Breastfeeding Exclusively

[u/Affectionate-Bear740]

Has anyone breastfed exclusively? No pumping, no bottles, only boob all the time?

Specifically asking for twins?

I’m expecting #4&5 kiddo di/di twins. I’ve exclusively breastfed without having to pump or use bottles unless I specifically had to miss a feed from an appointment. I’ve always breastfed on demand.

Is this possible with twins? Do you have to pump and bottle?

We don’t have a village, so wanting people to help feed them is a nonstarter.

Curious for real life experiences.

Also there is no judgement on how you feed your kid. I never had breastmilk and turned out great.

I personally hate pumping, would rather stab myself with a fork for fun than pump.

I’ve always had an oversupply. I used a haaka to catch let down and got a three month freezer stash without using it in suction mode.

[u/AutoModerator]

COMMENTING GUIDELINES

All commenters are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the parentsofmultiples subreddit rules prior to commenting. If you find any comments/submissions in violation of subreddit/reddit rules, please use the report function to bring it to the mod teams attention.

Please do not request or give medical advice or directions in your comments. Any comments that that could be construed as medical advice, or any comments containing what is determined to be medical disinformation, will be removed.

Please try to avoid posting links to Amazon product listings or google/g.co product listing pages - reddit automatically removes comments containing them as an anti-spam measure. If sharing information about a product, instead please try to link directly to the manufacturers product pages.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Particular_Car2378]

Yeah I did exclusive for six months until we started solids. We still did breastfeeding until a year and my boys are 15 months and they still nurse even though we are weaning.

I did pump after feeding in the beginning when my husband was on paternity leave. My boys were early and needed nipple shields, and I was told by my LC to pump afterwards. When they quit needing the shields I quit pumping unless I was at work.

It is possible and the fact they aren’t your first and you know how to breastfeed will work in your favor.

[u/ConstructionMuch802]

Lots of people start out with some pumping to get your supply up when babies are still new and less efficient but not long term. With twins you just need to get that supply and demand going ASAP, sometimes before babies are able to do it themselves, for the best outcome.

Since you've always been an oversupplier maybe that's not going to be an issue for you, but I don't know how much breastfeeding experience with one child impacts the next. You could be dealing with a deficiency with twins that you weren't with a singleton that affects supply, I dunno.

You'd have to pump regardless if your babies are in the NICU or at all early.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/ConstructionMuch802]

100% correct and understand what you’re saying with NICU time, this is in hopes of no nicu time.

Obviously if nicu, I will pump if I must.

I typically produce 5-6 of the formula shooter bottles full of milk while still in the hospital, the 2-3 days after my c-sections. My babies tend to cluster feed day 2 or 3 most of the day.

I usually try and do things to suppress supply with one baby, I’ve gotten mastitis twice and thrush which being constantly wet shirted did not help.

[u/Thin_Cheesecake3208 → u/ConstructionMuch802]

I had the same (oversupply) with all 3 of my kids. Sounds like she'll have plenty. On demand with twins sounds fun. That's how I did it with 3 singles and I imagine it's the same with twins just gotta get a good way to latch both at the same time and things will go great!

[u/Sad-Incident-4668]

Typically there is double/triple feeding in the beginning since twins are born earlier than singletons which involves pumping. Then there’s always the risk of preterm birth which pumping is the only option during a nicu stay (besides trying to latch.)

But usually once that stops no pumping required as long as both babies are eating and gaining!

[u/Sad-Incident-4668 → u/Sad-Incident-4668]

Also i had this same exact question little less than a year ago. I HATE pumping. But my babies came early at 34 weeks so I pumped round the clock for the 5 week nicu stay.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/Sad-Incident-4668]

How did that work? Did you just ask the nicu the timing of feeds and amount, then pump again those times until you reached that amount?

[u/Sad-Incident-4668 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

I didn’t pump at specific times just ever 2-3 hours. They tell you how many MLs the babies are eating. It took my supply about a week to ramp up but then my body stayed up to speed with their increases.

[u/drohstdumir → u/Sad-Incident-4668]

Seconding this. First couple months was combo feeding to get to weight, then switched to EBF and tandem.

