Congratulations if you are expecting twins! A fantastic experience filled with double the cuddles and double the love is about to begin for you. However, taking care of two babies at the same time is not easy.
You might have double the worries and double the hardship! Don’t worry if you’re a little concerned about how you’ll nurse not one but two babies. While it can be a bit more challenging than nursing one infant, it is possible with little preparation.
Feeding Your Twins
Double the babies, double the excitement! However, having twins changes a lot of things. Breastfeeding twins involves little adjustment, but these easy methods will make it much simpler.
Make a Timetable to Begin With
Your newborns will spend much of their first several weeks at home sleeping and eating. Newborns require between 16 to 17 hours of sleep every day. Additionally, they must eat every three hours or so.
Cluster feedings every one to two hours may occasionally be necessary for breastfed infants. If you are not making enough breastmilk for two, then you might have to find the best baby formula for your infants.
Try to establish both kids on the same feeding and sleeping pattern as soon as possible if you want to make it through those exhausting first few weeks with twins.
Making both babies sleep at the same time might give you some free time. You’ll be a happier, more rested parent as a result. Otherwise, you’ll spend the entire day and night nursing your infants, one after the other.
After Birth, Use a Breastpump
A good likelihood of having twins will need a C-section or early birth. In any scenario, you may not be able to nurse your newborn kid straight away. Premature twins may also have trouble latching on.
Using a breast pump to express milk to feed your twins is a good idea. The expressed milk can be given to infants and will help increase the milk supply. Use a bottle nipple that lets out the milk slowly. These nipples are often called slow flow nipples and help your baby pace the feed.
Change Diapers Before You Start Your Feeding
The babies need to be as comfy as possible, so leaks or blowouts shouldn’t disrupt their feeding. Additionally, if you bottle-feed your twins in the middle of the night, you shouldn’t change their diapers immediately in case they nod asleep. Change the diapers first.
Organize Their Seats
You can experiment with a variety of arrangements. Consider setting up two car seats or bouncers on the floor in front of the sofa and sitting between them with your back against it.
You could also put them between two Boppy pillows on the couch and sit on the opposite side of them. You may place the baby in your highchair chairs, recline them, and then sit on a chair or a stool.
The Table for Two is a wonderful seat that enables two infants to sit side by side. If you’re going to be alone with them, check it out.
Time Management
You can choose to feed twins alternately or separately. Although you could decide to feed them separately in the beginning when you are just learning how to breastfeed, it makes sense to feed twins at the same time.
Feeding at the Same Time
When one needs to feed, wake the other twin up as well. This will enable you to have more downtime or sleep between feedings. You might require assistance to position or support the infants for this during feeding time.
One After the Other
Getting both kids to the breast might be challenging if you don’t have assistance during feeding time or if one or both babies are little. You could wish to feed one infant at a time in that circumstance. However, switching to communal feeding will make things simpler.
Learn About Your Infants’ Food Habit
One at a time, start nursing your infants. You can learn about the two infants’ feeding preferences and latching techniques as a result.
Even though your infants are identical, they are still distinct individuals with their own needs. Some infants eat a lot at once, while others consume a little more frequently.
Stress Might Interfere With Nursing
When you have two infants to take care of, you risk becoming stressed out. If you need help, you can receive it through a breastfeeding center, pediatric clinic, or lactation consultant if you’re having trouble.
Use Supplements Like Formula Without Fear
While there is a lot of debate regarding breastmilk and bottle-feeding, at the end of the day, nothing is more crucial than ensuring that your infants are properly fed.
You can add infant formula to their diet as a dietary supplement if feeding your twins while nursing becomes too challenging or if your milk supply becomes insufficient.
Your pediatrician will be able to provide you with advice on the kind of formula your infants require, how to make it, and how much they should consume daily.
Your babies will be able to benefit from breast milk if you’re still nursing. However, keep in mind that if you breastfeed or pump fewer than 8 to 10 times daily, your milk production may decline.
Positions For Double Breastfeeding Recommended
With their feet pointing toward your armpits, position the infants’ heads in the middle of your ribcage. This posture is good if you undergo a C-section since the infants won’t contact your tummy. For support, you’ll need to utilize pillows or a nursing pillow.
● Alternately, place both infants, so their legs are pointed in the opposite direction or overlapping.
● The infants can also be placed parallel to one another, with their feet pointing in the same direction.
● In another posture known as “laying back,” both infants are placed on your upper body with their tummies touching each other while you lie in a semi-reclining position. Make sure everyone is calm and at ease.
What Can I Do To Prevent Breastfeeding Problems
Work with a lactation specialist or your healthcare professional. Make a Talk about any breastfeeding issues you may be experiencing.
Inquire about your medications. Before you take any medications, discuss them with your healthcare professional. All prescription and over-the-counter medications fall under this category.
Some medications may cause you to produce less breast milk. Other medications may damage your twins if they pass into your breast milk.
Avoid smoking. You can get nicotine in your breast milk. These substances enter your twins’ bodies through breastfeeding and tobacco smoke inhalation.
Smoking might also cause you to produce less breast milk. Use neither smokeless tobacco nor e-cigarettes to replace cigarettes or as a quitting aid. They still have nicotine in them. If you presently smoke and need assistance quitting, get advice from your healthcare professional.
Avoid or drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol is transferred to your twins through breast milk. If you decide to drink, nurse your twins first before doing so.
After having one drink, wait at least two hours before attempting to nurse your twins. 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 112 ounces of liquor constitute one drink of alcohol.
Typical Problems With Nursing Twins
Twin and multiple births are more likely to result in prematurity and small size. Consequently, twins are more likely to be tired and have less efficient sucking ability than singleton newborns.
Twins are also often smaller at birth. To provide their twins with breast milk via a feeding tube or bottle, moms frequently need to express it.
A mother may be more difficult to sit comfortably when nursing if she has a c-section.
Learning how to hold one baby at a time on each breast might take some practice for a mother.
Choosing what works best because each mother and her twins are different. Some find that feeding the twins simultaneously works best, while others find feeding them individually is a more practical alternative.
When a mother’s supply is poor, she may need to raise it for a short time to satisfy her baby’s nutritional needs.
It might take many hours to nurse twins. Especially in the first few months, nursing mothers of twins frequently claim that they don’t feel like doing anything other than breastfeeding.
The feeding and sucking habits of identical twins could differ. Their nursing behaviors might be noticeably different from one another, which can make breastfeeding in real life difficult.
Conclusions
It takes practice to feed twins. Whether you are tandem nursing, supplementing with formula, feeding each baby separately, or pumping breast milk to bottle feed them, the most essential thing is that you and the infants are healthy and happy.
Don’t be scared to ask for assistance because breastfeeding twins can be difficult for many mothers at first. Support can be obtained from your physician, a lactation specialist, or a doula with knowledge of multiple births.
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