The Best Positions for Breastfeeding Twins

Last updated on September 28th, 2021 at 01:43 pm

If you have been searching for the best positions for breastfeeding twins, look no further. Check out this great article with step-by-step instructions.

If you are preparing to have twins, the idea of how to breastfeed them can be daunting. You are faced with two options: try and feed them both at the same time, or feed them separately. Tandem feeding is definitely possible, although it can be hard to get the hang of. Patience and practice will be required in copious amounts to get through.

While feeding them at the same time obviously saves you time, it can be quite difficult. It can take quite a while to get the hang of it, too. There are limited options for positions when tandem feeding, but you should try them all to see what works best for you and your babies. Take a look at some of the best positions for breastfeeding twins.

Basic Positions for Breastfeeding Twins One at a Time

• Cradle Hold: Mom holds baby in her arm with baby’s head in the nook of her elbow and feet laying across Mom’s belly
• Crossover Hold: Baby is side-lying on pillow, feeding on left breast with legs tucked under Mom’s right arm (or vice versa)
• Football Hold: Baby lies on back on pillow, feeding on right breast with legs tucket under Mom’s right arm (or vice versa)
• Laid-Back Position: Mom lays on back and baby feeds while laying on top of her stomach
• Side-Lying Position: Mom and baby lay on their sides, facing each other. Baby feeds on breast next to the bed.
• Upright breastfeeding is also an option for older babies who can sit upright.
• Slideshow of single baby breastfeeding holds

If you plan to only feed one baby at a time, all of these are available to you. Some moms prefer to only feed one baby at a time as it provides an individual bonding experience with each baby.

If you would like to venture into the world of tandem feeding, first make sure that both babies are pretty competent feeders. This means feeding each baby individually for a while. For some, this may only be for a couple days, for some it could be a few weeks.

Early tandem breastfeeding holds

Once all three of you are ready, experts will tell you there are two main positions to try:

• Double-Football Hold
• Double-Cradle Hold

Double-Football Hold

With the Double-Football Hold, you will rest your babies’ bodies on pillows along your sides and under your arms. Your hands will cradle their heads with their bodies held right up next to your hips. If you are familiar with the single Football Hold, you will find that it is the exact same hold, just doing it with two babies, one on each side of you. This hold is often an easy transition into tandem feedings for both mom and babies, however, some moms feel it forces their own body into an awkward position.

There is also a variation of the Double-Football Hold. Place two pillows out from your sides like wings. You place each baby on a pillow and cradle their heads with your hands. Your forearm should rest along your babies’ backs with your elbow near their rump. You could also think of it as a variation as the Crossover Hold because the way you cradle the baby is similar, but you move your arm and the baby outward toward the breast closest to that arm.

This hold is also pretty easy, however, if you can’t position your pillows right, this will likely be very tiring for your arms. It may help to do this in a slightly reclined position. The big drawback with this position is your babies are not getting nearly as much skin contact as with the other holds.

Double Cradle Hold

With the Double-Cradle Hold, you will place both babies on a double breastfeeding pillow over your lap. Each baby lays in the crook of each elbow, crisscrossing each other. This means one baby will be lying with the majority of its body touching your chest, but the second baby will have its body touching the other baby. This may take several adjustments and some getting used to before you figure out how it will work for the three of you.

One of your concerns may be that the first baby’s feet will be in the second baby’s way. To solve this, you will simply want to try and position the first baby’s feet under your opposite breast. Also, as the second baby will be craning a bit around the first baby, your arm support will be more important for the second baby than with the first.

Finally, it might take some getting used to for the baby that is sandwiched between the two of you. Try both babies in both positions to see who is most comfortable where. This hold may seem a bit more complicated than the Double-Football Hold, but many moms find it more comfortable for themselves.

While most of the information you are given will tell you that the above positions are the only ones, if you consult other twin moms, you will find there are additional options. Some moms have tried a Double-Laid-Back Position. This is another position that seems to need a lot of adjustments and getting used to before you will find what will work for you.

Some moms reported being able to keep both babies on their tummy. Other moms said it worked better to let both babies slide off to mom’s side, under mom’s arms. Imagine taking your Football Hold, leaning back, and adjusting the babies up from there. While a bit difficult to pull off, this might be the way you want to go if you have two babies with severe reflux.

Finally, if you are able to Football Hold one baby, you can cradle the other, upright feed the other, or laid-back feed the other. Combining different holds gives you a lot of options to figure out what is most comfortable for you and what is most successful for each of your babies. Personally, my son had a lot of issues with reflux, I found the Laid-Back Position most successful for reducing his reflux symptoms. With the help of two pillows, I was able to successfully Football Hold my daughter on the other side.

Additional positions for breastfeeding twins

While two babies will certainly change your breastfeeding experience, you have several options if you would like to try tandem feeding. Take advantage of your resources, including talking to your local lactation consultants. Remain open-minded, try different positions for breastfeeding twins, and figure out what works best for you and your babies. Good luck, mama!

Maya Mason lives in the Twin Cities, MN, and works as a Juvenile Probation Officer. She is the mom of 6-month-old boy/girl twins named Theo and Teia who were born at 24 weeks. Maya has Lupus and this diagnosis has led her to become passionate about natural health and wellness. Maya loves to spend time with her family, play volleyball, and travel. She also is an avid writer and is in the process of writing a teen fiction series.  

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