If exclusively breastfeeding twins is your goal, this Twiniversity podcast episode is a must-listen! Twin mom Mallory shares the messy middle of her breastfeeding journey with twin boys and what other twin moms should know.
What if the scariest part of breastfeeding twins is just how many people tell you it can’t be done?
In this episode of the Twiniversity Podcast, twin mom Mallory Reeves—a nurse, a mom of a singleton girl, and now a twin mom of 5-month old twin boys—shares her journey exclusively breastfeeding twins.
Mallory had a painful, almost-quit start to breastfeeding her first baby, but after finding the right help, nursed her daughter for 18 months. So going into her journey as a twin mom, she had one simple rule for herself: if it works, wonderful, and if it doesn’t, a fed baby is the whole point.
Since the Internet may have you feeling like exclusively breastfeeding twins isn’t actually doable, Mallory graciously shares the behind-the-scenes moments from her twin breastfeeding journey.
Whether you’re a first-time mom or second-time (or more) mom, Mallory’s insights are honest and relatable!
Watch the full episode here or read below for some of the biggest takeaways from her episode:
1. Your mindset going into exclusively breastfeeding twin matters
So many parents go into twin pregnancy wanting to breastfeed (even exclusively breastfeed). And then they hear one discouraging comment or watch a TikTok and quietly give up before they even begin.
Mallory did the opposite. She told herself she’d give it a try and reminded herself that if it didn’t work out, that was okay too.
And she feels that it was thanks to that low-pressure, high-effort mindset that allowed her to experience the version of success she was hoping for.
The label “impossible” says more about how little twin-specific support most parents get than it does about what your body can actually do.
2. A singleton first is great training wheels, but not a requirement
Mallory breastfed her older daughter first, and she shares that she at least felt like she knew what she was doing before starting to breastfeed her twins. If you’re coming into twin parenting with that experience, lean on it!
But if twins are your first babies, don’t feel like you’re going to somehow be behind. It just means you and your babies are all learning at once! And you’ll want extra support and more patience built in from the start.
Either way, there’s a learning curve with twins no matter how you look at it!
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3. Drop the tandem-feeding pressure and feed one baby at a time
Mallory’s biggest struggle early on with exclusively feeding twin boys was believing she had to tandem feed from day one. Once she let that go and fed one baby at a time, everything got easier.
Your twinnies are learning too, and you simply cannot teach a brand-new latch while juggling two floppy newborns at once. Trying to tandem feed in the hospital is usually way too soon. It’s like expecting a baby who can’t walk to dance.
Master one twin at a time first, and then layer in tandem feeds later on. For Mallory, that transition to tandem feeds happened around two months in.
4. The right support is essential for exclusively breastfeeding twins
Mallory shares that the biggest thing that has kept her going on her twin breastfeeding journey is the people who’ve supported her. Her husband was her number-one support, handing her one baby while she fed the other and cheering her on.
Right behind him was having lactation help. Natalie describes how being an IBCLC is essentially having “a doctorate in boob.” It requires a different level of training than simply being a lactation counselor.
With twins, and especially with the volume of milk two babies require, it’s worth seeking the support of an IBCLC, ideally with multiple-birth experience.
And if the first IBCLC or lactation counselor you see isn’t helpful, don’t feel like that has to be the end of feeling supported.
One person’s advice is not all that exists.
In the hospital and out of it, you’re allowed to ask for someone else who you feel meshes with your support preferences better.
Twiniversity tip: Book a lactation appointment for a day or two after you get home. If things are going well, you’ll get the validation that you are doing a great job. If you’re struggling, you already have help on the calendar. Either way, you have a safety net!
5. Weighted feeds, poops, and pees: how to trust your twins are getting enough
Mallory’s husband hunts and had a meat scale, so they rigged up doing some weighted feeds with their twins in the beginning. It gave Mallory peace of mind that the babies were gaining weight.
But Natalie adds an important caveat: weighted feeds are really more for the parents than the babies, because babies choose their own meal size. One feed might be a “potato chip,” the next a “tomahawk steak.” So if you don’t have a fancy scale, the oldest validation in the world still works: steady wet and dirty diapers mean a hydrated, nourished baby.
6. Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt. Pain is a problem with a solution
Mallory’s first lactation consultant told her the pain was just part of it. It was not, and that’s a harmful misconception for those who are breastfeeding!
While discomfort may be par-for-the-course, as an IBCLC, Nat is firm with this: breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt for more than five to ten seconds. If you have pain, you have a problem. And thankfully, it’s usually fixable with the right help, whether that’s with the support of an IBCLC or even an experienced relative. With Mallory’s first baby, a second lactation consultant simply repositioned the baby’s tongue and the pain vanished.
Twiniversity tip: Don’t white-knuckle through breastfeeding pain because someone told you to get used to it.
7. Skip the oversupply chase and the pumping traps
Social media glamorizes giant freezer stashes of breastmilk, especially with twin moms. But Natalie gently pushes back on this.
Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand: the more you ask of your body, the more it makes. And if not done carefully, that can spiral into oversupply, discomfort, and a higher mastitis risk. Mallory was told early on not to pump extra, and she listened. Unless you have a specific reason to do so, try to avoid the pressure that you need to build an apocalypse-sized stash of liquid gold. All you need is enough for your babies. So far, this advice has served Mallory well as she has yet to experience any major pain or mastitis while exclusively breastfeeding.
8. Take it one day at a time and be careful with the influence of social media
Mallory’s long-term plan is simple: take it day by day, with a loose goal of a year (she made 18 months with her singleton).
She’s also honest about the fact that she has pumped on occasion (with her husband giving the babies bottles), and the twins had some formula in the hospital. Exclusively breastfeeding twins isn’t about doing everything perfectly, and Mallory’s twins are thriving so far.
For her, social media became a lifeline when it connected her to other twin moms who are also breastfeeding in real time. While that’s been Mallory’s experience so far, social media can have you turn on yourself quickly and make you feel like you’re not doing enough.
So a helpful rule of thumb to keep in mind is this: if a social media account makes you feel small in some way, tell the algorithm you’re not interested, or pause the account for 30 days. Instead, unapologetically surround yourself with what lifts you up.
Listen to the full episode
To hear Mallory’s full story, check out the full episode here!
Want to learn more about breastfeeding twins? Check out these articles too:
- Breastfeeding Twins: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Twin Moms
- Will I Need to Supplement with Formula for My Twins?
- Twin Breastfeeding Products: The Inside Scoop from Twin Moms
- 4 Twin Breastfeeding Misconceptions
