“How do you/did you feed them?” Â That’s probably one of the most often asked questions I’ve had with the twins. Â I thought I would share my feeding experience with you.
I hadn’t been able to make enough milk to feed S, so even before F & C were born I was prepared to formula feed if necessary–and not feel guilty about it. Â But after they were born, all I wanted to do was to feed them, with my own milk. Â Every feeding I tried, most times with the help of some wonderful lactation consultants, but we ended up having to supplement with formula in the hospital because the babies had lost so much weight.
Once we got home, breastfeeding became an even bigger struggle–physically and emotionally for me. Â The latch they seemed to have the hang of while at the hospital went away. Â Feedings became torture sessions to them. Â I tried tandem feedings, but that didn’t seem to work. Â I tried staggered feedings, but that didn’t help either. Â After a few days, C completely refused to latch. Â That’s when I decided to pump exclusively. Â So every 3 hours, even at night, I pumped. Â I retreated to my bedroom while my parents watched the kids and I hooked myself up. Â And I got maybe an ounce on a good pump. Can you talk about frustrating!! Â And after venting and crying to my friends, family, and on social media, I decided to give up. Â I was a wreck emotionally–I was tired, I was frustrated. Â I returned the pump and went straight to formula.
As for the actual act of feeding, we got that down to a science pretty quickly. Â I fed both babies at the same time to keep them on schedule. Â They ate in their bouncy seats with me sitting between them. Â And once they got bigger, I put them in their high chairs and reclined the seats back and fed them that way. Â I did miss the holding and cuddling while eating, but again, this worked best for our family. Â Of course, if I wasn’t alone in the house, they were held while being fed–this was just my only option during the day. Â And we made sure they got plenty of snuggles at other times.
We made our formula in a bulk container so we had enough all day without me having to make each bottle. Â It took a little trial and error, but we figured out about how much they ate during so we didn’t run short or waste any. Â We would wash up and make a fresh container for the night so that it would be ready and fresh when the babies woke. It was so nice to already have it mixed. Â Also, it was so nice to be finished with this when they turned one.
Are you a mom of twins…or more? Â Did you breastfeed or formula feed? Â Please share your tips and tricks!
My situation with my twins was almost exactly the same. I had planned all along to breast feed but when the time came it just didn’t work. I pumped for about three months. At first I was getting a really great supply but around the three month mark it started dwindling. We were also supplementing with formula. They were given formula right away at the hospital because I was really sick after the c-section. It worked for us and I decided I wasn’t going to stress myself out over it. I also fed my boys in their bouncy seats. It was absolutely perfect and I tell every twin mom about that trick. We switched to their high chairs that reclined when they were five months old. My boys will be two is a few weeks. Oh the memories. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience, Dana. Mine are 18 months and feeding them this way seems so far in the past. Great (and tiring) memories. 🙂
I had problems with nursing my first child so was prepared to formula feed but really wanted to try to nurse at least for a little while. To my surprise, I was able to nurse for 8 months….my goal was 6:) I did supplement with formula as well. This allowed me to get some help with feedings and get some rest too. When the boys were new-born I nursed both at the same time. I used the my best friend feeding pillow for twins and It worked awesome…..My sister even took a picture to show the lactation nurse that she worked with at her hospital. When the twins were bottle fed we used boppys to put them in and sat between one on either side…..this too worked well….until they started to roll that is. During the transition time between rolling and sitting I had to enlist more help to feed and/or use my bouncy seat to strap them in while using a bottle. Now they are 13 months and we use highchairs to feed them in. Oh what tricks you learn having two.
Way to go, Jennifer!! I’ve heard the My Breast Friend is a great pillow for feeding. Boppys are a good resource too–my kids just didn’t like laying on them.
It’s really funny how things change over time. My children, who are now ages 37 and 32, were formula-fed from the beginning. As best as I can remember, breast-feeding was never mentioned to me before they were born. I think most babies during that time were bottle-fed. Currently, it seems as if there is some pressure put on women to breast-feed, but I hope that those who are unable to do so, do not feel guilty about it. Check out this recent study. http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/168915/latest_on_the_benefits_of
Thank you for sharing that link, Donna. I hope that encourages some moms who are unable to do so. Stress of trying to breastfeed and not being able to (plus the guilt), is not healthy for the new mom or baby. Every situation is different and you just have to do what is right for your family.
When we found out we were expecting twins, I knew I wanted to breastfeed but after going through years of infertility and the emotional roller coaster, I went into it knowing that it may or may not happen, and that was ok. Having no expectations and doing the best I could was what I focused on, as I was just thrilled to be pregnant.
So when the twins were born, I tried breastfeeding. By son was not latching well and the lactation consultant at the hospital said my daughter wasn’t getting enough so we had to do S & M. Which consisted of supplementing with formula through a nipple cover. Not a very pleasant experience. The lactation consultant was very rushed at the hospital and I felt I wasn’t getting the care I needed. So after two weeks of supplementing, continuing to try to breastfeed, bleeding and painful nipples, I chose to go to a lactation specialist at a birthing center. She was wonderful! She sat with us for almost three hours and taught me how to get them to latch and the best way to tandem feed. She also explained that they did not need to be supplemented with formula and I was making enough milk. After that, it got easier and easier with time and practice. I breast fed them 100% for their first 7 months of life (and I worked full time for the first 8 months of their lives so I pumped during the day), then slowly introduced foods. I bought a baby breeza and made all the baby food, which was easier than I thought and cheaper than the prepackaged food. I continued to breastfeed as well. Today, my kids are almost 28 months old and still breastfeed once a day. We are working on weaning and will probably be done soon. Oddly, I am a little sad about it, which is an emotion I would have never expected prior to having them. But then again, I’ve really tried to not have any expectations and that’s worked for me. It’s been a wonderful experience!
Mary–that is awesome!! We did the S & M too–until the twins quickly learned that they could just suck on the tube since that is were the good stuff was coming from. And good for you for seeking out help–and finding someone that took the time to spend with your.
Great post, Katie! Breast feeding was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I can’t imagine doing it with twins! Great job- the twins a S are precious!
Thank you, Emily!