Nursing Twins

KingShawsBride

How long was everyone able to nurse twins? 

 Thanks!

SoldiersGreenBean

I'm still nursing.

I know there are a few here who made it 12+ months.

macchiatto

I only did it a month, but I had to get back on my multiple sclerosis medication. By the way, not that you asked but the book Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins and More by Karen Gromada is a great resource for BFing twins.

OrangeSmoke

My boys were poor latchers and had a hard time BFing.

I pumped for 3 weeks and didn't produce nearly enough (not even to feed one).

My friend BFed her twins for 12 months... so it all depends.  Either way, don't beat yourself up for it.  I had horrible guilt when giving up pumping and my boys are thriving on formula!

sunnybrook.

My girls are almost 9 months and I'm still nursing. i hope to make it to 1 year. the first couple months were HARD....much harder than the pg and I had GD and was on insulin! I would do it all over again but know you and the babies will cry a lot in the early weeks. make sure your DH is behind it too because you'll need him. now its a piece of cake

shipoopiisforme

i am still nursing, but supplementing as well. it is not an easy task and now i am more pumping and supplementing than nursing. i usually only comfort nurse once or twice a day.

MrsDonnelly2007

I'm still nursing, now that i'm back at work, I pump 3 times at work then nurse while we're home.  My original goal was 6 months and now that we've passed that I want to see if I can make it to a year

jalaiaa

So far 9 months and still nursing. Agree with pp, the first few months are HARD but so worth it in the end if you can stick through the hard part. I hope to nurse at least a year but not more than two (probably will be ready to wean long before two, but that's my limit.)

Haven1

I did it for about a month before I switched to pumping.  They were excellent latchers, but they were so little that they got worn out before they got full.  My supply just couldn't keep up.  I wanted to pump so I knew exactly how much they were getting and could suppliment with formula as needed. 

I'm still pumping at 3+ months.

GSwans

I am nursing, and have been very lucky, in that I haven't had to supplement or had any BF challenges.  I want to do it for at least another 2 months (this was my original goal) and any more than that is bonus!

Ditto on the PP book rec, and also a good nursing pillow, and a good pump.  

amanda31H

Still nursing here.  I have to supplement the girls with about 8-10 oz each every day.

The first 2 months were incredibely hard.  Nothing has ever been harder for me.  My girls were "ok" at latching in the beginning, but they weren't strong enough to suck for long, so they had trouble gaining weight.  Now, they're great, but I was never able to get my supply up to EBF both.  So we've supplemented from Day 1.  My supply def. did go up b/c they were getting 8 oz as a supplement around Week 9, and it hasn't changed now that we are at week 20+.

Ditto PP about having a supportive husband.  Mine took the BF class with me, helped me immensly at the hospital, and was my biggest supporter at home.  Mothering Multiples helped me. Also, I suggest reading up on nursing premature babies (there's a chapter in the book).  I think if I had educated myself more on that, I wouldn't have had the supply issues in the beginning.  My girls were born at 36 weeks and nursed like premature babies.

BeccaLandes

i'm still nursing.  my original goal was 6 months, but it is so easy and such a pleasure now that i am hoping to make it to 1 year.  i agree that the first 2-3 months are the worst, but after that it is so easy.

sfshawna

18 months! I just weaned a few weeks ago. I second the rec for the Mothering Multiples book. It's definitely doable to bf, but some factors may be out of your control (how well your babies latch, weeks gestation, allergies, your ability to pump if you work, your supply, etc.). I went into my experience ready to give bfing my all, and it happened to work out. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't go as you plan, though. Good luck!!

LoveTravel

I nursed until the boys were 1 year old- by then we were only doing 1 or 2sessions as I started slowly weaning them at 10 months as I was going back to work.