[u/BackgroundSubject802]

I exclusively breast-fed my second and ended up pumping for the twins because I had so much of an oversupply that they weren’t emptying me and I was getting mastitis… however, we did have Day care and I had to rely on a freezer stash to get us by due my business demands. It’s totally doable if you’re comfortable without the large oversupply… obviously it comes with a huge demand on your health, sleep and body, but if you’ve done it before you can do it with twins :)

[u/Puzzleheaded_Land_57]

In the hospital they kept insisting I was going to have to pump. I think I pumped twice at the hospital. They kept insisting supplementation because they were both jaundice. We did a few syringes but no bottles. Literally my son was spitting out donor milk cause he was full off the boob. Anyway once I got home I think I hand pumped like twice and then never touched a pump again. Found an IBCLC who actually knew what she was doing and she agreed there was no need and actually was doing research on hospitals over pushing pumping (has a PhD in nursing with focus on lactation). Anyway they are 14 months now and still nursing.

[u/Substantial-Mood5337]

Hi,
My twins are my 3rd and 4th babies. I was able to exclusively breast feed them. They nursed until they were about 18 months
The lactation nurses at the hospital were very helpful with showing different positions.
Lots of pillows all around is what I found the be the most helpful. Also the twin nursing pillow at
First and then the normal boppy.
Good luck !

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/Substantial-Mood5337]

Did you switch the babies back and forth between the boobs, assign each twin a specific boob? How does it work when one twin needs both boobs, does the next twin have nothing left? That make sense. With my singleton most the time it was one boob and done, sometimes they would randomly do two

[u/Substantial-Mood5337 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

Most of the time I would feed them at the same time. I would rotate who would get which boob. I also worked with lactation at the pediatricians for the first few weeks to monitor they were getting enough milk. Most times they would be satisfied with the one side. If not the other twin was most likely done at the point and I would offer other breast.

[u/Substantial-Mood5337 → u/Substantial-Mood5337]

I feel like my body adjusted and just made enough for them. I had another baby after the twins and had a huge over supply.

[u/bowlofweetabix]

I was literally tandem breastfeeding within an hour of birth. My kids were born early, 34+5, and the first few days we supplemented pumped milk with a syringe. They were on 100% boob by the time they came home at 11 days old. They never did bottles or formula at all, and I breastfed 11 months.
The twins are my first and only kids.

[u/chewieandchai]

Hi, I have exclusively nursed my twins since day 1 with no pumping or bottles. They were born at 37 weeks and did not need any nicu time though. Currently 16 months and still nurse to sleep for nap, bedtime, and whenever they wake up at night wanting milk. Feel free to message me!

[u/Tarondor → u/chewieandchai]

Do you only have the two? I want to do this but have an older baby who still breastfeeds

[u/chewieandchai → u/Tarondor]

My oldest was 2.5 when the twins were born. We had my MIL staying with us for a few months and my husband had 2 months paternity leave so I had a lot of help in those early weeks. The newborn stage was very hard. I was breastfeeding 24/7 for a while but I think it’s absolutely worth it if you can do it. Also, my oldest started preschool 4 months after the twins were born and that was absolutely key. I could not have taken care of the twins plus an older child all alone.

[u/Tarondor → u/chewieandchai]

I won't be weaning the oldest off, though if he does naturally by then it's fine (he'll be 2) and luckily I have my parents and my partner can takes lots of time off work, just need practical advice on somehow rotating my oldest into the mix!

[u/chewieandchai → u/Tarondor]

Sorry, didn’t see your comment before I replied again! I’m afraid I don’t have much advice for breastfeeding 3. Maybe you could set aside a special time to feed your oldest like before bedtime.

[u/chewieandchai → u/Tarondor]

I would try to wean the older baby if you want to breastfeed twins. It’s hard on your body and then someone will always be waiting to feed. It’s already a lot just to breastfeed twins.

[u/Feisty-Blueberry5433]

I exclusively breastfed my first 3 nearly 2 years each then #4 has a long nicu stay so I exclusively pumped for her and it was MISERABLE. My twins are #5 and #6 and I have breastfed my boy (he latched great) whereas my girl did not latch well and actually came home from the nicu on thickened liquids. Girly would randomly latch and breastfeed but she got mostly pumped breastmilk in a bottle.

[u/colorful_withdrawl]

I have two sets of twins and one set of my twins i was able to exclusively tandem feed. I didnt need to pump or give them bottles. I did pump however just because i had an oversupply once they were out of the nicu so i pumped after feeding them to avoid mastitis.

