I’m having twins in a few months and have a toddler at home. I breastfed my son but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around the logistics of breastfeeding twins. How do twin moms do it?
Way to go for getting clarity on this ahead of the game. Feeding two is different but definitely doable! I’m happy to say that most of my twin parents do breastfeed for some or all feedings.
Here’s what worked best for many of my twin clients.
Plan to feed them on the couch as it’s easier and more comfortable than a bed. Sit on the middle sofa with a boppy pillow on each side of you. You might want to protect sofa cushions from milk spills and spit-up by wrapping towels around them. You may find you’ll need a pillow positioned vertically behind you for back support.
Change diapers ahead of the feed so babies sleepy from nursing can be put down without a change.
Put each baby in a boppy on the sofa’s side cushions, then attach the twin nursing pillow and sit down between them. Scoop up each baby with one arm and set them on the nursing pillow, then position each of them. A twin mom tip – pull in the boppies to be slightly underneath the twin nursing pillow on each side to help support it. Otherwise, the nursing pillow may sag on the sides from the babies’ weight. Then, latch each baby using the football hold latch. (If you’re not familiar, ask the lactation consultant at the hospital to work with you on the football hold.)
When they are done with their feed, put each one back into their boppy. At this point, you may have sleepy babies that you can swaddle and transfer to their bassinets.
This is just one technique that works well but you can learn a lot from others who have gone before you. Reach out to local twin mom groups and ask for support. They are happy to help.
