BF/pumping for twins

[SweetieShellie]

Hi ladies

I know it's probably too early to be thinking about this, but I'm curious what the experiences of  MoMs are. Before knowing it was twins, I was planning on BFing. Not just for the health benefits, but for the financial aspect of it too. Now that we know for sure it's twins, I'm wondering how other MoMs have been handling feedings. I'm wondering if exclusively pumping might work out better then BFing, or maybe a mix of the two. I'm hoping to avoid formula, mostly because the thought of paying for formula for TWO babies scares the day lights outta me!! But I know that it's possible I may have to supplement, or that I may not produce enough for two LOs.  

TIA  

[elvenqueen]

Also curious to hear others' experiences with this! I was just going to get a cheapie manual pump when I thought I was having one for "emergencies", but now I feel like there's a good chance I'd need to have something more efficient on hand.

[Squishy622]

Thanks for asking this, I've bern wondering too! I had high hopes for making BFing work well this time since DD and I had a bumpy road - but after learning that we're having twins, I feel very overwhelmed by the thought. I do want to try to go easy on myself and not set any high expectations or goals. Healthy babies and my sanity are most important!

[anotherdreamer]

I had a lot of issues with my singleton and weaned at 3m, but I've been successfully BFing my twins for almost 9m now. Many women have success nursing their twins.

With my DS there were a lot of things I could have done differently in retrospect, so I did with my twins. The main issues I had with him was latch, overactive letdown (OALD), low supply, and the fact that we started supplementing right away (was pressured to by my hospital, even though there was no medical reason). I mostly EPed for him, and I hated it honestly. I weaned at 3m because at the time I was only pumping 1oz and he was eating 5oz.

With my twins I chose a different hospital that was more bonding/nursing friendly. I had them at 38w4d. When I had my c-section we went to recovery together, they went to my room with me, they didn't leave me until I asked the nurses for a break. I tandem nursed right away in recovery, and continued doing so in the hospital. I had the nurses or DH help me set up. The LCs and nurses said they don't normally recommend starting tandem right away, but I really didn't see a reason not to. I was going to be doing it at home, I didn't have time to nurse individually. Tandem nursing has never been an issue for me. DD1 dropped some weight and they suggested supplementing, but since she never dropped past 10% I declined since my milk hadn't came in yet. As soon as my milk came in she gained rapidly. My twins came home with me.

I have a My Bestfriend Twin Nursing Pillow Plus- that was a HUGE must for me. I still use it at almost 9m out. I had DH help me set them up the first month, then I found my groove and started doing it myself. I still have him help when he's home though lol. In the first few months they nurse a lot, so I would set up a station on the couch: pillow, pillows for my comfort, drink, snacks, TV remote, Kindle, phone, burp clothes... whatever I might want/need. In the beginning they would nurse every 30 minutes to 3 hours, they cluster-fed a lot, and it was intense at times- IT GETS BETTER THOUGH, and for me it was well worth it. In the early days it would take them 30min to nurse, but now they take like 5min to tandem nurse. They take longer alone, but it's still only like 10min each. With DD1 I had latch issues for used a nipple shield for a month or two, and I had to let my OALD spray into a washcloth until it lessened enough for them to nurse. They were able to handle it without help by 2-3m though.

Being able to nurse has a lot of pros to me... it's very quick to feed them, I don't have to carry extra food, I don't have to wash bottles, it's cheaper (I do eat like crazy though, so extra grocery costs- but still cheaper than formula), it's overall very convenient. My biggest motivator was finances though.

My best advice is be prepared, research all you can about BFing (read, lurk on forums, visit Kellymom.com, talk to women who have nursed). Make sure you have a support system, in person (friends/family/LCs/your partner) and/or online. A lot of people will tell you that it's nuts to nurse twins, I get it a lot- that is rubbish. Most women can make as much milk as they need, because nursing is about supply and demand. The more you nurse, the more milk you should make. You need people in your corner reminding you that you can do it and helping you with issues. Now, it doesn't always work out... and that's OKAY! But give it a try if it's something you really want to do.

