myself, but no luck! So I'll be breastfeeding them as long as they want I guess.

Shanalee - posted on 07/04/2010

I breastfed my twins for 15 months. For the first 6 months of their life neither one of them ate anything. At approximately 6 months one of them would start cereal and the other did not like food until about 9 months. At 9 months they had to go to daycare but I still pumped enough milk for both of them to not be supplemented with formula. I weaned them at 15 months, as I was 3 months pregnant with our last baby at that time. I found the more I nursed them on demand, the more milk I had. Good luck with your babies. My twins just turned 10 years old!!!

Yolanda - posted on 07/04/2010

6 months, with supplementing.

Jessica - posted on 07/04/2010

I breastfed my twin boys until they were 12.5 months old. I used formula occasionally but in general was able to keep up with their needs.

Carla - posted on 07/04/2010

Hi, I breastfed my girls till they reached 8 1/2 months. It was me who gave up, not them. Frankly I had had enough. Bad to say but so true. I hardly supplemented them at all, maybe one or two bottles a week each. It seemed all I was doing was feeding. And while I feel proud that I did my best for them, it was time to call it quits. Also having a toddler, now 4, at home made it difficult to devote all my time to the twins. Now they are approaching one and are happily drinking cows milk and Mom is happy because she now has help in the feeding dept. Our next step is getting rid of the bottles. Should be fun. I did rent a pump from a drug store and it worked wonderfully, but I found it just easier to breastfeed. I used the pump when we were going to be away from home and needed some bottles. Just keep up the good work, go as long as you feel you can. Remember the more you feed the more milk you produce. Good luck.

Sheryl - posted on 07/04/2010

I have 5 month old twin boys. I BF for 6 weeks but had to supplement from day one. I pumped with the Medela rental from the hospital and still never pumped more than 2 ounces at a time. I had enough every other feeding to give them breastmilk and I nursed them at their 7am feeding. They were born 3 weeks early at about 5lbs each so I really wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing for them nutritionally. After 6 weeks I made the decision to bottle feed formula exclusively. I agree breastmilk is best, but they went from the 18th percentile to the 50th the next month after bottle feeding formula, so I know they weren't suffering from my decision. They are big healthy, happy babies now and that's all I care about. I went back to work after 12 weeks and it was an easy transition for us all. Do what your instincts tell you. Everyone is different and the important thing is raising healthy, happy babies.

Tzena - posted on 07/04/2010

Hello My twin boys are now 4yrs 4months old, i fed them both till they were 1yr old, i did get sore due to constant feeding at around 6months old but i then supplemented by giving last feed of the day before bed, as a bottle of formular, i then would continue to feed myself again when they woke through the night , eventually the older bigger twin, started to bite and knew this, so i would take him off me, he soon learnt this and stopped biting, but by the time they were 1yr old i stopped the breast and continued with bottle @ bedtime and beaker through the day, i must add, i let them feed as long as they liked and when ever they liked, i soon had them into a routine and because they woke within 10mins of each other this worked for me. Good Luck and best wishes xxx

Catherine - posted on 07/04/2010

i bf until about 13 weeks. my boys were 8lbs each and needed emergency surgery at 12 weeks pp. baby b started to loose weight not matter what i tried (and i tried EVERYTHING) the lactation consultants told me to do what i felt comfortable with and helped me stop. best to you and your boys!! it's an incredible ride!

Kate - posted on 07/04/2010

I breast fed the boys until they were 9 months. They did get supplemented feeds from 4 months as i just could not supply enough for their demands. I am lucky the boys took to the bottle well as one was so hard to BF. Just did not get the hang of it. They are now 2 and thriving. Good luck and do what ever you think is best for your boys. Don't let anyone tell you what is best, only you know that.

Patricia - posted on 07/03/2010

My twins were my 1st so I didn't make it long, I was young & w/out support. ( so 2 months was all they got) I know many moms that breastfed twins a lot more successfully than I did. My daughter however, went from breast to cup, 18 months. Don't quit :) you need that 1st year to get ALL the benefits keep it up :)

Yelena - posted on 07/03/2010

Hi, my twins are 16 months, we just stopped nursing 2 weeks ago. They were exclusively breastfed. The longer the better for the babies! Keep up the great job! Plus, the weight loss was unbelievable for me.