Twin Moms reveal their best advice for breastfeeding twins [free Ebook]
Who knew it was so hard to find quality advice on breastfeeding twins?
When I was pregnant I was able to find enough information to know a twin breastfeeding pillow would be a good buy and found a few articles that pretty much said “Breastfeeding twins is possible and here are a few positions to feed your twins…”
So with the limited information I found,
- I added The TWIN Z Pillow to my list of must-haves before the girls arrived and was pleased when a friend offered to purchase it for us!
- I knew which feeding positions I was going to try and which ones I didn’t even want to attempt (the twins cross cradle hold).
- I picked out a pump for when I went back to work (Philips AVENT Double Electric Comfort Breast Pump – and I was very pleased with it)
And, I thought “I am ready for this!”
They say ignorance is bliss and it surely was, but it left me unprepared when my babies arrived earlier than expected at 31 weeks, 5 days (I recorded my twin birth story here, spoiler alert – they were born vaginal, 1 minute apart) and had to stay in the NICU for a few weeks to grow.
During that time I went on a crash course, learning how to manually express milk for my tiny babies and pumping on a strict schedule to boost my supply. By the time we all went home, the girls still hadn’t latched but I kept on trying until one got it and the other gave up trying at 3 months.
In short – I breastfed, pumped AND fed my girls with formula and it was the most difficult thing I went through with the twins after they came home.
So I decided to create a resource of real and practical advice for other twin moms looking for information on breastfeeding their twins.
While doing my research, I went through so many parenting websites and twin mom blogs and still only came up with a handful of good, practical tips on breastfeeding twins to share.
But that wasn’t enough to write an ebook – a blog post perhaps but certainly nothing more…
And then it hit me one evening while in traffic heading home to my girls after a long day of work – why don’t you ask the twin moms you connect with on Instagram? (If you are on IG and we haven’t met, check me out @twinmomtales – If you like what’s there follow me and I’ll follow right back!)
In true introverted fashion, I debated for days with myself about whether I should put myself out there and ask that favor. I finally mustered up the nerve and shared the following request to my twin mom community on Instagram:
Below are a few nuggets of advice from the twin moms on Instagram and the internet. These wonderful insights and more (64 tips) were lovingly collected and presented in this FREE resource – The Biggest Collection of Breastfeeding Tips for Twin Moms. You can also get your copy through the link at the end of this post.
“Some women prefer to breastfeed each twin individually. While this is more time consuming, some mothers feel they need time with each twin to aid with the individual attachment process. Other mothers feel that time alone can be given in other activities and breastfeed individually only occasionally. Mothers who tandem nurse need to take into account the differences in their twins’ nursing styles. One may be a vigorous, fast nurser while one may be a slow, un-hurried nurser. Therefore nursing times may not be the same for each baby, even when they are nursing together.” – todaysparent.com
“Early on, I had lots of battles with clogged milk ducts. My lactation consultant said that some women have a thicker consistency of milk, so we are more likely to get clogged ducts. And since the pump doesn’t empty out the breasts as thoroughly as a baby, that’s another reason why it’s a bit more likely to happen when pumping. I’d recommend wearing a properly fitted bra. If your bra is too small, it will put too much pressure on your breasts and cause you to get backed up…”- Mommysmetime.com
“Surround yourself with a sisterhood of breastfeeding moms (ideally breastfeeding twin moms). Online and in person. Support from BREASTFEEDING moms is crucial. Our parents and grandparents were the generations of formula feeders. They are typically NOT good support persons. “One bottle won’t hurt” is supply killing advice”- @identicaltwinlife
“Have faith in yourself. You can do this. Yes, you can! You are Mother Milk Goddess.” -thestir.cafemom.com
Note – You can find the breastfeeding products mentioned in the ebook here – Breastfeeding Twins Resources
Get the full ebook with 64 tips:
‘Til Next Time!