I nurse exclusively on demand, so no bottles for my twins. That works for me. I know some women EP and that works for them. If I had to EP agian this time, I probably would have quit though. I hate EPing. You have to pump, then feed it to the babies, then clean the bottles... I just hated it. With DS it was a major time suck, and he would be crying to eat and I'd be struggling to pump... it was awful for my emotional well being. Another drawback of EPing is that it's harder to signal your body to make more milk, a baby will nurse better than a pump can suction so they empty the breast better. I think that contributed to my low supply. Personally, I would not plan on EPing unless you have no choice. It's just not ideal. Nursing can be tough, the first couple months are hard, but it gets so much easier.

[Squishy622]

Thanks for sharing, anotherdreamer. Great to hear a success story!

[anakah]

I wound up ep'ing for the twins. This was a combination of ftm lack of knowledge and little support. In retrospect I think we could have been successful. That said I only produced half of what they needed so we supplemented 50% of their bottles. i think it is completely doable to EBF twins but also don't beat yourself up if you need to supplement or end up FF. Good luck ladies.

[ashb62]

I hate pumping. HATE. There is no way I could have EP'd. Babies are much more efficient than even a good pump. (Although, I do recommend having a good pump.) BFing is a supply and demand process, so it's important to get babies on the breast as much as possible. It'll feel like you're nursing around the clock at first, but it gets better after a few weeks. Meet with a lactation consultant ASAP and let them help you make sure babies are latching well. A good latch is so important. They'll tell you it isn't supposed to hurt, but in my experience, you'll be sore at first no matter how well babies latch. Lanolin is your friend. It's hard in the beginning, but if you can push through the first four weeks or so, it gets SO much easier.

In the beginning, my boys were a bit lazy and not gaining well, so we supplemented with pumped milk. It was a pain to nurse, give bottles, then pump every 2-3 hours, but it did the trick and by 2 1/2 weeks, we were able to eliminate the bottles. I tried to pump for a freezer stash, but I wasn't really producing much more than what they needed. Since I'm a SAHM, pumping wasn't really a necessity. I did manage to build a small stash, but we completely depleted it when I got sick and had to have my gallbladder removed when they were 4 months old.

From about 5 weeks to 5 months, we supplemented with one 2-4 oz bottle of formula a day to "top them off" at bedtime. It was really more for my sanity than anything else. Since formula metabolizes more slowly than breast milk, it gave us a slightly longer stretch of sleep, which was much needed.

My best advice is to have an idea of how you want things to go, but be willing to change your expectations and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out that way. I was so sure that I would tandem nurse, but we hated it. Unless they both were screaming at the same time, I much preferred nursing one at a time and so did my boys. It really didn't take that much longer, because my guys nursed better and more efficiently one on one. I also didn't want to buy formula at all, but that one bottle a day was a sanity saver. I expected it to be as easy as BFing my DD (who was a pro from the beginning.) It wasn't, but we figured it out.

BFing twins is definitely doable. My boys are still nursing at 18 months. If for whatever reason, it doesn't work out, please don't feel bad about giving your babies formula. I hate the BF vs. FF mommy wars. We beat ourselves up enough. As long as your babies are fed and loved, they'll be just fine!

[bootsorhearts]

::dirty lurker::

There are/were on TD several MOMs on the BF board, it's probably worth XPing there for some advice! It's definitely do-able to BF twins, your supply should adjust to accommodate two. There are even special pillows you can get that are made for twins. I have a dear friend IRL who EP'd for twins until they were 19 months old. I think she had latch problems and that forced her to EP which was not her first choice, but it is doable.

