If you’re planning to breastfeed your twins at all, you’ve got to hear what these twin moms said they wish they had known BEFORE starting their twin breastfeeding journey!
You’ve seen the social media reels of twin moms successfully breastfeeding for their twinnies! Yet, as you sit there mentally preparing to become a twin mom, you’re head is spiraling with all the worries about nursing for two…
Can I actually do it? Will I have enough milk? How long can I realistically make breastfeeding for twins work? What can I do now to get ready?
Pause. Before going any further, take a deep breath. And another. You’re not alone, and you can do this.
These other twin mamas have been where you are right now, and here’s what they wish they would’ve known before beginning their breastfeeding journey–so you don’t have to learn the hard way!
We recently asked our twin parent community…
What do you wish you knew before you began breastfeeding for twins?
And here’s what twin parents had to say:
It is a big, yet doable undertaking….
“Before my milk came in it felt impossible. Feeding two babies plus pumping was so time-consuming. Once my milk came in, my babies ate faster and I was able to get the hang of it. Tandem feeding is a game changer. I went to a couple different lactation consultants. Remember that you ultimately are the one at home with them and don’t have to take all of their advice. Find one that you mesh with. Also, having someone who has breast fed before helps because they know the struggles of learning. I would have quit if it wasn’t for my mom, but I’m glad I pushed through.” – Camie
Know more: When Does Breastmilk Come in With Preemie Twins?
“Saying bye bye to sleep. The “sleep when the baby sleeps” advice is a waste on twin mothers.” – Pooja
Educate yourself and prepare mentally beforehand!
“There was time for literally nothing else those first weeks. I was dumbfounded that it was 90% of my time, and I couldn’t find time to feed myself. Don’t plan on accomplishing much of anything else for a hot minute. It drained and filled me in ways I was absolutely not prepared for. Not exactly like what I had ever heard from other nursing moms — talk to twin moms who are just a step or two ahead of you. That there will be some ways that the process evolves as they and you grow and develop. Your husband/ bestie needs to be prepared to cheer you on like no one ever has before.” – Bethanie
“I became an IBCLC after I had breastfed my twins, and realised there was so much that I could have done differently with better information. I would have demanded skin to skin. There was no medical reason for them not to. I would have declined the initial formula offered to increase blood sugar levels and insisted on breastfeeding first. Also, I would have a better understanding of what normal feeding frequency looks like and accept more frequent feeding, rather than the SCBU structure of feeding. I would have practiced reclined feeding positions, I would have not overfed bottles, and I would have not listened to the child health nurse who suggested formula after we had moved to exclusive breastfeeding and weaned from top-ups. Lastly, I would have breastfed for way more than 12 months.” – Josie
Get support sooner than later, preferably from someone who specializes in supporting twin moms…
“It took me 6 months to have a big enough supply for my twins. I wish I had spoken to a lactation specialist that had twins or multiples. I was told so many times that my body would know to produce enough for twins, but that wasn’t the case. The only thing that finally worked for me was letting my girls nurse during the day and pumping when they napped and at night I would power pump at least twice. Pumping at least 8 times in 24 hours and nursing in between was the best way I could manage to make it work. I also would take a 4 hour nap from 8pm to 12pm. This rest was essential.” – Jessica
“I wish I knew that I was going to need help getting them into position for several weeks while I recovered. I felt like a child needing help just to feed my babies. If I knew that ahead of time maybe it wouldn’t have felt so much like failure.” – Kirby
It’s hard, but you CAN do it!