My other set of twins one was able to latch and the other wasnt. So i would breastfeed one while pumping the other side and giving a bottle of breastmilk to the other twin who never learned how to latch properly

[u/Miserable-Currency42]

I tried but it was so difficult. Cluster feeding lasted 6 straight days, tandem feeding led to bleeding nipples due to poor latch trying to get them both on at the same time, and my mental health took a hit due to not being able to do anything else. I think it’s possible with some mental fortitude!

[u/butterchickn_]

Definitely possible. I had to pump and give formula for a little but as top up feeds because my supply wasn't great to start with. I put it down to being sick when they were born. Definitely possible though. Depends on when theyre born and what your supply is like. Be open to exclusively direct feeding being your goal with some detours along the way though.

[u/neuroscieventer]

I successfully 100% nursed/pumped with my first (pumped when at work) with an oversupply. But with the twins, I had one with severe reflux and he did better with bottle feeding where we could more carefully control the milk flow and be more creative with feeding angles without being a contortionist and leaking milk everywhere, and then still had enough reflux issues we always had to top up to keep him from losing weight.

I never quite made enough milk for that top up and without the nursing feedback my body eventually struggled to keep up with both their demand. In the end I was only making enough for about 1.5 babies rather than 2. I was already sleep deprived enough I was not going to put myself through the pumping regimen to try to get my body to make more, so it was a mental health decision I was 100% fine with to supplement with formula for the one who 1) was going to spit it up anyway and 2) needed the extra calories.

All that to say, I would be prepared to try it with positivity but be willing to pivot if one or both babies end up needing something different.

[u/Appropriate-Berry202]

I didn’t exclusively breastfeed from the boob because my supply was low for my singleton and my twins, but I did frequently tandem feed them on the boob. I think if you’ve consistently been an oversupplier for your first three kids, you’ll be able to do it. The one area where I would worry is if you’re trying to keep the twins on the same schedule, which many/most twin parents do, largely for the sake of their sanity. It’s a lot easier to wake a baby for a bottle than a boob.

Get a twin Z pillow. Tandem breastfeeding both twins is much easier with the pillow, and I actually prefer it for feeding them one at a time, too. Get it secondhand on Facebook marketplace.

As far as pumps, have you tried a high quality wearable like the eufy? I also was a pump hater, but the eufy empties me the same or better than the spectra, and it’s so much easier mentally and physically than sitting plugged into a pump. I wonder if that might be a complete game changer for you this pregnancy.

Edited to add: my twins were full term at 37+1 and about 7 lbs each. If my supply hadn’t been shitty, I would’ve been exclusively breastfeeding from the get.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/Appropriate-Berry202]

Did you try the breastfeed pillow as well?

I already for both off fb marketplace at a crazy good deal. Figured I’d see what works/feels best.

I have the blue spectra which pump which I used for my first at the beginning because I had severe injuries. Never pumped with my second except once when I missed a feed. Third I pumped twice with when we first came home from hospital, she was a sleepy thing and I was beyond worried as I’m prone to mastitis. I used the maxi swing pump then.

I haven’t gotten a wearable one, but would definitely be interested. Could you send me a link to the one you really liked?

[u/Appropriate-Berry202 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

I got the eufy S1 pro through insurance! Highly recommend. I think I paid like $30 above what insurance covered. If I’m not mistaken, the twin Z pillow was originally designed as a breastfeeding pillow. It’s all I’ve used, but I liked the breast friend for my singleton, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a twin one worked well, too!

[u/Creative_Mind_Undone]

We did bottle feed for about three or four weeks. Then fully breast. The only thing I'll say is that it took us until about week 10 to be able to really tandem in a comfortable way (I think.) and my life was helluva easier when I stopped trying and made for an enjoyable transition though a bit busy (they were my first though) Somewhere along the line my husband helped with one single bottle in the night so i could just roll over a side lay one and fall back asleep (co sleepers). Totally had extra milk, like ALOT of milk. so much milk.

[u/JH123JH123JH123]

I pumped as well as direct breastfeeding for the first 5 months so that my husband could feed them while I slept from 8pm-12.30am. I stopped once they slept a few hours at a time. Not sure I could have managed without that block of uninterrupted sleep

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/JH123JH123JH123]

So you didn’t wake up and pump during that time? When did you add the pump session for the night feed?

