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Multiples
If You Tandem BF Your Twins Come In...
DH and I took an infant nutrition class on Wednesday night (which was very informative). However, as usual, the information was all geared toward moms and not MoMs. The instructor recommends that no bottles be introduced until at least 4 weeks, however, DH will be returning to work when the boys are 2 weeks. I will be here on my own during the day and don't know if I will be able to pick them both up (and I prefer to tandem feed). I think the easiest solution would be to Nurse one and feed pumped milk to the other. What did you do? Is there an easy way to pick them both up to nurse? (warning I am clumsy
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Re: If You Tandem BF Your Twins Come In...
I think I saw something once that suggested burping one over your shoulder and the other laying in your lap. I think I will have to rehearse all of these maneuvers while DH is still home to "catch" them.
i have the brestfriend pillow. i strap that bad boy on, pick up one and put her on the opposite side that i lean to pick up the other (that way she rolls into me as i lean) then i pick up the other. to burp i sit one on the pilow and rest her on my chest. then i put her down and do the same with her sister. it isn't easy, but it gets more rehearsed.
gl2u!
I think it would be more difficult and complicated to BF one baby and bottle feed the other. I nursed one at time until I got the tandem feeding figured out. I tandem feed on the couch. I lay one baby down on a boppy on the couch. I put the other baby over my should, strap on the ez2nurse pillow. Then lay the babies down on the pillow. After I finish, I put one baby back on the boppy so that I can get up w/ them one at a time. I hope that makes sense. You'll figure out a way that works best for you.
This. Once you get the hang of it, tandem nursing isn't that bad. Personally, I found it easier than making and cleaning all those bottles!
This. Once you get the hang of it, tandem nursing isn't that bad. Personally, I found it easier than making and cleaning all those bottles!
The girls couldn't tandem feed until about Week 5, and they weren't really "experts" until Week 6.
Plenty of babies on here could do it earlier than me though, so don't get discouraged.
I also had to supplement with formula, so my girls were nursing and had a bottle from Day 1. I don't know what to tell you about the 4 week wait period. I was never able to EBF. But plenty of women on here were, so don't get discouraged about that!
As far as positioning, get a twin nursing pillow. I have the Twin My Breast Friend. I either nurse in bed, putting both babies in my bed, then putting both on the pillow, latching one, then latching the other....OR I put a boppy on the couch righ next to me, sit down with my pillow on (while holding one baby), and then grab the baby next to me who's on the boppy. This part is easy.
And to echo others...tandem nursing ROCKS. If I didn't have to supplement, I would have exclusively BF until the end. Doing both took its toll on me. Now I bottle feed with formula during the day and tandem BF at night/first morning feed.
We've been very lucky to tandem feed from the start. It did take a while to get the hang of getting the babies on the pillow together by myself. My husband went back to work when they were one week old and we were in a good place by then. I guess that's the benefit of nursing so often in those early days, gives you lots of practice
When I was alone I would nurse them on the floor so that if something happened and one of the babies rolled off the pillow they wouldn't fall far. Good news is it never happened but I didn't want to take any chances. I would sit with my legs crossed and the pillow strapped on resting on my legs. My girls would both be lying in front of me. I put them on the pillow one at a time but didn't latch them until they were both on the pillow. Like the PP mentioned I would kind of lean so that the first girl on the pillow would roll into me while I was picking up the other girl. I always had extra pacifiers in the pocket on the pillow just in case someone was very upset to try to help keep them calm. I started by latching Erica first because she had a more difficult time and it was much easier for Emily. I originally took them both off the pillow for burping but you'll get to a place where you'll be able to burp one while the other is finishing nursing.
Just practice practice practice while your husband is home and you should be in a good place when he goes back to work. I personally always thought it was too much work to nurse/bottle feed/pump because it adds extra steps to the whole process. But whatever system you find that works for you and makes you a happy mom is the best system!
Good luck!