“It might be really hard at first, with latching, giving them enough, and especially tandem feeding. Keep trying, if that’s important to you. It can still happen, even if it doesn’t work in the beginning. (It took three months before mine could exclusively nurse without any kind of bottle, but after we figured it out we nursed to 18 months.)” – Jennifer
“YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO IT!!! Everyone made me think it was near impossible, so I didn’t think I could do it, but I could. It’s exhausting. You need to feed the babies then pump with a hospital grade pump to get your supply going every 3 hours round the clock. No matter how you feed your babies, having newborn multiples will be the most sleep-deprived you will ever be. Learn to feed them at the same time. The bigger they get, the easier this will be and will be a game changer. No matter how you feed your little miracles, fed is best. Your mental health is number one. Make sure you have water and snacks in every room you will be in because it takes a ton to nourish your body. Twin mamas are warriors, and my favorite club to be a part of.” – Diana
It gets easier…
“1. It gets easier! 2. Book your lactation consultant for a home visit while in the hospital. They will become your biggest lifeline! 3. Tell your partner (if you have one ❤️) exactly what you need. They will be participating in night feeds for a while bringing the babies to you, changing diapers, positioning mouths to nipple. Have them take notes when lactation comes because our brains are mush. 4. I was triple feeding for 4ish weeks until breastfeeding clicked for us all and supply came in. It was the absolute hardest 4 weeks of my life. Now, I am exclusively breastfeeding my 5 month-old twins and loving it. I know not everyone’s journey ends this way, but I am so glad I didn’t quit when I was on the edge.” – Emily
Be flexible ready for alternative/hybrid feeding scenarios…
“Know that there are lots of different options when it comes to breastfeeding twins. And if it doesn’t happen, formula is fine too. I tandem fed them for 2 months and was miserable. I felt very confined, and all I could do was hold them and I started having muscle soreness all the time. Feeding them one at a time was doable but also more time consuming…
I found an article about breastfeeding one while someone else bottle feeds the other with pumped milk. Because it was during covid and my mom and mother in law stayed with us a lot to help, this route worked great for us! Later on once they ate for a shorter time, I switched to feeding one twin on one side first then the other on the other side. It took a little while and some researching but we just needed to figure out what worked for us.” – Jessica
Be flexible, even if you’ve already breastfed previous babies…
“Past experience with my first, a singleton, told me “fed is best,” AND it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. This time round with twins, I’m doing a little of all 3 methods: breastfeeding, pumping, and supplement with formula. I mainly tandem breastfeed on demand (I wish my FTM self understood the importance of demand feeding), supplement with formula twice a day (per NICU discharge instructions), and pump shortly after those two feeds. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to breastfeed this time, but I feel a piece of mind having some saved for the future.” – Sarah
“After we moved to formula supplement, I stopped pumping, but they never refused the breast and did both bottle and breast for two years. I would pick nursing for a longer time over exclusive nursing for a shorter time. It is such a blessing for that connection and comfort and immunity boost.” – Gwen
Understand milk supply and the pumping game…
“I really wish I had pumped more in the beginning to help build up my supply, I never produced enough and had to supplement with formula.” – Maria
“I didn’t know how long it takes for your supply to come in. It’s been 5 weeks and I still don’t have enough milk for 2.” — Chantelle
Trust yourself, advocate for yourself, and be gracious with your mental health…
“My boys didn’t have NICU time, so we primarily latched. I felt SO much pressure to pump, and it took a few months to finally ditch it!! I wish someone had told me to not worry about pumping if we didn’t need bottles. It would have relieved SO much stress! Kids were EBF until 13 months (12 adjusted)!” – Jenah
“That it was okay to supplement for your mental health while navigating pumping.” – Anne
“I was very successful at latching and breastfeeding my twins. We tandem fed for the first three months and it was amazing! But then I started to feel the heat from one pediatrician that was concerned for their weights….I quickly pivoted to exclusively pumping to see my output (it was close to 60 oz). They ended up gaining appropriately either way on their growth curves, but before I could switch them back to the breast, they refused to latch. They already preferred the bottle. I wish I hadn’t convinced myself I wasn’t making enough. I pumped up until I got pregnant again at 11 months. So I agree, twin moms know best and need to self-advocate!!!!” – Kelsie
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…
Certain gear that really helped!
“To buy nursing shirts instead of using maternity shirts from my singleton days. Tandem breastfeeding with active twins meant a full frontal for anyone nearby.” – Lela
“8 years ago it was my Brest Friend Doubles Pillow support that was a lifesaver–and a back saver–and made it all actually work. Feed tandem as often as possible! When they were 8 months old, I’d try to sneak a dream feed one at a time for some solo time. Those few times were nice. Also, be ok to supplement with formula if needed! I nursed and pumped but also included one formula bottle a day to ensure weight gain and that they were getting enough.” – Jodie
“I would recommend getting the My Brest friend pillow versus the Twin z pillow for breast feeding purposes. I only got the Twin z and it made it a little more difficult, but I was able to figure it out. The twin z pillow is really nice to have a place to put your babies and do tummy time. The beginning is so hard, but once you get the hang of it, it is so much easier than bottle feeding.” – Camie
From twin moms who had a NICU stay…
“That you can start breastfeeding in the NICU! My girls were born at 34 weeks and we delayed introducing bottles until they were effectively breastfeeding. It DID NOT extend our NICU time as many would claim! And that breastfeeding DOES NOT burn more calories than bottles too!” – Ryann
“I wish I pushed breastfeeding harder while my babies were in the NICU. Ultimately, I made it 4 months (only pumping) and my supply stopped babies never latched and the NICU wasn’t 100% for it. Even with no medical reason stopping us from breastfeeding” – Crystal
“My twins spent 5 weeks in the NICU so I pumped around the clock to maintain my supply, but I was determined to get them both to exclusively breastfeed once they came home because I absolutely hate pumping. At first I tried getting them to latch at the same time but after a few failed attempts it was too much. They’d get frustrated and neither one would remotely try to latch. So I worked with the twin that had a stronger latch first for about a week or 2 and then tried with the other twin.” – Abby
Want to learn more about breastfeeding for twins? Check out these articles and classes too:
- On-Demand Breastfeeding Twins Class
- Breastfeeding Twins BoobCamp
- Pumping for Two Class
- The Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding Twins