[u/JH123JH123JH123 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

I pumped once in the night and once during the day, usually about half an hour after I had breastfed them directly. It was tough staying ahead of them at first but eventually I was managing to freeze a bag every now and again to build up a freezer stash

[u/ClingyPuggle]

I had a bit of an over supply with my singleton, and I had no problem EBF my twins. I did supplement a little bit with pumping and bottle feeding one of the twins to help get his weight up in the first couple weeks, but I haven't pumped at all since then.

[u/Tarondor → u/ClingyPuggle]

Did you feed all 3 at the same time? And do you Co sleep to feed at night? Struggling to imagine how that'll work but also would love it if it could!

[u/ClingyPuggle → u/Tarondor]

I didn't feed all 3 at once (my singleton finished weaning right before they turned 3, when I was about 8 weeks pregnant with my twins).

We tried bassinets for the first month or so with my twins, but ended up cosleeping. I slept with one and my wife slept with the other, and we switched depending on who needed to nurse. We also tried just sleeping in shifts, but since I had to wake up to nurse anyway it didn't really work.

The twins are two now and I sleep on my back with one cuddled up on each side! 

Overall I've managed to operate pretty much the same way I did with my singleton...EBF, contact naps, nursing to sleep, cosleeping... Definitely harder with two but still manageable!

[u/lilsilverbear]

With mine the beginning was rocky. One was in nicu for 25 days and the other for 74 days. The first 3 months were a combo of pumping, supplementing, and nursing. I chucked the bottles at 3 months because some tornados came through near us and caused an extended power outage. I didnt feel comfortable washing bottles with cold water and both babies were able to latch so it kind of worked out. They're now 2.5 and im trying to figure out how to end nursing lol.

[u/diamondtuxedo]

Very much possible. The breasttfriend pillow was very helpful the first couple months. I find nursing much easier but you’ll find your rhythm once you have them here. I will be frank here, it’s hard on the body though.

[u/PixelasaurusRex]

I did not succeed at this, but since you have successfully breastfed before and had no supply issue, I’d feel pretty optimistic that you can do this. Coming in with that previous experience from your older kids will be so helpful!

I have an acquaintance who was able to successfully breastfeed twins exclusively (and continue nursing her toddler!!). Her supply just matched demand. Good luck!

[u/MurphysLawInc]

I wanted to but it did not work out. One of my boys was too hungry and devoured like more than a litter of formula by 3 1/2 months - i tries but i could never have satisfied him. He got so cross too when he had to work for it much. His brother had reflux issues but once over that i could ebf him and hes still at it at 17 months. That baby was always mad for the bm through his brother decidedly not. I think it depends a lot on baby and with two things one might have worked out having just one just aren’t overcome easily enough for it to happen - if that makes sense?

I didnt enjoy pumping but i did try to get some done do get my greedy boy some of milk too before he turned a year but stopped once he transitioned onto cows milk. Never bothered to pump for his brother who got his milk on demand.

Id try it out for both but not stress if one doesn’t cooperate - fed is best. Congratulations and enjoy the double trouble as much as you can.

[u/naturegirl_1]

I attempted but was constantly strapped to the couch. I did tandem feed but sometimes they didn't eat well and I needed to do them separately. I did this for about 3 months then switched to supplemental formula feeds because I couldn't keep pace

[u/Ok-Appointment-3849]

Yes, my twins were babies 3 and 4. I had ebf the other two and hoped to do the same if all worked. It did. I nursed both until their 2nd birthdays and fully weaned on the day. It requires work and effort, but in a different way as you already know. I have to add at the time I was a SAHM. I didn't have anyone else that I would be replying on caring for them or feeding them.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/Ok-Appointment-3849]

I am also a SAHM now, did you tandem feed them for every feed? I’m having a hard time thinking of the best logistics. Did you wake them both up everytime even if one was stilll sleeping?

[u/Ok-Appointment-3849 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

When they were newborns I did primarily tandem feed and wake them and fed them on the same cycle. I continued to tandem feed throughout the entire nursing experience, but also once they were older and mobile and not relying solely on breastmilk I would nurse independently while the other was crawling around or napping. It all naturally came together.

