Breastfeeding twins

It is definitely not an easy task, but it is feasible and worth it.

Benefits for your babies:

1. Breast milk protects your children against infection. Milk produced right after birth is full of vital proteins and antibodies that helps the child to grow up properly and healthy. These proteins and antibodies also protect your child against intestinal and other after birth imminent infections and lower the risk of the allergic reaction,
2. breast milk is a very important part of the baby nutrition until the age of 2,
3. breast milk is especially suitable for extremely small or premature babies, which are more vulnerable to diseases and have more trouble digesting artificial dry milk. Quite a lot of twins sadly falls under this category,
4. breastfeeding creates strong and nice bond between mother and her children

Benefits for you (mums):

1. Breastfeeding helps you to feel better and more happy because of Prolactin hormone, which is one of the hormones being produced while feeding that has calming and relaxing effects – which is especially valuable for twins mum,
2. breastfeeding is emotionally rewarding. Mothers knows that they do the best they can for their children and that they literally give the best out of themselves,
3. in compare with artificial feeding breastfeeding is easy. There is no need for bottle sterilization, dosage estimation, heating, or trust issues with unknown artificial milk brands,
4. breastfeeding is cheaper,
5. breastfeeding can be fast. With the knowledge of the right technique you will spent the same time feeding twins as feeding one child. We will go over these techniques in following chapters.

The most important thing when breastfeeding twins is the HOPE

You just need to believe and everything will be fine. You don´t have to be afraid that you might not have enough of the milk, breastfeeding is the matter of offer and demand, the more children will consume the more milk will be produced in the breast. The important things for mums are the proper time of eating, proper rest, no stress environment and following of systematic order.

Proper breastfeeding technique

Mum should take the breast between the thumb and other fingers and put the nipple to the child's mouth and with slow circular movements try to invoke the sucking reflex. Widely open child mouth as if yawning are the proper response to this stimulation. Any touch in the facial area and mainly around mouth provoke this reflex in babies 3 months and younger. Baby is turning it's head from side to side and opens the mouth widely. When we circle the baby's mouth with the nipple we help to find the mouth it's place. If the baby is opening the mouth as in yawning we swiftly put the nipple and big part of lower areola in it's mouth. The nipple inside of the child's mouth touches the upper palate with the sensing point that invokes sucking reflex.

Frequent breastfeeding

The sensitivity of the nipples will lower thanks to the frequent breastfeeding which will positively stimulate the milk production

Breastfeed together or separately?

When breastfeeding together it creates a strong stimuli for the milk production. What is not such an easy task is to coordinate the same time of the breastfeeding. Generally is better to breastfeed both twins together.

Which breast?

The best situation is when each child has it's own breast because the milk will adapt to it's unique requirements and produces the substances in the right amount and composition that the child needs. If ont of the child is weaker (smaller) it is good to change the breast, because this child will most probably not have sucking reflex strong enough and with breast changing is possible to stimulate both breast sufficiently.

Breastfeeding child positioning

This position is dificult but possible. It is rather used for babies distraction, when they do not want to suck the milk. It is used very rarely.

Football player position (the most popular)

Tandem position

Cross position

Breastfeeding cessation

Based on your own decision you can breastfeed your children for several months or longer then a year. If you will even after repeated countermeasures loose milk you can decide to end the breastfeeding and still be happy that you have provided the best out of you for your children.