Categories: Breastfeeding, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy
October 3, 2024
Expecting multiples, whether twins, triplets, or more, brings many decisions – especially around feeding. Many parents wonder, “Can I nurse two or more babies at once?” The answer depends on your health and your babies’ individual needs. These key factors will be discussed throughout your pregnancy with your healthcare provider. As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll explore how these considerations might influence your breastfeeding or feeding journey.
Keep your healthcare team close and ask plenty of questions to prepare! In the meantime, here are some handy tips to help you prepare for feeding twins, triplets, or more – and manage the exciting challenge of keeping multiple babies well-fed!
*All tips will be given around the general topic of twins, but can be applied to other multiple sets as well*
Continuum of care
As you may already know, care for multiples begins before they are born. Prenatal education on feeding basics is a first step in working towards your feeding goals. Most of what you learn in those classes can apply to feeding multiples. During your prenatal period is also a great time to search for other appropriate resources you may have access to, like lactation providers, free community support, insurance offerings, hospital offerings, and more. Creating your care team ahead of time will make the transition into postpartum easier. Find out more about postpartum supports to consider in our blog post, 5 Postpartum Supports You Don’t Want to Overlook.
Single versus tandem feeding
Tandem feeding can be so exciting and a time saver for sure! It is a lot to try to jump right into, though. With any nursing experience, it is a learning journey for you, your baby, and as a partnership. Consider this when your multiples are born. Feeding one baby at a time in the beginning can help you all get your bearings. You can learn about each baby’s cues, preferences, and more. Once you feel more confident, no matter when that is, then try tandem latching. There should be no pressure to do either single or tandem at any point in your feeding journey- it is up to you and your babies!
Positioning
Cradle vs cross-cradle: Which arm goes where for which one? The most important thing for positioning is not the name of the position. Here are the top 3 most important things to consider:
You, the feeding parent, need to be comfortable as step one! Protecting your back, bringing baby(ies) to you (not you to them), and having whatever you need with you. In the beginning, it might be a lot of pillows, but things change and get more comfortable over time.
Baby support – whatever you choose- pillows, positioners, etc.- just make sure babies are level with your chest and supported from head to toe.
Nipples – Yup, we said it! It is you, the baby(ies), and your nipples that are most important. The best way to ensure nipple comfort is by being able to visualize the latch of each baby to make sure it is effective and not causing damage.
Switching sides
To ensure you are stimulating both sides, swap what side each baby feeds on each session. Don’t stress if you forget every now and then.
Triple feeding
Triple feeding is a short-term, optional strategy that can support the initiation of your milk supply or assist as babies improve their latch. Each feeding involves three steps: direct nursing attempts, pumping, and bottle feeding. Learn more in our blog post, What is Triple Feeding and How Can it Help with Breastfeeding?
Bridge milk
Wondering how much milk is enough for newborn multiples? It is normal to be concerned about having “enough” milk for your babies, but every family’s situation is unique. Some parents find bridge milk – such as donor milk or formula – to be helpful during the early days in order to ease the transition to fully providing your own milk. Discuss bridge milk options with your healthcare provider before babies are born to know what your options may be.
Donor milk
Donor milk can be used as bridge milk, as discussed above. Some hospitals even offer pasteurized human donor milk while there! Read about one twin mom’s journey with donor milk here.
Hand expression
Learn it, practice it, and spoon feed it! Hand expression can be incredibly useful, especially during the first few days of babies’ lives. It is a great skill to have in many situations. Discover more about the benefits and techniques here.
Paced feeding
If any baby is taking a feed by bottle, pacing the feed can support both digestion and direct nursing. Slowing down a meal gives our bodies more time to process what we are taking in and to realize when we are full before we are too full! Paced feeding helps prevent a hungry baby from chugging the bottle and mimics the natural flow experienced when nursing at the chest. Find out more about paced feeding here.
Community
Whether you prefer group support or one-on-one connections, virtual meetups or in-person gatherings, or a mix of all of these, finding a supportive community to lean on during the unique ups and downs of parenting multiples is essential. Think of it as your “informal care team!”
Pacifier use
Pacifier use with multiples follows the same general guidelines as with singletons and is ultimately a personal decision. The difference is pacifiers may be used to “pace” babies if you are nursing one at a time, or even while you latch one baby before the other. If one baby becomes upset during these transitions, a pacifier can provide sucking input and may help distract them until you are able to latch or switch to the next baby. Be mindful, pacifiers should not be used to interrupt feeding cues.
A fun fact to show how scientifically magical your body is!
Did you know that each breast can regulate to different temperatures based on your babies’ needs?! Meaning if one baby is a little colder, then the breast they’re snuggled against will warm up to help regulate their temperature, while the other breast will not increase in temperature, staying just right for the second baby. It is your body’s amazing way of taking care of each baby individually!
(J Health Popul Nutr. 2013 Dec; 31(4): 504–509. doi: 10.3329/jhpn.v31i4.20049, PMCID: PMC3905645, PMID: 24592592, Breastfeeding Twins: A Qualitative Study, Nursan Dede Cinar, Tuncay Muge Alvur, Dilek Kose, and Tijen Nemut, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905645/)