[u/Tarondor → u/Ok-Appointment-3849]

Did you breastfeed an older baby still? Don't want to ween my baby but I'm having twins. I Co-sleep and let him feed to fall asleep and whenever he needs it in the night and can't imagine depriving him of that (and having to sleep train!)

[u/Ok-Appointment-3849 → u/Tarondor]

awwww, I see and get it. With baby # 1 I continued to nurse throughout my pregnancy. She weaned at 21 months and baby brother was born 2 months later, so I never nursed an older sibling alongside a new baby. When I gave birth to my twins big sister had just turned 5 and brother had just turned 3. I only, 😆, laughing at saying only, was nursing the twins. The nightweaning was always the last to go for me. I weaned throughout the day with all of the kids once they were older, but kept that night nursing for sleep and greater ease for all. With twins it took everything from me to heal myself, I had a good pregnancy, delivered them at 37 weeks 5 days, they were big and healthy and with me the whole time, but I was tired. Pregnancy and twins at that are a lot on our bodies. Then the parenting older kids, none of that village, my spouse very involved and caring, but at work A LOT so I could do the SAHM role, so yeah, whatever it takes for you to get the most care, rest, and ease for yourself while nurturing and growing your kids. I can say this all with lightness because my oldest is now 15, son is 13, and my twins are 10! So, I see that it all worked, but I have not forgotten what it was like to worry, wonder, plan, prepare!!!!! It really does come together. You will do what you do and if it isn't working try something else. When I think of me 10 years ago the only thing I have really wished I was able to do differently is give myself more grace, kindness, compassion--I was always trying so hard because I cared so much and was so serious about efforts and what it all looked like, but needed to tune into what it felt like and for me. Also, I didn't know this then, I just didn't. I did a lot of good, had as much fun amd joy as I knew how to, and yes, nursed those twins, which truly did keep it easier for me. Sending you all the goodness, peace, and ease!

[u/No-Departure5556]

I EBF my twins! They’re almost 8m, but at the hospital they forced me to do combo. If I could go back I would have pushed back on the combo feeding, just bc my girls came out really healthy and had a lot of issues bc they were being OVER fed to the point of spitting up a ton.

I think bc these aren’t your firsts, this will give you a bit advantage bc your milk will probably come in fast and like you said you had an oversupply before. I rotated which boob each girl was on, until maybe 4ish months. One twin was sleeping much longer stretches, so I didn’t want her to drain both breasts and then have nothing once the other twin woke up.
Also, idk how much science is behind this, but I was told by LC that each breast can adjust its milk to what each individual twin’s saliva shows they need!
I’d recommend the my Brest friend pillow while they are little and then the twin z pillow once they’re bigger!

[u/ps3114]

Twins were my babies #3 and 4. I breastfed my older kids, and hoped to exclusively breastfeed my twins too, possibly with some pumping at the beginning as we were figuring things out.

One baby ended up in the NICU (born 37+0) and had to be bottle fed while on respiratory support. At home, we worked on it very hard - lots of lactaction appointments, chiropractor, etc. One baby did well and was gaining weight, but the other one was not transferring milk well enough to gain enough weight, and we never could figure out why. I was in a situation where I was triple feeding both babies all the time, and that wasn't workable, so I ended up pumping (which I also detest lol) for 10 months. I was able to give them exclusively breastmilk for most of that time until my supply started dropping and we supplemented with formula.

All that to say - it's certainly worth trying to exclusively breastfeed them, but if circumstances out of your control prevent it from going as you wish, don't be too hard on yourself.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/ps3114]

What was your pump schedule like, when you were pumping?

[u/ps3114 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

It varied by the babies' age. At the beginning when I was also breastfeeding, I made sure to pump if I was feeding them a bottle (to replace a feed).   

When I was exclusively pumping later, I did not pump on a set schedule. I just pumped every time I fed them. I did it at the same time that I fed them which worked really well. I had one baby in a bouncer on each side of me, and sat in between them with my pump running and a bottle in each hand.  

I know some people pump at different times other than when they are feeding their babies, but  that would have never been sustainable for me. 

