Breastfeeding Twins Q&A

Last week I did a Breastfeeding Q&A with my friend who has a six week old baby boy and has had a very successful breastfeeding relationship so far.  My hopes and purpose for the Q&A was that it would help educate women who may be on the fence about breastfeeding and to encourage mommies who may be having difficult in their own breastfeeding journey.  I received a couple comments from pregnant twin mommies who were wondering about aspects of nursing two babies. I immediately thought of a woman from my local Natural Mamas group who was recently blessed with a set of twins. She and I actually had similarly negative experiences with the infertility clinic on post and went on to use the same RE for our IVF cycles. Again, the questions I asked are some of my own and some of them stem from debates and discussions I've observed through lurking on various forums.  I hope all of you moms of multiples out there will be encouraged by this twin mama's breastfeeding journey! It's a rocky road but it is possible to successfully breastfeed twins. Thank you so much for your help, Dasie!

Why did you want to breastfeed?
 I originally wanted to breast feed because it seemed like the most natural thing to do. I had always heard "breast is best," so I started researching when I found out I was pregnant. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed because I was having twins. Through my research I discovered many women have been able to exclusively breastfeed their twins with no issues. I decided I was set on doing it until the babies weaned themselves.


Were you exposed to breastfeeding as a child? Was it considered "the norm" in you family culture?
Yes, breastfeeding was the norm for my family. Everyone breastfed, with the exception of my one aunt. She had medical reasons that she could not breastfeed her babies.

What did you do to prepare for breastfeeding?
I honestly didn't do much to prepare for breastfeeding. I talked to my mom about it since she had breast fed me and my brother, researched online about how best to breastfeed twins, and just talked to other mama's that I knew breast fed their babies. Other than that, the only thing I did, as suggested by my mom was to play with, tug on, and otherwise "toughen up" my nipples so they wouldn't be so sore in the beginning.

Does it really come naturally?
For me, breast feeding definitely has NOT come naturally. It is something I have worked at, struggled with, and cried over since the beginning. I am still struggling with it at 2 months in. But, it's all worth the struggle in the end to see my two little babies happy and satisfied.

What did the first latch feel like?
The first latch is really hard to explain. I was still kind of in shock from having the twins. It felt amazing, and natural (the only time breastfeeding has felt that way). It was such a once in a lifetime experience seeing my two little ones looking up at me trying to figure me out.

Did your nurses try to push formula on you in the hospital?
I truly feel like one nurse in particular pushed it on me big time. It was a night nurse I had that did the 36 hour post birth weight. She told me the babies had lost too much weight and that I needed to give them formula to supplement. I knew that giving formula would hurt my chances of being successful at EBFing, so instead I asked her to check my latch and help me that way. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. She said that she "couldn't do that." and walked out of the room. 3 hours later, she comes back in, waking me and the babies telling me that I needed to give them formula or the babies wouldn't be allowed to leave. Of course, I broke down and gave them formula. The other nurses were nothing like this one nurse, and were in fact very supportive of me breastfeeding the babies.

My baby was screaming from hunger before my milk came in. Shouldn't I give him formula?
This one is a tough one, and I really think it is your personal decision. I came across this very situation, and I ended up giving formula. It took 8 days for my milk to come in, and the babies were just so hungry. I would give them formula through a very thin tube attached to my nipple with a syringe on the end. It helped give me the nipple stimulation I needed to establish a supply while giving them the food they needed.

What do you have against formula? It seems so much easier!
I have nothing against formula, I still give formula to my kids, but I don't think formula is easier than breast feeding. When you breastfeed all you have to do is "whip out the boob" and Voila, you're feeding your baby. This because a life saver in the middle of the night. I honestly don't know how someone would only bottle feed twins. Between the cleaning, sterilizing, heating up formula, feeding, I don't think there would be extra time left for me to relax. This all doesn't even include the cost of so many bottles and all that formula!

How long did it take for your milk to come in?
It took my milk 8 days to come in, and honestly about 10 days before I was "full" of milk. I was induced and on lasix and a bunch of other meds for pre-eclampsia, so that didn't help my milk coming in at all.