[thesportsgal]

Mar 22, 2015 15:24:10 GMT -5 elvenqueen said:

Also curious to hear others' experiences with this! I was just going to get a cheapie manual pump when I thought I was having one for "emergencies", but now I feel like there's a good chance I'd need to have something more efficient on hand.

elvenqueen, Have you looked into a pump through your insurance yet?  With my first, I was told that they would only cover a single manual.  This time around, I went through Aeroflow and they did all of the legwork for me and I ended up with a Medela double electric!!  I was so excited.  I'm sure it has to do with getting a prescription/doctor's approval (which they conveniently didn't tell me the first time around) so you should definitely see what kind of pump you can get. 

[elvenqueen]

Mar 23, 2015 13:56:32 GMT -5 thesportsgal said:

Mar 22, 2015 15:24:10 GMT -5 elvenqueen said:

Also curious to hear others' experiences with this! I was just going to get a cheapie manual pump when I thought I was having one for "emergencies", but now I feel like there's a good chance I'd need to have something more efficient on hand.

elvenqueen, Have you looked into a pump through your insurance yet?  With my first, I was told that they would only cover a single manual.  This time around, I went through Aeroflow and they did all of the legwork for me and I ended up with a Medela double electric!!  I was so excited.  I'm sure it has to do with getting a prescription/doctor's approval (which they conveniently didn't tell me the first time around) so you should definitely see what kind of pump you can get. 

Well I'm in the UK so I'm on NHS, no medical insurance. I'd assumed that those who want/need to pump here have to get their own, and maybe those on a low income will get some sort of support for getting one. I'll double-check with my midwife, though -- I might be mistaken, it could be a lot simpler for me. Hopefully, at least!

[thesportsgal]

Mar 23, 2015 15:02:06 GMT -5 elvenqueen said:

Mar 23, 2015 13:56:32 GMT -5 thesportsgal said:

elvenqueen, Have you looked into a pump through your insurance yet?  With my first, I was told that they would only cover a single manual.  This time around, I went through Aeroflow and they did all of the legwork for me and I ended up with a Medela double electric!!  I was so excited.  I'm sure it has to do with getting a prescription/doctor's approval (which they conveniently didn't tell me the first time around) so you should definitely see what kind of pump you can get. 

Well I'm in the UK so I'm on NHS, no medical insurance. I'd assumed that those who want/need to pump here have to get their own, and maybe those on a low income will get some sort of support for getting one. I'll double-check with my midwife, though -- I might be mistaken, it could be a lot simpler for me. Hopefully, at least!

Oh sorry!!  I didn't know you were "over there" .  When Obama created the Affordable Care Act it required insurance companies here to now cover breast pumps - a pretty big deal!

I borrowed 2 last time around and just bought new parts if that's an option for you too.

[elvenqueen]

Mar 23, 2015 15:08:14 GMT -5 thesportsgal said:

Mar 23, 2015 15:02:06 GMT -5 elvenqueen said:

Well I'm in the UK so I'm on NHS, no medical insurance. I'd assumed that those who want/need to pump here have to get their own, and maybe those on a low income will get some sort of support for getting one. I'll double-check with my midwife, though -- I might be mistaken, it could be a lot simpler for me. Hopefully, at least!

Oh sorry!!  I didn't know you were "over there" .  When Obama created the Affordable Care Act it required insurance companies here to now cover breast pumps - a pretty big deal!

I borrowed 2 last time around and just bought new parts if that's an option for you too.

That's so awesome that you can get them covered there! I feel like I've read about renting them here and it was really affordable. I just need to sit down and read up on everything.

[carrotcake]

I BFed my twins for 14mo until they self-weaned. anotherdreamer and ashb62 covered it, but I wanted to chime in to say it's definitely possible.

I had a traumatic delivery (emergency c/s under general anesthesia) w preemies and didn't get to see them for 24hrs let alone try and nurse. They were in the NICU for 13 days and we had to supplement for 10 days while my milk came in. Despite a stressful start, we transitioned to tandem nursing and ditched formula from then on out.

