? about breastfeeding twins and getting out of the house

Temp123197812503460 · February 2011

I'd like to exclusively BF our twins, and I'm wondering if that means being homebound for a long time

A lot of my friends talk about their singletons feeding all.the.time, which isn't such a problem with one, they just feed them whenever/wherever they are. But with 2 and all the complicated pillows, etc it seems like much more of a production.

I'm curious to hear stories of what people do, did you end up being able to feed 2 at once in public? Trying to manage it so that only 1 would be hungry at a time? Pump and bring bottles? Never leave the house? Something else I'm not thinking of?

Thanks!

amanda31H · February 2011

I had supply issues, so pumping and giving bottles wasn't an option for me (babies can express milk better than a pump).

I tandem fed my girls starting around 5 weeks old (I couldn't get the hang of it, and neither could they, before that). I couldn't tandem feed "in public" and feel comfortable. It's too much of a freak show. I would go out with my girlfriends or DH, and I would tandem feed in the car. I needed help to do that. I would nurse in the passenger seat of the car with my twin nursing pillow. I just had someone hand me the babies and I would use my nursing cover. I would do this in parking lots, or pull over in a park, etc.

A couple of times when we were out to eat and I was tucked away in a booth or something, I would nurse them one at a time. I always had someone else there to entertain the other baby in case she got anxious!

MaygenDL0ve · February 2011

I'm a SAHM.. and house bound!!! But that's because my babies hate their car seats and have freak outs frequently. You HAVE to get out for doc appts, so at some point you WILL breast feed in public. For me, I just do them one at a time in those scenarios. I've pumped and had hubby bottle feed while I breast fed when they were both hungry, but NOW.... they both refuse bottles completely, and the refuse to be tandem fed. Smart little buggers want me all to themselves. So, when both are hungry, the other needs to be seriously distracted until it's his turn, which is VERY hard to do when youer' alone.

Once I tried taking them for a walk at a friend's house and both had a melt-down 5 mins into the walk. We hurried home and I had to literally pull out both breasts in her living room on her couch trying to sooth/feed both. Ugly memory... which is why I'm so scared of going out.

I know lots of moms make it work, but I prefer to just stay at home as much as possible. I'm actually trying for the first time in weeks to take them out to lunch, and I'm NERVOUS AS ALL HECK!!!! I will let ya know how it goes!

bunny731 · February 2011

I fed one at a time. I fed them at the same time only in emergency situations and often it ended with them both PO'd (not my best skill).

I would feed them one at a time and then scurry out of the house. If they needed to eat in public again, I either fed in the car one at a time, or fed where I was based on comfort level, or brought a pumped bottle if I had.

I was such a tired mom, and yet needed social interaction, I really lost my inhibitions about nursing in public (covered) when they were tiny. For me being housebound was not an option.

leviandlandensmom · February 2011

I just feed them one at a time when we're out and about and I always feed them right before we leave so if it's going to be a less than a 2 hour errand run I won't have to feed them in the truck.

amanda31H · February 2011

bunny731:

I fed one at a time. I fed them at the same time only in emergency situations and often it ended with them both PO'd (not my best skill).

I would feed them one at a time and then scurry out of the house. If they needed to eat in public again, I either fed in the car one at a time, or fed where I was based on comfort level, or brought a pumped bottle if I had.

I was such a tired mom, and yet needed social interaction, I really lost my inhibitions about nursing in public (covered) when they were tiny. For me being housebound was not an option.

Yes. And OP, if YOU don't want to be housebound you don't have to be. You will find ways to make it work if you want to get out.

We took a week long vacation to Maine when the girls were 9 weeks old. We did the 8 hour drive (well, used to be an 8 hour drive before kids!) with them and I was BF them at the time.

Babies are very flexible. I had my girls on a "schedule" from Day 1 really. We had designated times for eating and sleeping, etc. and I have YET to turn down an invitation because of my kids "schedule" or because I was nursing. You have to be flexible too and you can figure it out.

meagamomma2be · February 2011

For the first few months, I never left the house for more than 2 hours at a time. It was a pain at times, but it worked for me. If for some reason it was going to be more than 2 hours, I'd pump and bring bottles. Since I also have a toddler, it just doesn't make sense to try to BF one at a time in public while keeping track of a toddler and trying to pacify the second baby.

I would have everything ready to go, then I'd feed both babies and rush out the door. I'd have plenty of time to go grocery shopping or run quick errands. Then I'd rush back home to feed them again. I'm still BFing at 9m and I've never attempted in public, yet I still get out and do plenty of things. So you can still have a life, it just takes a little bit more planning or coordination.

