BF Question: Feeding on Demand

legaleagles · April 2014

With DD I BF'd on demand. When she seemed to need it, I nursed. There was no real schedule, though during the day I would wake her if it'd been 3-4 hours, at night if she slept longer I let her go until she woke (which was rare since she was a crappy sleeper). But so many people with twins have said only to do it on schedule. I just can't imagine ignoring my crying baby who needs to be fed because it hasn't been 3 hours. If you have successfully breastfed - how did you manage your babies' needs. We'll definitely do one up, both up at night because that makes sense, but what about during the day?

PurpleIris30 · April 2014

Oh I definitely fed on demand if they needed to eat sooner than 3 hours. I wanted them on the same schedule by night, but found that wasn't a problem with evening cluster feeding. I'm one that preferred not to tandem feed, but I did tandem on those evenings when they both needed to eat all the time. We definitely did one up, both up at night.
I don't have a singleton, but I didn't find it logistically complicated - just feed them when they're hungry. I'd probably want help with DD so you can spend the time establishing breast feeding in the beginning, especially in the evenings.

bumpuser924057 · April 2014

I have always fed on demand with all my kids. I never could bring myself to do one-up, both-up because at least half the time the other one would sleep through just fine. I worked on a nighttime sleep schedule first, now I have a general sleep-and-nap schedule and meals of solids are scheduled in there, but nursing continues to be on demand. It's worked out fine for me, honestly.

carrotcake06 · April 2014

I tandem feed and do a one up, both up, lowest common denominator demand approach. Meaning, whenever one baby showed hungry cues they both got fed. So it was demand-ish. I always fed both MOTN, but I had H's help so it was more like a dreamfed for the sleeping one.

I also logged all feedings for the first 3-4 months to keep track of timing and sides. I would try to find patterns of when they were likely to eat and around 4mo, we fell into a routine/predictable eating times.

My oldest continued to go to FT daycare and that really allowed me to focus on the babies in the early months.

legaleagles · April 2014

Thanks so much ladies. This is helpful. I just can't imagine ignoring my fussy baby who may need to eat more than the other. DD will be in daycare 3 days/week and with my mom the other 2 (at least in the beginning) so I'll have a lot of time with the twins early on (and we're interviewing PP doulas for additional help for me after DH goes back to work) to hopefully work on our BF and figure out how it works.

Thanks for all the tips. DD and I had a really hard start to BF, but made it 21 months so I'm hopeful it'll go well with the boys.

seawater · April 2014

AshB62 said:

I've always nursed on demand during the day (typically they stayed within an hour of each other.) and did one up both up at night to begin with. If I didn't wake the second baby, I was always up again within an hour. Once they started sleeping in longer stretches, I quit waking the second baby. Like PP said, we fell into a more predictable routine at around 4 months. Now at 6 months, we are on a schedule, but it's one that the boys set and they could change it up at any time. I would never make a hungry baby wait because of what the clock said.

This was me exactly.

Also, before they fall into their own pattern, mine came home from the NICU being used to eating every 3 hours. Since they were scheduled that way for so long before coming home, that was when they "demanded" until they started stretching their feedings out on their own around 4 months. I was really worried about sticking to a schedule at first, but once I just gave into demand feeding, I felt much better. Good luck.

TheDairyQueenx3 · April 2014

During the day I always tandem as well as at night. Anytime one seems hungry I grab both and feed. Unless one just fell to sleep then I will Nurse one then the other when he wakes but we have no schedule just feed on their demand.

karah4816 · April 2014

I always tandem feed except in rare occasions. I feed them both whenever the first one starts to seem hungry. we're on a pretty predictable schedule now with eating, then playing for 1.5 hours then sleeping for 1-2 hours but I will feed them at any point if they're acting hungry.

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