Did you see a lactation specialist in the hospital?
Yes, I saw a LC in the hospital. The one I saw was not very helpful at all. In fact, she kept pushing formula on me, but that is NOT the norm for an LC. LC's are a very valuable resource and can make or break a breastfeeding relationship.

How often do you have to feed your babies? I heard formula babies sleep longer.
In the beginning, I fed the babies every 2 hours like clockwork around the clock. Now at 2 months, they eat about every 2-3 hours during the day, and 2-3 times at night. I can say, from experience, that formula does not make them sleep longer. They still wake at the same intervals no matter what.

How do you know your baby is getting enough milk?
I know they're getting enough because they are happy and content after nursing. Babies always let you know when they are hungry.

How do you keep your supply up with twins?
Since your milk supply is based on supply and demand, I just make sure I am putting the babies to the breast very frequently. I have an underlying medical condition that causes me to have low supply, so I take a 3 capsules of fenugreek 5 times a day. I also eat a healthy diet with plenty of oatmeal and brewers yeast in it. Tandem feeding also helps keep up supply because you are being stimulated at the same time which causes a more effective let down.

Do you pump?
For the first 4 weeks I pumped, but then I stopped. Pumping didn't work for me. I couldn't let down for the pump, and all it did is hurt. I pumped in the beginning after every feeding for 10 minutes to help establish a better supply.

Has there ever been a moment where you just want to give up?
I want to give up about 2-3 times a week! Breastfeeding for me is really hard. It's not hard because I have twins or it's inconvenient, but because my medical issues make me have a lower supply. I keep on with it though, making and reaching small goals for myself. First goal was 2 weeks, then 4, then 6, now every month I give myself a pat on the back. I am hoping and praying I can make it to 6 months. Again, this is all because of my medical condition. Very few women have an actual issue with their supply.

Are your breasts sore all the time?
Honestly, my breasts have only been sore one time that I can remember. They were sore that one time because I wasn't making sure the babies were latched properly.

Do you wake up leaking?
Sometimes I wake up leaking and some times I don't. It is never that much though.

 How do you feel about nursing in public? Do you nurse in public?
I love nursing in public. I am always discreet about it, and usually do it in a carrier. I think it is good for people to see a woman nursing her baby. The more people see it, the more culturally acceptable BFing will become.

Breastfeeding is a natural thing. Why do I need to "prepare" for it?
I am really big in to education and informing yourself about options and tips and tricks related to breast feeding. There is a lot that you don't "naturally" know, and a lot of problems that you can run in to. Breast feeding may be natural process, but it is not by any means easy to do.

Do you think it's possible to be successful if you don't prepare?
I do believe it is possible to be successful if you don't prepare, but I think you are less likely to be successful. It is about the will power of the individual. I could have given up a million and a half times, but I haven't. That fact, and that alone, is why I have been successful.

Where do your babies sleep?
For convenience, the babies sleep in a pack 'n play in the living room. We have a changing station and my breastfeeding station set up there. I tandem feed through the night, so it was the easiest way for that to happen.

How does your husband feel about breastfeeding?
My husband is very supportive of my breastfeeding. Honestly, without his support, I probably would not be breastfeeding as much as I do now. He is still a little wary of me nursing in public, but still supports it. Support is so much more important than you expect it to be when breast feeding.

But aren't breasts sexual?
Breasts are sexual, and then again they are not. Breasts are sexual when it's "mommy & daddy time" but not when I am feeding my children. When I was pregnant, I thought it might be hard to feel the difference between the two, but now it really isn't at all.

My own 2 cents:
I know a lot of twin moms will come across so much negativity when expressing their wishes for breastfeeding. DON'T LISTEN!! If you want to BF your twins, then you can. Educate yourselves and don't fall prey to all the anti-BFing propaganda out there. I would highly suggest investing in a twin breast feeding pillow like "My brestfriend". It would be impossible for me to tandem feed without it. I would also start tandem feeding early on, at the hospital. There will never be a time where you have as much help as you do in the hospital. Make those nurses work for you!