Learning you have twins can be SCARY! Even the most experienced moms of singletons get shaking in their boots. The first thing that came to my mind when I learned about my twin pregnancy was, HOW AM I GOING TO BREASTFEED NOW?! If you don't know my breastfeeding history with my first two babies, you can read about it in my blog post My Breastfeeding Journey: From Singleton To Twins.
Needless to say, I was really stressed about my ability to breastfeed two babies after having such a hard time breastfeeding one.
But, by God's grace, feeding twins ended up being easier. I like to attribute any success I've had to my husband for taking 3 months off work, my pediatricians for working with me while we get the babies' weight up, my lactation consultant for being SO supportive, and of course the twins themselves for never giving up on the breastfeeding endeavor.
The First Month
During the first month, the twins weren't strong enough to breastfeed a full feeding, so until they built up their strength, I had to breastfeed, pump, and bottle feed. I know this sounds daunting (and it was time-consuming), but it was necessary if I wanted to eventually exclusively breastfeed. Here is how my day looked:
Every 2 hours:
- Offer breast one at a time to each baby.
- After you've fed each one as much as they are willing, double pump your breasts for at least 20 minutes.
- If you stored your last pumping, then bottle feed that to the babies. If you don't have any stored breastmilk, then you can feed them the milk you just pumped.
Now, if your twins are anything like mine, they were not patient enough to wait till I pumped the rest of their feeding. I would need to either have milk ready from the last pumping session or give them formula. After that formula feeding, I would then store the milk just pumped to use at the next feeding.
Here is the bottle warmer I used to make sure there was always milk ready to go.
Side Note: I know many moms are scared of offering formula to babies. When it comes to twins though, you just have to sometimes until they are strong enough to fully breastfeed and stimulate your breasts enough. There are going to be times when you just can't handle ANOTHER pumping session and you need a break. One feeding of the formula isn't going to do any damage.
2nd Month
In the second month, I was able to have a little more freedom as my son got his tongue tie fixed and started drinking more. With our weekly weighted feeds, he was able to get about half a feeding from breastfeeding alone. Additionally, I realized my baby girl was able to get more milk when I tandem-fed them.
As an
Tandem Feeding
Tandem feeding is where you feed both babies at the same time. For this endeavor, it really helps to have another person there to support you until the babies are a bit studier. Also, the Twin Z is a must!
Believe me, buy it! Yes, it's a bit pricey, but it is totally worth it!
Every 3 hours:
- Tandem feed the babies
- Double pump for at least 10 minutes.
- Feed babies milk from the last pumping or milk just pumped.
As I started tandem feeding and the babies began drinking better, it took half the time to feed the babies! Plus, I didn't have to pump as long since they were taking more milk out themselves. This of course translates to less time feeding them a bottle also!
Now I won't lie, during this period of time, I was in full survivor mode. It was a blur and all I could focus on was making sure my babies were fed and growing. I didn't have the energy or time to do otherwise. This is why it is SO important to have support!
Be Flexible!
Momma, you are doing AMAZING! Not many people are doing what you're doing and you are DOING IT! Please have some grace for yourself and be proud of how far you've come. I'm sure your pregnancy wasn't a piece of cake either, yet you got through it! You will get through this too. Being flexible with feeding options will offer some moments of rest. With my first two children, I was so inflexible and adamant about exclusively breastfeeding that it was hurting my babies! I had read so much misinformation about not giving your babies a taste of formula and not letting anything but a breast touch their lips. It was my breastfeeding downfall. Don't do what I did!
IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFEED AFTER STARTING WITH A BOTTLE!
Yes, it takes work and dedication, but you can do it!
I would love to include you in my prayers as we both pray over our lives and children. Feel free to email me and let me know how your journey is going.
