Having twins soon and wondering all about pumping and lactation? We checked in with our community to bring you the best advice for how to prepare for pumping with twins BEFORE they get here!
With two little ones on the way, you may be feeling a little extra nervous about preparing for pumping and/or breastfeeding.
While this is an exciting time, if you’re feeling more overwhelmed than starry-eyed, know that you’re not alone! At the same time, there are some things you can do to help yourself feel a little bit more prepared for what’s to come once your twinnies are here.
So if you plan to pump breastmilk for your twins in any capacity, this article is for you.
We recently asked our twin parent community:
For twin moms who pumped, if you could go back in time, what’s the 1 thing you would have done to prepare for pumping BEFORE the twins came?
And here’s what twin parents had to say about advice and regrets related to pumping with twins:
Set flexible expectations
“Lowering the expectation. Breastfeeding twins is difficult. It’s hard to not feel guilty about not being able to produce enough to feed 2 babies. It’s not worth feeling bad or being hard on yourself.” – April
“I would have relaxed more! And focused more on being happy and not feeling guilty. My kids were not exclusively breastfed and they’ve done perfectly fine (teenagers now).” – Marbella
“Had a formula supplement ready to go, so I never had the pressure to get enough each day.” – Sami
“I have had two sets of twins, and both times I didn’t stress about supplementing with formula. I breast fed or pumped when I could and bottle fed the rest of them time. Neither set struggled and it worked great both times. No need to cause yourself undue stress.” – Brandi
“Mentally prepare to possibly pump full time. Stock up on spare pump parts so I’m not washing dishes every 3 hours. My babies fought hard to learn to bottle feed in the NICU after being tube fed, and they never latched. I worked with multiple lactation consultants and we tried alllll the things. In the end, fed was best. I pumped and gave them what I could, and supplemented with formula. Made it to a full year! After having two singleton babies who took to feeding at the breast, I did miss the closeness and snuggles, but pumping with wireless pumps actually freed me up waaaaaay more with the twins and two older kids to care for.” – Emily
“Emotionally: have more confidence in your body being able to produce enough for two. I have been able to do 4.5 months and am JUST NOW getting to where I need to dip into my freezer stash day to day. You can do this if it’s really a true goal of yours!” – Meredith
Learn more ahead of time + connect with a lactation consultant
“Taking a pumping course. I should have started pumping within two hours after my twins were born, but I didn’t even get a pump until the next day. So ask for a pump to be in your room and start pumping for 5 minutes at a time every two hours.” – TwinMamaMarketplace
“Worked more closely with a lactation consultant.” – Staycie
“Make sure to learn how to use all your pumps and have the correct flange fittings before the babies arrive!” – Lauren
“Take a breastfeeding class to lean about how it works.” – Karine
Worried about breastfeeding twins? What To Do When You’re Breastfeeding Two is an on-demand online breastfeeding twins class made just for YOU! This course was created by Twiniversity in partnership with Judy Teibloom-Mishkin, IBCLC. Click here to learn more…
Make sure you have the parts and supplies that are right for you (like flange size, wearable pumps, etc.)
“I would have gotten the Evies, or whatever kind of pump they have nowadays that sits inside your bra and allows you to 1. Still hold babies 2. Walk around without being trapped to an outlet.” – Amanda
“Spare parts, REALLY pay attention to what pumps work best and have someone measure my flange size and check if I have elastic nipples. It took many months and money to finally find a system that worked for me. If you can find a lactation consultant that has had multiples or worked with many parents of multiples, that’s a HUGE advantage.” – Jessica
“Get a hospital grade breast pump with the right flange size. I struggled initially with a regular breast pump, till the hospital nurse did not offer the Medela on rent. It was also painful to pump with a standard 24mm flange. Finding the right fit made pumping as an activity so much better.” – Pooja
“Get a hands free pump. I didn’t get one until later on and I regretted it. When you have two babies, sitting down to pump felt impossible. Getting the hands free option allowed me to pump and do dishes or even hold a baby at the same time. I got the Momcozy ones.” – Cathy
“Be properly sized for flanges.” – Madison
“Bought the pumping bra.” – Gabriella
“Get some Kindred bravely pumping /nursing bras (3 pack-sports bra, lounge bra, regular bra). Set up a space in your room/bathroom. A place for your pump and a place to clean pump parts. Get nipple butter to make pumping more comfortable. Make friends with the lactation consultants.” – Caitlin
Convenience wins – get a bottle washer, have spare pump parts, and have a station
“Put two bottle washers on my registry!” – Shan
“Buy the Momcozy bottle washer!!!!!” – Julia
“Buy more pump parts than I think I need so I don’t spend every spare minute I get cleaning.” – Anna
“100% buy spare parts, and educate myself on re-sizing myself for flange sizes after my milk came in and regulated!” – Kara
“Had one of those wash and sterilize combo machines because all those parts to wash then sterilize was a lot lol. My wearable didnt work for me but the spectra just hung out with me wherever I went lol.” – Melissa
“Set up multiple pumping stations (bedroom, couch, car bag). Walking across the house with two babies crying while you’re overdue to pump is a special kind of chaos—having backups saved my sanity.” – Lauren
Want to take the next steps of preparing for breastfeeding and pumping with twins?
At Twiniversity, we have a variety of ways you can get more support with breastfeeding and pumping!
- Attend our next live Pumping for Two Class
- Attend our next live Breastfeeding Twins BoobCamp
- Enroll in our comprehensive on-demand Breastfeeding Twins course and learn at your own pace
- Schedule a twin lactation consultation with Twiniversity founder and IBCLC, Natalie Diaz (your insurance may even cover this!)
Want to learn even more about pumping with twins? Check out these articles too:
- Tips to Successfully and Exclusively Pump for Twins
- Breast Milk Supply for Twins: How Much Should You Produce?
- Power Pumping: One Hour Could Increase Your Supply
- Methods for Pumping and Storing Breastmilk
- Storing and Reheating Breastmilk: What You Should Know