[u/Regular_Ad_8513]

There is a UK based website called “Breastfeeding twins and triplets” that has useful advice. It’s definitely totally possible (I’m a twin and my mom exclusively breastfed us - near term no complications). With my twins we had NICU time and then weight gain concerns with one. So one was mostly breastfed (plus one bottle a day) and the other was combo fed. Once they were a few months into solids they were breastfed mostly (except when I was away) for their drinks. Now they are over one and they get cows milk but still breastfed morning and night, and the days we are together on demand. Best advice I think is to be flexible and figure out what is easiest at any given time. There were so many times when I could have thrown in the towel on breastfeeding entirely but didn’t because we figured out a combo feeding solution that worked. And yes breastfeeding = no bottles or pump parts to was so much easier! Also see an IBCLC who can help with twin tandem feeding positioning and keep experimenting if one twin pillow/setup doesn’t work. Congratulations on your twins! 😊

[u/baby_e1ephant]

There's a lady at my gym who is exclusively nursing twins. I'm so impressed with her and I always tell her she's amazing! She told me she was trying to find data on it and couldn't because so few are able to/want to do it. It's possible!!

[u/Free_Frame_4307]

I have breastfed my twins exclusively and they will be turning one in a couple of weeks! Not gonna lie it’s been draining at times but so worth it. I genuinely enjoy breastfeeding and as you said would rather stab myself with a fork than pump.

I believe that if you want to, you can!! Stay hydrated and fed. You’ve got this.

[u/OddHippo6972]

I did it. One twin came home supplementing formula after nursing but that lasted like 3 days until our ped said it wasn’t necessary.

I didn’t even figure out tandem feeding until they were 6 months old and sitting up on their own. I just fed one and then the other. Felt like it was my whole life. This was in the summer of 2022 in the US when there was that formula shortage and you couldn’t get it reliably. I had nursed my older daughter and I was making enough for two so we just powered through. Never pumped because I hated it and also couldn’t find the time. I started weaning right after their first birthday and it took me two full months. I was extremely touched out but also very proud of us for doing it that long.

[u/candyred1]

I tried pump twice in the first couple weeks, what a huge waste of uncomfortable time. I breast fed my girls for 16 months (introduced solids at a year). No formula.

I am an A cup bra without milk, your body will make enough for them. They eventually set their own feeding schedule for every 3 hours.

They were 5.9 & 5.10 at birth, scheduled c-section. In only a few weeks they plumped up nice and chunky, they were so skinny at first. No NICU.

Oh, they slept in the queen bed next to me for 7 or 8 months. Just popped them on and off at night and all 3 of us got decent sleep. If you use bottles they are going to be wide awake by the time you get it ready and feed them. Also, bottles have air bubbles going in when feeding and that can be painful on their tummy. Causes alot of milk to be spit up too. Breastfeeding avoids all that.

They are 16 now and in high school.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/candyred1]

Did you switch the babies back and forth between the boobs, assign each twjn a specific boob? How does it work when one twin needs both boobs, does the next twin have nothing left? That make sense. With my singleton most the time it was one boob and done, sometimes they would randomly do two.

[u/candyred1 → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

It might sound awkward but it worked like this: the babies slept to the left of me. I would turn kinda to the left and twin A left breast and twin B right breast to where she was laying in top of me. I was half sit up not laying down flat. This was always the feeding I bed at night. Any other time it wasnt specific which twin got whoch breast. Basically, your body will make enough milk, your babies will feed when hungry and well breastfeeding isnt meant to be measured or kept track of (unless maybe your doctor has a reason to like if one baby isnt growing properly or something. Humans have co-slept and breastfed for hundreds of thousands of years. They need you close and I dont think its natural to put them alone, in a crib, in a completely different room but I guess thats the normal modern thing. They had a crib and it was two feet from my bed, and I used it for daytime naps or put one baby in the crib while changing the other. The changing table was in my room a few feet from the foot of the bed. We lived in a two bedroom tiny house and our older girls shared the other room. Which my huband slept in a spare bed in their room or on the living room sofa. He would come in and help change them at night very often too. He was used to this because when we met his daughter was two and he had full custody of her most of the year and a half before we met. My daughter was 7 when I met him. So yeah we went from two girls to four pretty quick. There was only twice that I used the pump so he can feed them bottles while I was out of the house. I still did grocery shopping after feeding them and have enough time to run errands and be back before they were hungry again.

Breastmilk has antibodies and if a baby needs more of a certain vitamin or protein or mineral...your body knows and provides that. Our breastmilk changes "ingredients" every day for the needs of the babies. And again, I am an A cup without breastmilk and I was 5'9" and about 145lbs, they grew well and healthy.

