4 Twin Breastfeeding Misconceptions

Planning to breastfeed your twins and feeling overwhelmed by all the breastfeeding information out there? Wondering how you’ll be able to actually make it work feeding two babies? We’ve put together the honest truth behind 5 twin breastfeeding misconceptions tp give you a boost of confidence!

Deciding to breastfeed your twins is a deeply personal decision. And with two at once, it may very well be a decision that you have to be somewhat flexible with at one time or another!

No matter how you decide to feed your twinnies, we support you and cheer you on in your vision.

With that said, it’s likely that you’ve come across all sorts of information on social media and the Internet about the best way to go about breastfeeding twins.

And while it’s all well-meaning, the reality is that many folks who haven’t had to personally nurse two babies at once or go through the extra tribulations of a twin delivery, often miss the mark when it comes to twin breastfeeding advice.

That’s why we want to share 4 common twin breastfeeding misconceptions with you that will help you kick off your twin breastfeeding journey with more knowledge and confidence.

Twin breastfeeding misconception 1: You should tandem feed your twins as soon as you can

You’ve no doubt seen the idyllic videos and photos of twin moms gracefully nursing their two babes at once. And and yes, tandem breastfeeding is a beautiful thing! It can certainly be a goal to work towards!

But keep in mind that breastfeeding is a learned skill for both mom and baby.

That means that it’s actually in your best interest and in your babies’ best interest to nurse them separately in the beginning. This will allow you and each of your individual newborns to get the hang of it before adding in the pressure of pulling off tandem breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding twins BoobCamp with Natalie Diaz — Join us for our next live Twins Breastfeeding Boob Camp! Click here to see when the next class is and register!

If it’s important to you to figure out how to make tandem breastfeeding work, that’s great! If not, that’s fine too. Either way, it shouldn’t be something you feel pressured to do in the beginning as it may take up to 4 to 8 weeks before you feel you’ve gotten into a good enough groove with each baby to make tandem feeding work.

And even then, give yourself and your twinnies grace with figuring it out!

Think of tandem feeding like three dancing partners. You can’t have an amazing ensemble cast until everyone learns their individual roles first.

Prefer to take in your learning through video? Check out our original Twiniversity Podcast Youtube video where these 4 twin breastfeeding misconceptions came from!

Twin breastfeeding misconception 2: Exclusively breastfeeding is best

If you want to try exclusively breastfeeding, and it’s a priority of yours to make that work, kudos to you! When it comes to feeding twins though, many twin families find that a hybrid approach is necessary or preferable.

Whether due to milk supply, mental and physical health, scheduling restrictions, or personal preference, exclusively breastfeeding twins may not be the best scenario for all twin parents.

Remember that feeding is only one aspect of parenting. So if you worry that trying to exclusively breastfeed simply won’t work for your schedule or it may cause too much stress and pressure, or you just don’t want to do it, that is completely okay.

Also keep this in mind: breastfeeding doesn’t have to be a “you’re either you’re in or you’re out” type thing.

Hybrid feeding twins could look like a variety of different scenarios:

You breastfeed for only one twin and bottle feed for the other
You alternate between breastfeeding and pumping
You alternate between breastfeeding and formula-feeding
You alternate between pumping and formula feeding
You do a combo of breastfeeding, pumping, and formula-feeding
You tube-feed, bottle feed, and breastfeed
The scenarios are vast!

The bottom line is this: with two babies, you may face two unique sets of feeding challenges. So your feeding approach doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

Whether you face preemie challenges, bottle aversions, latch issues, milk allergies, or any other hurdle, with two babies to provide daily nutrients for, you are likely going to have to be more flexible in your approach to feeding.

Realize too that whatever approach worked best at 3 weeks may look very different from your approach at 3 months, and that’s totally normal and okay! Allow yourself and your babies to be flexible and respond in real time to what’s working and what’s not working (for them and you).

Twin breastfeeding misconception 3: The longer you pump, the better for your supply as a twin mom

Getting two babies to suck down adequate nutrients each day is a full time gig—no matter how you do it. So as an expecting or new twin parent, you may feel loads of pressure to get your milk supply up to par through pumping and breastfeeding.

But when it comes to milk supply, here’s the deal: the regularity of pumping is key, even more so than the length of time.

A single pumping session for a twin mom should last about 15 – 20 minutes. You don’t have to double it and go to 45 minutes because you have two babies.

Here’s why:

Think of pumping the way you would getting water from a well. When the well goes empty, it needs a break to fill back up with groundwater. The same goes with pumping. After you’ve drained your breasts completely, it takes time for you to replenish your supply again.

So while you want to make sure to drain your breasts fully at each session, if you keep pumping well beyond the time that they’ve been emptied, you’re essentially wasting your time. And as an exhausted twin parent, that’s the last thing you want!

Of course, if you are struggling with getting your supply up, there are some things you can do to get a boost. One of the most effective ways is to try power pumping for about a week.

With power pumping, you keep your daily pumping/breastfeeding sessions as is, but you add in an hour during the day. A power pump session that looks like this:

20 minutes of pumping
10 minutes off
10 minutes of pumping
10 minutes off
10 minutes of pumping

Why does power pumping work?

Power pumping can help signal to your brain, breasts, and body: “Hey, we don’t have quite enough here. Can we maybe try to squeeze out a little more?”

With power pumping though, it can take up to a few days to really reap the rewards of the power pump session. So if you want to give it a try, aim to power pump once a day for a few days up to a week. Then you can assess whether or not your supply saw the intended boost! It may become something you do every now and then when you feel your supply needs a little boost.

Also keep in mind that you want to be cautious of over-producing. While it may sound nice to have a freezer stash of breast milk for your twins, oversupplying can also come with extra risks like developing mastitis.

That’s not to scare you! Some twin moms are able to comfortably manage overproducing. But just be careful and keep an eye on how your body handles your supply.

Pumping for Two Twins Pumping Class — Want to learn more about pumping for twins? Join us for our next live Pumping for Two Class!

Twin breastfeeding misconception 4: Pain is par-for-the-course

Breastfeeding may be somewhat uncomfortable at first, especially if you’re a first time mom. And more so in the beginning when you are still tender in the fresh postpartum period and recovering from birth.

But the physical sensation of the baby latching and sucking should not feel painful. If you’re experiencing pain with either one or both babies, that’s a strong indication that something is not right.

Usually, pain is a sign that the baby’s latch is off. When a baby is properly latched, they sort of shape your nipple into a shape that allows milk to effortlessly pass through to their mouth. Your nipple should be positioned towards that soft palette that’s closer to the back of their mouth.

If you’re having pain while breastfeeding, it’s a good possibility that your nipple is positioned too close to the front of their mouth near the harder part of their palette or even by their teeth. This is not comfortable for you, and it’s not how the baby is able to shape your nipple properly to expel the breast milk.