Best and Worst Advice on Breastfeeding Multiples

Best Pieces of Breastfeeding Multiples Advice …

Yes, you can breast feed twins and triplets
If you have problems, ask for help from a Lactation Consultation, Doula or midwife
If you get into any difficulties with tandem feeding, feed the babies separately so that you can focus on one at a time and identify the difficulty;
Relax and just give it a try!
Invest in a proper, large,u-shaped nursing pillow
Persevere, it is possible!
Just because your breasts don’t feel full, doesn’t mean they are empty (Note: breasts don’t actually become empty)
Because the babies want to suck more often doesn’t mean that you don’t have enough milk but rather that they have hit a growth spurt and are trying to stimulate more milk to come in
It will come (from the Midwife and the Nurse)
Use cold cabbage leaves in your bra to help relieve engorgement
Breastfeed them together. It saves time and gets them on the same schedule
Use breast compression to maximize milk intake and reduce time at the breast, while still getting the advantage of a full feeding
Latch on your ‘best’ sucker first so s/he is happy then focus on latching on the other
Make sure to switch your babies side to side so that each of their eyes receives an equal workout and stimulation
It’s always ready at a moment’s notice and is always the right temperature

Worst Pieces of Breast Feeding Multiples Advice …

Be prepared for lots of negative advice whether you ask for advice or not. Here’s a sampling of what to ignore.

You can’t breast feed twins, triplets, quadruplets
You look like a cow
OB: “Don’t feel guilty about breastfeeding. Plenty of mums of singletons can’t produce enough milk to feed their baby. Just supplement from the start.”
I didn’t breast feed my babies and look how well they turned out
Or a variation on that theme: I wasn’t breast fed and look how well I turned out
Hospital Nurse [when approached for help with breastfeeding]: “Sorry, I’m a floater. I don’t know anything about breastfeeding. You’ll have to wait until shift change.” (Shift change came 6 hours later)
Hospital Staff: On the day I was to be released from hospital the nurse told us: “Baby B has lost 2 lbs. (nearly 30% of his body mass). You are not able to breastfeed.” I asked first if she had mixed up the twins. She replied: “No, I’ve checked the chart twice and weighed him again. He’s definitely lost 2 lbs.” I begged to stay in the hospital, fearful that he was not thriving. The nurse replied: “You are safe to go home. But you and your husband must bottle feed this baby every 2 hours over the next 48 hours.” She gave us two full cases of formula! I cried all the way home from the hospital. All night we stayed awake trying to force-feed our baby formula (he repeatedly vomited). In the morning our midwife called. I told her of the weight loss. In 10 minutes she was at our house. She discovered he had lost nowhere near two pounds and that the nursing staff had, indeed, mixed up the babies. Two days later a community nurse visited our home — and also checked the hospital records, confirming on Day 2 following the C-section, nurses had mixed up the babies, switching their weights. I then began the struggle to wean off formula and increase my breastfeeding. I began breastfeeding, as a first time mum, and with multiples, following surgery. (PS. I successfully tandem breastfed my twins for 18-19 months)
From a Doctor – You’re not superwoman. Just bottle feed them
Shouldn’t you have stopped nursing them already??
From an Obstetrician – Many women can’t produce enough breast milk to feed a singleton. Don’t expect you can breast feed twins and don’t feel guilty. Just supplement
Wean Keandra [the older child] right away!
Wake the other baby when one wakes up first. Mine have very different needs (their weights are more than 2 pounds apart)
They need to have a supplement
A nurse came into my room one day after our daughters’ births, sat on my bed and said, “We’ve [the nursing staff] been talking about you in the Nurses’ Lounge and I’ve been elected to come and talk to you. You can’t breast feed twins. We think you aren’t being fair to these babies. You need to bottle feed at least one of them .”