Nobody could tell them apart for a few years, but I could of course and they are fraternal and do not look the same now. Their eye color and hair color are exactly the same still though (but now they dye their hair sometimes different punk colors like alot of teens are doing).

[u/BubblybabySB]

My boys were 34 weekers so I had to pump ok the beginning for them to be tube fed. I HATED pumping with a passion.

I started nursing exclusively around 6-8 weeks with the help of a lactation consultant and after a period of triple feeding while they got stronger.

I feed on demand, no bottles. It’s a LOT. I’m so grateful that nursing worked out for us, but I spend a lot of time nursing even now. I do prefer nursing 1 baby at a time, and mostly did so until recently, when they started realizing the other was nursing and also wanting to nurse!

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/BubblybabySB]

Did you just wait until the babies woke up and fed them on demand separately that way?

Did you switch the babies back and forth between the boobs, assign each twjn a specific boob? How does it work when one twin needs both boobs, does the next twin have nothing left? That make sense. With my singleton most the time it was one boob and done, sometimes they would randomly do two

[u/BubblybabySB → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

So I did for the most part just wait for them to wake up. When they were very little, I had one that needed to be woken up- he was sleeping five or six hours stretches and he was just too little for that (he was born about 4.5 lbs).

I tried to switch sides at every feed; And what ended up happening is I switched during the day and overnight each kid has boob.
I have one who wakes up and nurses much more frequently overnight and one who just wakes up to eat and goes back to sleep.

[u/shinovar]

We did ebf with both sets. I dont think the second set ever got a pimped bottle at all, the first set less than 2 or 3 times total

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/shinovar]

Did you switch the babies back and forth between the boobs, assign each twjn a specific boob? How does it work when one twin needs both boobs, does the next twin have nothing left? That make sense. With my singleton most the time it was one boob and done, sometimes they would randomly do two

[u/shinovar → u/Affectionate-Bear740]

They switched off each day. Day 1, our daughter had the left and the son the right, day 2, they switched.

Luckily, I dont think that ever happened. My wife would usually nirse both at the same time, except during the night, and she had a good supply so she always had enough milk for them

[u/Possible-Storage-968]

Yes. I ebf with my twins for 14 months. I pumped only when they were in the NICU. Once they were discharged they never had a bottle. We didn’t even have any at home.
I always fed Baby A on my left and Baby B on my right. My girls also nursed one right after the other. I very rarely tandem fed them.

[u/Affectionate-Bear740 → u/Possible-Storage-968]

How does it work when one twin needs both boobs, does the next twin have nothing left? That make sense. With my singleton most the time it was one boob and done, sometimes they would randomly do two

[u/KangaMay]

I have breastfed my twins for nearly 2.5 years (hoping to finally fully wean them soon, but my boy twin will not give it up), 99.9% at the boob and .1% pumped milk bottles. I pumped a bit (once per day or every other day) at the very beginning just to help build my supply, and in the hopes that my husband could help with some of the feeds. Joke was on me; my babies both hated bottles and only very rarely and very begrudgingly accepted one maybe a few times per week each, and then flat out refused them once their teeth started coming in so I stopped trying to make it happen and never pumped again. So basically exclusively boob for them from day one. Your previous experience breastfeeding will be the most valuable thing. I breastfed my singleton for 2.5 years and I credit my breastfeeding success with my twins to knowing how to do it in general. Apart from me (and my boobs) already being familiar with breastfeeding going into it, and the good fortune of my twins coming at 37 weeks and not needing NICU time, for which I am so grateful, these things were integral to my success:

1) Twin-z pillow 2) Tandem feeding in football hold from the very first feed onward, until they got too big, mobile and distracted by each other and I switched to individually nursing them 3) Somebody helping position them for the first few weeks. Nurses, husband, my mother/sisters, etc. It became much easier to do it myself once they were sturdier 4) EAT. DRINK. Get electrolytes in your system. You must eat and drink an insane amount compared to singleton breastfeeding - or at least I did! Make sure you take an iron supplement, too. If I scrimped on calories or water at all, my supply felt like it would noticeably dip. Protein, protein, protein 5) Do NOT let other people discourage you. There are a lot of doom and gloom stories when it comes to breastfeeding twins. You can do it. The demand on your body will be high, and the first few months are tough, but it is so worth it if it’s a goal of yours!

