How often did you feed at first?

iamrobyn

So we just survived our first week as the parents of newborn twins. We were told by the lactation consultant at the hospital to feed at least every 2-3 hours but our pediatrician says feed every 2 hours (start to start in both cases). We've been closer to 3 hours each time since by the time we get both babies changed, woken up, and fed (one at at time since we're not yet skilled enough for tandem) it takes nearly an hour. If we fed every 2 hours we'd get one hour of sleep then be up again.  At least with every 3 hours we get a little extra time.  

 How did you do it in the early weeks? I'm interested in any survival tips! 

  

meldoo2002

We did 3 hours.  That's what they started with in the NICU, that's what they continued on when they came home, and they actually were still at every 3 hours until we transitioned off of bottles.  We did stop waking them at night once they were 10lbs. so then they started going longer at night, but kept with 3 hours during the day.

We did alot of tag teaming at first.  DH and I would each take one.  Feeding did take forever and that seemed like all we did initially.  Tandem feeding gets easier within a few weeks... once they get a little head control you can use the bouncer or have 2 on your lap, sit between boppies, that kind of thing.    Hang in there!

MrsLnt

Unless there is some sort of medical issue causing your babies to need to eat so often, I say that a pedi that recommends that is welcome to come help me feed babies 12 times a day. 

We fed ours every 3-3.5 hours and very soon fell into a 3.5 hour schedule, which translated to 7 feedings a day.  At 11 weeks or so, they dropped the middle of the night feeding and at 5 months, we moved to a 4 hour schedule, which meant we dropped another feeding.  My twins will be 6 months old tomorrow and they eat 5 times a day now. 

ProwdMommy

I agree with pp that tag teaming is crucial for those first couple of weeks.  I assume you are BFing, so if you can get one baby nursing and then have DH getting the other baby changed and ready to nurse and then have him burp one while you feed the other, things should flow a bit easier for you. 

We fed every 3 hours in the beginning.  Were your babies low birth weight?  Could that be why your pedi wants them fed every 2 hours?  

Tandem feeding will get easier.  I don't think I got the hang of that until about 2-3 weeks in, but once you get that figured out you will consolidate some time.  Those first couple of weeks are crazy with two new babies.  By about the 3rd week you will all have found your stride and things will get a bit easier.  By about 6 weeks babies will be nursing more efficiently and not take an hour.  

Good luck and congrats!!

natb22

We've been feeding every 3 hrs from when they LAST ate, not when they started eating (per pedi) its much better then every 2 we were doing in the hosp to get them back up to their birth weights, and much better then feeding every 3 from when they first ate.