I also work FT, so I pumped 3x a day for their bottles while I was at work. I give moms who EP so many props, it's so time consuming and not as efficient as nursing.

But we made it! I nursed my oldest for 20 mo as well. It really is as simple as supply/demand (there are a lot of variables, yes, but this is the main tenet). Get people in your corner to support you and tell them over and over again you want it to work. Because it is hard and it does hurt, but imo, it's worth it. I absolutely loved nursing.

[Deleted]

I did everything I could to BF. One baby was all over it, the other was not. So after the first few days I switched to pumping. I did everything I could for about 6-8 weeks, but I was not producing enough to keep up with my little guys. Eventually I started to mix both formula and breast milk. I ended up stopping because I was barely producing and it was taking away a lot of time from the boys.

One thing I will say, try not to stress too much about not being able to produce. I really hated that I didn't get to breastfeed or pump longer. Prepare your mind for the possibility that you may or may not be able to produce.

Pumps are expensive, so maybe borrow one, or see if a local hospital rents them out first. That way you can decide if you should spend the money on one or not?

Hope that helps!!

[FCtwinmom]

My babies were born at 31+5 and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. I started pumping as soon as I could after they were born (within a few hours). So they were fed milk I pumped for them from pretty much the get go (in their feeding tubes at first).

As they got stronger I started working on Bfing with them. My DD picked it up well but my DS struggled. So when they came home I would bf her but still have to pump for him. Time wise it was killing me so I switched to EPing and just bottle fed both of them. I also invested in a hands free pump bra so that I could pump while bottle feeding both of them. This helped me actually get some time back between feedings.

I would highly recommend investing in a good pump. I rented one from the hospital to help establish my supply (it was $50/month here not sure what it would be there). I think this was a super important part of making sure I had a big enough supply for both babies. They are almost 5 months old now and I am still able to keep up with them. EPing is not the easiest way to go but definitely better than having to pay for formula. Which was also my main concern

[mymorningcoffee]

I pumped for 7 months. The main reason I ep'ed was the girls were in the NICU for 5 weeks, and by the end they could eat enough by bottle, but they still really struggled with nursing. We weren't going to stay there any more than necessary, so I decided to pump. They needed fortified milk anyway, so it ended up working out.

You will get techniques down to manage time. Like FCtwinmom , I used a hands free pump while I fed them. A good pump was key. I had my doc write a prescription, so I was able to get a hospital grade one covered by insurance.

[ashb62]

I have so much respect for EPers. That's such a huge commitment. You ladies are amazing!

[anotherdreamer]

Mar 25, 2015 6:51:41 GMT -5 ashb62 said:

I have so much respect for EPers. That's such a huge commitment. You ladies are amazing!

Same here!

[mrsp419]

A lot of PPs said basically anything I would, but I can give you another story of successful EBFing. My twins are kiddos 3 and 4 for me, so I have gone through a very difficult breastfeeding experience and a very easy one before this. It really is not too bad if you can get them on the same schedule (tandem feeding or one right after the other). I find it to be relaxing, a neat bonding experience, and not terribly time consuming after the first couple of months. My one complaint is that sometimes, even 9 months out, my nips get pretty raw, whereas I got over most of the breastfeeding pain within the first 1-2 months with my older two. I also had to add in a formula bottle in the middle of the night, and then before bedtime when they started STTN, just to give my boobs a break.
I have mad respect for anyone who EPs. I hate pumping so much. It really works for some people; I have friends who chose to pump because they like the ability to plan their feedings and track their output. I have even more friends who have to pump because they need the supply for work. I always personally found it to be way more time consuming and less effective than EBFing (in the first two weeks I had to pump post-feeding to up my supply and give a supplement to my girls... I very eagerly cut that out when their doctor gave me permission).
I say all this not to discourage you from pumping; like I said, it works for a lot of people. If you plan to pump, don't skimp on pump quality. Make getting an awesome pump a priority for your own emotional sanity. But I also want to encourage you that EBFing twins is far from impossible, and I found it to be easier than one of my singletons.