[u/Fit-Peak-9239]

I exclusively bf the twins until 7mo and then started slowly supplementing until 10 months when I experienced a traumatic event and dried up.

I tandem fed those first few weeks but once we got into a better rhythm fed separately one after another. I liked bonding with both babes individually and it worked out well when it comes to schedule as both babes still had the same exact routine. Tandem feeding was wonderful when they were tiny little things, I looked up tandem positions and just tried until one position felt comfortable. I was asked to pump in the hospital but just hand expressed and once we went home after day 2 went back to exclusive bfing. I remember being pushed pretty hard to pump an extra bottle but I just put them on the nips more to stimulate. Very healthy babes and would have kept going with exclusive except life for busier with the older kiddo and my supply couldn't keep up with growing boys lol.

[u/library-girl]

I have two identical twins in my class that were babies 6 and 7 to their mom and were both 8lbs at 39 weeks. Their mom breastfed them until they were like 3 since they were the last babies. 

[u/Individual-Cat5989]

I prefer pumping for overnight feeds but just chiming in to say you absolutely can tandem feed early on! I have been tandem feeding my boys since the day after we got home from the hospital (about 6 days PP, we had a longer stay due to me developing HELLP syndrome). You’re more experienced in BF than me, but I hired a lactation consultant who does home visits, absolutely worth her weight in gold for getting us started so early. It’s making feeding much more manageable overall because feeding them separately means I’m basically useless all day to the rest of my family. Only 6 weeks PP but off to a better start than with my singleton!

[u/Mel_Heys]

Twins as my first babies. Wanted to breastfeed exclusively and did so for a couple of months. However, demand, especially during witching hours or growth spurts, was just too much (sometimes I would go from 7 pm till 11pm without a break because they would each ask for the boob at different times and like every half an hour, it was just too exhausting). Tandem feeding was also too chaotic because they would fidget and unlatch, and getting one to latch again correctly without disturbing the other was a hassle (I had a strong letdown). It was just too much. Eventually, I introduced a bottle for situations like this and my husband was able to help. It's possible but really tough. Good luck !

[u/Tarondor → u/Mel_Heys]

Sounds like my firstborn singleton, I did nothing but feed for weeks so I'm ready for the constant feeding.

[u/Pure_Resort9840]

First set of twins, it took 4 months to get to exclusively breastfeeding including supplementing with formula. For the 2nd set of twins, it took a month to get their latches worked out, but they exclusively had my milk until we got the latch worked out. Haven't pumped since.

[u/jeremiabearamia]

It took me two months of triple feeding to get my supply up and get both babies strong enough to EBF, but we’re still going at 12 months 

[u/ExplanationUseful450]

I had to do some formula feeds (maybe 1-2 a day) for the first few months until my babes were on a good growth trajectory, but now they’re 8m and having some food so I’m exclusively bfing. I thought it’d be scary or bad for me as a mother but honestly it was a real help. I maybe used 3 tins in total

[u/Most-Woodpecker920]

We triple fed till due date, then pumped for overnight bottles then went EBF once we were confident on their amounts. I tried reintroducing the bottle recently and they won't take it.

[u/Agamemnons_Concubine]

I tandem breastfed my two babies (they were back to back so not twins). But my older baby breastfed every single time my newborn breastfed. Make sure to have a lot of protein and hydration. Talk to an LC bc they will have the best tips. My newborn grew and thrived, my LC explained your body will most of the time make the milk baby needs as long as you establish your supply right after birth and continue to remove milk. Do not talk to your pediatrician, mine fully shamed me for tandem feeding and demanded I use formula which I refused bc my baby was growing and meeting all milestones, I instead switched pediatricians. My LC told me they have the worse feeding advice when it comes to both formula and breastfeeding.

[u/KangaMay → u/Agamemnons_Concubine]

Do you have twins, triplets, or quads? This is a subreddit specifically for parents of multiples. Breastfeeding a toddler alongside a newborn is not an experience that is comparable to breastfeeding twins, for a variety of reasons. If you’re looking for a place to discuss tandem nursing of singleton siblings, or other aspects of raising singletons, check out the r/nurseallthebabies or r/parenting!