Two to Kiss, Two to Love: Is it Possible to Breastfeed Twins?

While visiting Pike Place Market, I circled around trying to figure out an appropriate place to feed my twins. My sister-in-law was visiting us, and when you visit Seattle, you HAVE to go to the market. I just had one problem. Our car was parked pretty far away, and my twins were hungry. Finally, I made a decision. I walked over to a pretty open corner, and sat down on the bar-height stool. There was a table in front of me, and I figured I would get a little bit of privacy putting myself in a corner. I pulled out my nursing pillow, got the twins situated, and fed them in this very public place.

Is it possible to breastfeed twins? One word. ABSOLUTELY!

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I thought of all of the things that would be different with twins versus my singleton. I had this very large, real concern that I would have to spend a ton of money on formula, just because I had two babies. I was very newly pregnant, but I just kept wondering about this problem I was going to face. I was waiting to tell people that I was pregnant with twins, but early on, just decided to ask my twin-mama friend. She immediately guessed I was pregnant with twins, and assured me that yes, you can still breastfeed them. How you ask? A very large nursing pillow. The My Brest Friend Twins Plus Deluxe Nursing Pillow is ESSENTIAL for breastfeeding twins. Both babies can comfortably lay down on the pillow while remaining at the perfect height for breastfeeding. This pillow gives you all the tools for feeding both babies at the same time. A regular nursing pillow just won't cut it. You need the big sides for both babies, and there is a buckle on the back for better stabilization of two babies at once. And yes, they can stay on that pillow until you are done breastfeeding; they will not get too big for it. Why feed twins at the same time? First of all, you will want to keep them on the same feeding schedule. If you do not, you will be feeding babies ALL day long---literally. Between caring for them, and caring for yourself, you will not have time for that. I PROMISE. So, you'll need to feed them at the same time to stay on the same schedule. Second, you want your milk to come in as evenly as possible for both babies. Your breasts will be large enough trying to feed TWO babies, that if you feed one baby, and decide to feed the other breast to the other baby later, your one boob may start leaking like crazy, or be way larger than the other, OR think that it doesn't need as much milk and start decreasing your supply. Feed them at the same time. Also, are you one of those people who had a singleton before your twins? If so, do you remember how easy it was to breastfeed while walking around, or to sit down anywhere you wanted and just start feeding your baby? This is not so simple with twins. First of all, your chest will be 100% completely exposed---you do have to take out both breasts, ya know? So, you will need a place where you can cover up enough of your chest to feel comfortable, and there will be a baby on each side of you, so you'll need support for each baby. If I went ANYWHERE out of the house with my twins, I took my Brest Friend with me. I would absolutely not leave home without it. You'll need a nursing cover big enough to cover everything too. While at Pike Place Market, I learned a very important lesson. Instead of facing the corner, I should have faced away from the corner so my back wasn't as exposed. My front was being covered by my nursing cover, but when I lifted the front of my shirt (all the way up because you have to expose your whole chest), it also lifted in the back. Lesson learned. Get a nursing cover that covers as much as possible. And practice with it at home while your babies are young so they don't freak out when you try to use it for the first time in public. Plus, facing the front allows you to get rid of any on-lookers who think it's crazy what you're doing and want a picture. Now, there are circumstances that don't allow both babies to be fed at the same time. For instance, if you are on a plane, you can't have two lap infants with you because there aren't enough oxygen masks in each row. So, you can only have one twin at a time. This is where I would say, enjoy the small amount of time you get to have one baby for just a little bit. Switch babies when you're done, and immediately feed the other one so you can try and keep your breasts filling at the same rate.

You can breastfeed twins, and it is completely doable, even out of the house. I breastfed my twins until they were 15 months old. That sounds crazy to me now because I was sure I would be done the second they turned one. After one month of breastfeeding them, I remember thinking, "11 more months to go." But we did it!

Good luck to you twin mamas! You're doing great!

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*The “Two to Kiss, Two to Love” series is a helpful series for all you twin mamas out there! If you have a twin related question, comment below, and I’ll answer it for you!*