How to Breast-Feed Twins

Is it possible to breast-feed twins? Absolutely! And it's important, because twins are often small or premature and need all the help they can get to grow healthy and strong.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baby Bibs
• Burp Cloths
• Juices
• Water
• Diapers
• Water

1. Before your babies arrive, line up as much household support as possible for the postpartum period. Try to arrange for help with your older children, housework and other responsibilities so you can concentrate on your twins.

2. Hydrate - when your twins are born, get used to drinking lots of fluids and eating frequent healthy snacks. You need extra calories to make enough milk for two babies.

3. Nurse your babies simultaneously or separately ' there are advantages and disadvantages to each method. It may be easier to nurse them one at a time, but it will take up more of your time each day. Nursing increases your prolactin levels and can stimulate milk production; it is also a time saver!

4. Practice a number of nursing positions; many mothers of twins find that the football hold (one baby tucked under each arm) is most successful.

5. If the football hold doesn't work for you, try nursing in the crisscross position, with your babies facing each other and the legs of one twin tucked behind the other twin.

6. Try the parallel position, with both babies facing the same way ' basically, one will be in the football hold, the other in the cradle hold.

7. Try to breast-feed at least some of the time even if your babies receive bottles. This will ensure that they get the antibodies and protective properties of your breast milk, as well as nutrition from a combination of breast milk and formula.

8. Alternate breasts rather than always nursing the same baby on the same breast. This gives both babies extra visual stimulation and improves visual coordination.

9. Contact a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader to ask about breast-feeding support; they may also be able to give you contact information for other mothers of multiples or groups that focus on parenting twins.

Tips & Warnings

• If people offer to help out, accept! Whether they bring casseroles, do a load of dishes or pick up your dry cleaning, every little bit helps.
• Try to get lots of rest. Your body needs to recover from your pregnancy and birth experience, as well as get used to the physical demands of nursing twins, especially during growth spurts.
• If you are trying to breast-feed exclusively without supplementing, try to avoid pacifiers and artificial nipples during the first six weeks. This will give your milk supply a chance to stabilize and allow your babies to develop a good latch.
• Keep track of the wet and dirty diapers that each baby produces for the first couple of weeks; this is an excellent early warning system that can alert you to dehydration, poor weight gain and other problems that may affect one or both twins.

[PowerSellingMom]

on 3/7/2009 I was just about to write an article about this topic but you did a great job!!!!

on 8/8/2006 If at all possible, hire a postpartum doula during the day hours while your husband is at work. I can't tell you how many times I was prepared to quit nursing, only to be helped through it by my doula. In addition to nursing help, she prepared snacks and beverages and entertained my older child while I nursed. In addition, unlike my sisters, she had no problem with my bare breasts and helped me latch my girls without issue.

on 8/8/2006 My twins are now nine months old. I am still nursing them both and find it very satisfying and bonding. The best way to continue to nurse twins is to nurse both at the same time. This allows for better let down and greater supply of milk. If one baby is a more vigorous nurser this will benefit the other twin by encouraging more let down response. You will need support from family to help get the little ones positioned and then again to take them off. It gets easier as they get bigger because they don't need as long at the breast as they did in the very early months.

on 6/30/2006 If at all possible, hire a postpartum doula during the day hours while your husband is at work. I can't tell you how many times I was prepared to quit nursing, only to be helped through by my doula.In addition to nursing help, she prepared snacks and beverages and entertained my older child while I nursed. Unlike my sisters, she had no problem with my bare breasts and helped me latch my girls without issue.

on 11/22/2005 Make sure to get a good nursing pillow, and use other pillows to find the most comfortable positions. Make sure your husband, friends, and family members are present in the early stages, you'll need their help to prop the babies up on the pillow. We co-slept with our boys for the first two months, that was our key to getting a little more sleep. Make sure to have plenty of nursing shirts, as nursing two can be a little revealing with all the new visitors popping in to visit. With a nursing shirt you can cover up a little, and not feel like you have to go hide to nurse. It's an extreme sport, but so rewarding! I'm still nursing my 11 month old twin boys.