10 Must-Know Tips for Breastfeeding Twins
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If you have twins, congratulations! It’s a lot of work, but you’ll get to experience twice the happiness of most families. If you’ve decided to breastfeed them both, that’s awesome too!
For many moms, breastfeeding comes with plenty of challenges, but moms of multiples have to combat a whole new set of obstacles. Here are some tips for breastfeeding twins.
1. Banish the naysayers – Breastfeeding one baby is hard enough. Nursing twins is quite the challenge. Banish anyone from your life who doesn’t strongly support your decision. You need all the encouragement you can get.
2. Don’t rush a schedule – Instead of just two people, you’re coordinating three, so don’t try rush into a feeding routine or try to sync their nursing too much. Stay relaxed.
3. Nurse often – You need to get your milk supply up quickly. The best way to do that is to make your body aware of the large demand. You’re going to have a baby on your breast nearly all day for the few couple weeks, but that’s alright.
4. Drink lots of water – The second best way to improve your milk supply is to crank up your water intake. With two babies, you’ll want to drink at least twelve eight-ounce glasses a day.
5. Solve problems early – If your nipples become sore or chapped, you have to deal with it right away or that problem will spiral out of control. The same goes for poor latches or an inability to find an uncomfortable position. Get help quickly so you and your babies don’t suffer much.
6. Breastfeed together – Once you get into a rhythm, nurse both babies together, otherwise you’ll spend half your day doing it.
7. You will produce enough milk – Some moms are worried about making enough milk for one baby, let alone two. Don’t worry – your body will handle it!
8. Position them properly – Trying to hold one baby up during breastfeeding is pretty difficult, but two is a recipe for exhausted arms. Use a nursing pillow or regular bedroom/throw pillows to support yourself upright and your babies in the proper positions.
9. Get one latch at a time – Until you’re practiced, help one baby get a latch and then the other. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to scoop them on simultaneously, but don’t rush things in the beginning.
10. Learn your holds – With two babies, you’ll need to be adept at positioning the three of your comfortably. Most moms find the football clutch hold the easiest for two babies. Each baby lays on your side with their feet pointing toward the back of the chair and tucked under your arm. You need a pillow on each side or a nursing pillow wrapped around you for this.
Do you have twins or other multiples? What was your biggest challenge?
Written by Melissa LaHann, Founder and CEO of Happy Fig, LLC
Like many moms before her, Melissa cradled her hungry, crying baby as she clumsily adjusted her bra and sat uncomfortably holding up her shirt. Before she knew it, her baby was squirming, her shirt was falling, and the nursing session was interrupted. She needed a better solution, so she created LatchPal, the first nursing clip of its kind.
LatchPal is a breastfeeding shirt clip that holds up a mother’s shirt during breastfeeding. It eliminates shirt re-positioning and feeding disruptions, and helps a mom nurse hands-free in comfort to maximize milk flow. LatchPal was designed with moms in mind. The multi-use solution only requires one hand to latch. It’s a must-have breastfeeding accessory and essential for post-partum moms, pumping moms, and nursing in public.
Interested in writing a guest blog for LatchPal? Send your topic idea to pr@latchpal.com.
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