[robertjane33]

K has been mostly pumping for three months now, and has an oversupply, even for twins. She had a traumatic delivery and didn't put the babies to the breast until day four (?) or so (it's a bit hazy there for me too) and then started with the hospital grade-pump. It took a few weeks to get her supply up - we supplemented with formula for the first 1.5 months, but haven't had to at all since then. She generally BFs once in the morning, then pumps the rest of the time.

We were probably somewhat lucky that she was able to BF despite it taking so long to start stimulation, but here is what advice we got that worked for us:

- rent a hospital grade pump if you can. Much faster, more comfortable, and quieter. We have one at home and K has a borrow Medela pump in style at work - the hospital grade one (that is rented) works much better.

- talk to LCs in the hospital and get as much advice as you can, not just for the current situation, but also for what your plan should be going forward. We got great advice on what to do for the first week or so while K was recovering, but once we were home, we felt at a bit of a loss. We paid out-of-pocket for someone to come to our house to give advice but also to just help us come up with a plan on what to do next.

- if you are pumping to establish a supply, those middle of the night pumps are incredibly important. Get a routine going, and keep working on it.

- find something fun to do while you pump - watch a silly tv show, read a book. Make it a fun break in your day.

We find that EP'ing is actually a lot easier for us both because she just pumps for 20 minutes, and then I can feed both babies if need be, or she can. It has freed her up to not be so tied down to them. We've also had a tough time tandem nursing, so BFing both can take up to 40 minutes, and there is something nice (for us) knowing exactly how much they have gotten.

[samantha24]

Breastfeeding twins is possible! I am currently EBF my 4 month old twins. In the beginning it was tough it seemed like they were always nursing but now a nursing session takes about 5 minutes. I tandem nurse them with the my brestfriend pillow. It is amazing and well worth the money. Like pp said having a good support team is a must! I don't think I would have made it through all the growth spurts without all the encouragement of DH. It takes a lot of work in the beginning but I'm glad I stuck with it. Good luck!

[babys2015]

I'm EBFing my month old twins. We've had our challenges, latch issues, oversupply, but are making it work so far. I do pump enough during the day to cover the evening feelings for one baby, then DH bottle feeds so I only have yo nurse one at night. We switch babies every night. I tandem nurse during the day when I can, but haven't had the nerve to try tandem at night.

We supplement w formula when we see fit, like if we're out and about, although I also NIP. It's amazing what your body will do and can def make enough for two babies. Good luck!

[quinncat]

I'm probably in the minority here. I bf'ed one twin and pumped for the other. My little guy had so much trouble transferring milk when he was a baby that I would have to pump for him after bf'ing. I just didn't have the time. (I also had a 2 year old at the time). I pumped 3 times a day for him and hated every minute. If I wasn't bf'ing his sister I would have given up very early on. I pumped for 7 months. Due to medication I was put on, I decided to stop.
It is doable but hard. It would have been so much easier to bf them both.

[babyksmommy]

Like quinncat I pumped for one and BF the other. My DD has had latch issues so she won't BF. But I pump for her. EPing is hard and it really takes over your life. They are 6 months old and I can't wait till a year so I can stop pumping. I hate it. Truly I do. I have a my best friend twin pillow but I don't use it. And I have a pumping bra I use daily.

I also have a hospital grade pump for free and I have a regular pump I got for free too. I prefer the hospital grade because it has good suction.

My twins were in the NICU for 3 wks and 4 wks so it's possible to establish BFing after they are released. Mine both latched at first but I started EPing because DD lost too much weight after she came home and I needed DH to help me at night with the feedings. Once we did that it was much better for both of us.

It's def possible to do you just have to make it through the first couple months.