Congratulations on having multiple this time! Having adorable bundle of joys only doubles up the excitement of the parents.
Let us face it, in her heart, a mother always worries if she will be able to provide her babies with sufficient care and equal attention. Forget the diaper stories, breastfeeding might come as an altogether separate challenge for a new mom.
Clearly, the most challenging is carrying and birthing the multiple babies. If you have crossed level one then level two is facing the breastfeeding difficulties—which is far less easy. Denying that breastfeeding twins or multiple babies is difficult is completely wrong. However, it is more or less the same as feeding a single baby.
Here are 10 quick tips to help you with breastfeeding your twins or more babies.
1. Breastfeed The Babies At The Same Time
If you choose to breastfeed individually, it will take a lot of time—you probably feel that all you do the whole day is nurse your babies. If you have multiples, choose to breastfeed in pairs. Breastfeeding one baby at a time may seem convenient, because of the complexities experienced in positions and adjustment while holding the two for feeding. However, you will slowly get the hang of it—give yourself some time.
2. Find A Comfortable Position For Breastfeeding
Now, that may seem a bit tricky. Here are some positions to help you with breastfeeding.
The Football hold is one of the easiest ways to begin with. In this pose, you are holding your babies’ heads in your hands while guiding them to your breasts. Their feet will be towards the back near your elbow—you could probably use the support of pillows to support your arms.
The Cradle hold will allow breastfeeding the twins at the same time with convenience. With one baby lying diagonally across in your arms, with the other twin latched onto the other breast over the first twin’s body.
3. Buy A Breast Pump
Breast pump may seem like a boon when there is more than one to suckle. Another time to have breast pump is when you are still at the hospital and separated from your babies.
Since multiple babies are usually born before the due date, they need more attention and may have problems with latching.
You could start pumping breast milk at the hospital itself and continue to feed your babies every 2 hours. This will also ensure more supply of milk when the babies are ready to nurse directly.
4. Try Switching Breasts Mid-Feed Or At Every Feed
Genuinely, it doesn’t make a difference if one baby is feeding from left breast and another from the right one. However, if you know that baby A feeds from left breast and baby B feeds from the right one, you will get to know whether both the babies are drinking enough. Also, if one baby is slow at sucking, it might be good to switch to stimulate both the breasts to produce equal amounts of milk.
However, you really don’t have to bang your head switching them every 10 minutes as your body will adjust itself to meet the needs of the babies.
5. Don’t Forget Your Health
Now, that you are feeding two or more instead of one, it is important that you take care of your health. Keep yourself hydrated round the clock—keep a bottle of water close by. Your nutrient intake should be high with a balance of all vitamins and minerals since you are producing food for two or more this time.
6. Every Baby Is Different
It may be that one baby may take longer than the other to finish with feeding, or may gain more weight than the other. However, that shouldn’t be a cause for worry. One among your kids might even wean sooner than the rest. You must remember that all babies are different and grow up differently, even if they are twins.
7. Develop A Routine For Breastfeeding
Keep a time for breastfeeding your babies. Scheduling could be convenient for you and the babies will also develop a habit of feeding at a particular time. If one baby is awake while the other is asleep, wake the little champ up and let them both feed together. This way you will develop a mental record of how much feed both the babies are receiving and for how long.
8. Ask For Help
If handling two or more babies is getting tough, ask for help from your partner. They could help with either holding the baby’s head or bottle-feeding them. A helping hand will surely make it convenient for you until you are able to manage it all by yourself. If things aren’t working out, contact a lactation specialist to guide you.
9. Never Compare Yourself To Others
Be it mothers having single babies or multiples, shun the habit of comparing yourself with them. It will only discourage you. Start slow—now is the time to make mistakes and learn. You aren’t born expert in handling multiple babies.
If you want to switch to formula side by side, consult your doctor and let your babies get the best of the both. As a mother, you will always try to do good for your babies, don’t underestimate yourself and be patient.
If you worry that you will run out of milk, remember the more you feed, the more milk your body will produce. Keep a track of the dirty nappies to ensure that your munchkins are feeding well.
Above all, remember that you are already doing great breastfeeding your baby. It is only going to get easier as you develop the habit feeding your little ones.