Temp123197812503460 · February 2011

Thanks! Its great and so helpful to hear your stories!!

heatheric71505 · February 2011

You can and will get out of the house...or you will go insane Or at least that's how I feel! We didn't venture out much in the beginning but my girls were winter babies and I didn't want to risk all the germs. Once the weather got a little nicer and they were a little older we got out as much as we could. I think you just plan have to plan your trips well. I always called my nursing pillow my fourth child because it went everywhere with us. We started just going to friends houses because I could easily nurse there and my son would be occupied. The babies get more efficient nursing as they get older so it doesn't take that long. If we went to a public place where it wasn't easy for me to nurse in public I just nursed in our van. We removed one of the captains chairs in the middle row and it was a perfect spot for me to nurse the babies. By the end of the summer I tandem nursed in public often. I would cover up the best I could and just get out of busy areas. It's not ideal but I made it work.

I was never good at pumping. I didn't make the time for it and had a difficult time getting let down to happen. That is why I didn't bottle feed more. My girls weren't happy if I was nursing one without the other so we tandem fed almost every feeding.

Good luck to you!

kaitley44 · February 2011

amanda31H:

I had supply issues, so pumping and giving bottles wasn't an option for me (babies can express milk better than a pump).

I tandem fed my girls starting around 5 weeks old (I couldn't get the hang of it, and neither could they, before that). I couldn't tandem feed "in public" and feel comfortable. It's too much of a freak show. I would go out with my girlfriends or DH, and I would tandem feed in the car. I needed help to do that. I would nurse in the passenger seat of the car with my twin nursing pillow. I just had someone hand me the babies and I would use my nursing cover. I would do this in parking lots, or pull over in a park, etc.

A couple of times when we were out to eat and I was tucked away in a booth or something, I would nurse them one at a time. I always had someone else there to entertain the other baby in case she got anxious!

This. I would also nurse individually in public with a cover while one baby was being distracted. I needed help to get out until they were about 5 months old. Now it is no problem getting out and about as long as I time it well.

Temp123197812503460 · February 2011

heatheric71505:
By the end of the summer I tandem nursed in public often. I would cover up the best I could and just get out of busy areas. It's not ideal but I made it work.

Thanks! How did it work for you in public? Did you use the pillow, or does it just get easier when they are older/bigger?

jennie13 · February 2011

I have only BF my twins at home, or at someone else's house, or at a playgroup or something - never out and about. I've always timed shopping trips and stuff like that so I'm back when they needed to eat. Bottles didn't work for us either, because right around the time I felt ready to start taking them out regularly, they started refusing bottles. We also don't go out all that much since I also have a toddler. I'm much more housebound this time than I was with my singleton, but this horrible winter and the fact that my babies are EXTREMELY fussy and scream a lot are big reasons for that, not just that feeding them is tricky.

LoveTravel · February 2011

leviandlandensmom:
I just feed them one at a time when we're out and about and I always feed them right before we leave so if it's going to be a less than a 2 hour errand run I won't have to feed them in the truck.

This was it for us as well, execpt I would BF in the car IF I needed to, it happened seldomely. My boys did not BF for long periods and not every hour so it probably made this a bit easier to go out.

monkski · February 2011

we just time things out between feedings. If we happen to be out longer, we just bring bottles. I have no desire to NIP, especially with two of them. I wouldn't want to tandem feed (and honestly have no idea how some people do) and feeding them one at a time sounds like more of a pain than it's worth. To me, I'd rather be comfortable at home. We don't do much anyways, I guess, because I work full time and on the weekends, we just like to spend our time with the kids at home.

Could just be us though. We are in our mid 30's and have had lots of time to be out and about doing things. We are happy to just chill at home for now. I figure the kids will only be this small for such a short while and we'll have plenty of time to get out with them when they are older.

heatheric71505 · February 2011

somewhereincali:
heatheric71505:

By the end of the summer I tandem nursed in public often. I would cover up the best I could and just get out of busy areas. It's not ideal but I made it work.

Thanks! How did it work for you in public? Did you use the pillow, or does it just get easier when they are older/bigger?

I ALWAYS used my nursing pillow! I could have tried different nursing holds so that we didn't need it but I didn't want to mess with what was working. While I did nurse in public on occasion it was always a last resort. If we were out and about somewhere I always asked an employee if they knew of a place I could feed the babies. There almost always is. If we were at the mall or a store I used fitting rooms. If it wasn't a hassle I would run back to the van to nurse. If I decided I needed to nurse in public I would position myself in an odd spot, typically with my back to the crowd. Most of my nursings in public were at parks while my son was playing with other kids/my friends. I usually found an area that was pretty well surrounded by trees and bushes. I always wore nursing tanks when I was out and about so I wasn't overly exposed. I would cover up the best I could.

It really does get easier as they get bigger because their nursing sessions are so much shorter. That's why I never wanted to nurse them seperately because it would just take that much longer (that and my girls didn't nurse well alone).

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