Breastfeeding twins - any advice?

trying4babyM · Jun 20, 2009 4:36AM

Also posted in breastfeeding forum

Hi ladies

My girls are now 5 weeks old (minus 3 corrected) and I am struggling to breastfeed them.

They are not good latchers although once they are on they are OK although quite sleepy and slow and need encouragement. I haven't mastered the technique of feeding both of them together yet so when one was screaming for food she had to wait which made me feel awful. Also, they were weighed yesterday and have lost weight. Not loads but we don't want them to lose anymore and Special Care think it's cos they are taking so much energy to breastfeed.

So, I think I am going to give up. I have been expressing EBM for them the whole time they were in SCBU and this was topped up with formula if there wasn't enough. I am thinking of doing the same now and giving them 50/50 EBM/formula over a 24 hour period so they are at least getting some of my milk. They take the Closer to Nature bottles really well and I have got easiflow teats to make it easier for them.

I feel guilty that I can't make it work but feel so much more relaxed and in control giving them bottles as I know how much they are getting and the feed takes much less time so I can get to the other one quicker.

So after that long ramble, I just wanted to ask - has anyone successfully breastfed twins and do you have any tips?

soda · Jun 15, 2009 7:31AM

Honestly dont worry if you cant breastfeed just express for as long as you can then go onto bottles honestly it so much easier with two having someone else there who can give a bottle. I got myself so stressed after not being able to breastfeed my first son Luke i ended up on medication and now on antidepressants with twins just to help me cope, defo helps keep me calmer. With the twins i decided straightaway to express for as long as possible i did 7 weeks with Luke then put them onto bottles expressed for 5 weeks in the end they ended up on prescription milk anyway and still are due to not gaining weight and thinking they were lactose intolerant. They now on Infatrini a high cal milk. I do have a friend who did breastfeed twins till 1 year but she had lots of help during the day. I think if you on your own with them it maybe easier to bottle feed, my boys now 9 months but i still dont prop them just grab the one waking first and feed him they dont have big milk feeds anyway now and are on 3 meals a day. The thing to do is not pressure yourself to breastfeed do what best for your situation and every day of breast milk the girls get is a bonus. I ended up stopping expressing due to getting mastitis twice. I find it easier to bottle as hubby can help and friends hlpe when im out. Dont think of it as giving up think of it as doing whats best for you and girls, also means hubby can bond with girls by feeding and it easier managing night feeds as i used to wake boys at same time. Dont feel guilty you a mum of twins now and that hard enough as it is your girls have had a great start. if you are more relaxed bottle feeding then they will pick up on that, Also if they not gaining weight you can see how much they taking with a bottle and maybe they will give you a high cal milk like my boys. Best of luck and you doing greatxxxxx

trying4babyM · Jun 15, 2009 8:30AM

Thanks soda. You are right and my head is fine with the bottles but in my heart I'm just a bit disappointed. I think if the girls g=have gained weight on wednesday then I will be fine about. I think deep down I just feel guilty that I have made them lose weight. Now everytime they smack their lips once for food they get a bottle shoved in it - ha!!

sarahncraig · Jun 19, 2009 12:05PM

NEVER feel guilty hun you have done really well, i had the same problem with my girls they were doing fine on EBM but as soon as i did 24 hours with breast they lost weight which was really disappointing. I therefore never gave full feeds off the breast and carried on expressing and did so for 12 weeks my girls are both huge now and coming up 12 months!!

I would say the best person to speak to would be DB as i think she fed her girld for about 8 months xx

Mum_to_cca · Jun 19, 2009 6:01PM

Hi there,
Just read you post and thought I would write. I have twin girls who are now 13 months and I am still breastfeeding. not alot now only in the morning and before bed now. it is difficult to start with especially if they are not latching on properly.One of my girls was terrible for ages. I nearly stopped a couple of times in the first few weeks.
what I did that i found helped me was to give them a bottle of formula at night before bed. this let my husband have a chance to feed them and me get to bed early it also got them used to a bottle so if I was harrased during the day or wanted a break someone else could feed them. then over time as i got a bit better i dropped the bottles altogether. I think it was lazyness that kept me going with feeding myself. the thought of making up all those bottles......lol.
could never get the hang of feeding my girls in tandem. I always found it easier feeding one after the other especially if i had to run after my wee boy and they do get used to having to wait their turn.

one thing i would say pro breast milk though is that me my husband and eldest son (2yrs) have all had 3 really bad tummy bugs since the girls have been born and the girls haven't got it once. which I think is thanks to the milk.

it doesn't have to be just bottle or breast.you can quite easily mix both. a lady I work with who has grown up twins now used to feed just one twin at each feed breast and then the other one formula then swap them over at the next feed. she said it worked really well for her.
just do what works best for you and your babies your their mum and know what is best for them.

Team_Blue_aka_doublebubble · Jun 20, 2009 4:36AM

Hi

First this is a pro bfeeding post just because when i was in your situation someone was very pro with me and i really think it helped me to keep going and im really pleased i did but my boys were only 5 weeks early. but at the end of the day you have done such a fab job already just do what feels right.

I tandem fed just because i thought id spend the rest of my life feeding otherwise. I used a c shaped pillow and used the rugby hold. I started by getting used to feeding one using rugby position then when i was comfortable i then started feeding two i got someone to pass me T2 when id got T1 settled. before long i cld pick them both up and latch them on without help. It did take a long time and i know if id already had children i wouldnt have managed to bfeed as i spent so long sat on the sofa as they were really slow feeders.

I found that they both lost weight but i perserved (but they were good weights of 4lb 10 and 5lb 8oz when we left hospital (birth weights of 4lb 15 and 6lb 8oz)) and they started to gain. I agree with mum to cca that giving formula at night was my god send as i was so tired come nighttime it was nice to hand them over.

I was on my own during the day and did all the feeds bar the early evening feed and i really found bfeeding less hassle, esp in the middle of the night. It is my proudest achievment and it is def possible.

Good luck whatever you decide, remember the most important thing is happy mum so do what makes you happy

xxDBxx

Breastfeeding twins - any advice?

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