Nursing Twins

QUESTION: I am trying to nurse twins and finding it difficult. I am also giving them formula because when one is crying I am usually nursing the other one, so it is hard to nurse them both. I am producing milk but not enough I think. Is there any way I can nurse? My pediatrician said to use the breast as a supplement and formula as the main meal, so whenever they get up I would nurse them and then give them formula. Is that OK? Also, is it OK to eat dairy while nursing? And after I pump, do I freeze the milk right away and how long can frozen milk last for? I would really like to know a schedule if possible about breastfeeding twins if any. Thank you.

Hello Rochelle and congratulations on your twin boys! I am going to assume that you desire to completely breastfeed your twins and that you prefer not to supplement.  If this is not the case, please email back.

First of all, it is almost NEVER a good idea to supplement a breastfed baby with Artificial Breast Milk (ABM), formally called formula.  Every time your baby takes a bottle of formula, several undesirable things occur. It tells your body to make less milk, it causes the baby to suck in an unnatural way that can cause problems with your breastfeeding, and it replaces a superior food in baby's diet with an inferior one.

To correct this downward spiral of events which usually ends in bottle-fed babies, I recommend the following steps be taken:

1. Always nurse each baby before any supplement is given.
2. Each baby should nurse every 2-3 hours.
3. Save yourself the aggravation of split feedings and feed them together. I recommend a nursing pillow designed specifically for twins. Don't waste your money on one designed for singletons that can "also be used for twins," they don't work nearly well enough. One that I have had terrific success with is the NurseMate. Contact FourDee Products at 1-800-526-2594 or www.fourdee.com (No, I don't own stock!)
4. If you have pumped breastmilk, why are you storing it instead of supplementing the babies with it?  Use it instead of ABM. 
5. If at all possible, take three days off from everything except nursing the twins. Stay in bed all day and nurse them on demand, every time they indicate they are interested. Usually, if Mom does this, at the end of the three days, her milk supply is up tremendously and supplementing is no longer necessary.
6. If you have the time and energy, you can pump between feedings to further increase your supply.
7. Remember, you have to take care of you so you can take care of your babies. Try to always sleep anytime they do, have someone else do everything except the baby care if possible. One trick is to put up a list of things you need help with, laundry, mop floor, prepare meal, clean bathroom, etc. When someone comes over and asks if there is anything that they can do to help, tell them to pick anything on the list they like. This saves you from getting no help at all because you don't feel comfortable assigning a task to someone.
8. Try assigning one twin the right breast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is not necessary to switch them after each feeding.
9. Keep close track of wet and dirty diapers AFTER you have gone off of the supplements. You want at least six wet and four dirty diapers each 24 hours.

Rochelle, I know it seems overwhelming right now, but completely breastfeeding your twins is so much easier and more satisfying, not to mention less expensive and far healthier than bottle-feeding. Please keep up the good work and let me know how you are doing.


Denny Rice, RN, IBCLC

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