Two to Kiss, Two to Love: Should you Nurse Twins at the Same Time?

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, one of my first questions was, "Is it possible to breastfeed twins?" I asked around and heard that you absolutely could! If this is you, start off with this article.

But the next question that goes along with that is, "Can I nurse them at the same time?"

First off, I should say that giving your twins a bit of a schedule is the only way to keep your sanity. If you haven't thought about getting them on a eat/sleep schedule, I would advise you to start thinking about it. And if you don't believe me, talk to other twin moms to see how they did it and what they wished they would have done.

Next, feeding twins at the same time is the ONLY recommendation I would give a twin mama. Do I have ANY twins mamas out there who would say otherwise? (Comment below!)

Think about this. Let's say your babies ended up in the NICU. With a singleton, they have you come and feed your baby for about an hour (how long it takes depends on your baby), then they let them sleep for two hours, then they have you come back and feed the baby again.

Now, let's say you did this with twins. You would feed one baby (let's say that was an hour), then that baby would sleep while you feed the next baby (another hour). Then, you put that baby to sleep. An hour later, the first baby you fed is up and ready to eat again, and the process starts over. This means that you only have one hour, MAYBE, between breastfeeding sessions. WHHHAAAATT? No, thanks. Who wants babies on their breasts ALL DAY LONG?

Furthermore, what side would you feed them on? Would you feed the first twin on the left breast, while the right breast is super engorged; who wants to be uneven? Or, would you feed the first twin on the left, and half way through, switch to the right? You know that won't work well because the second baby won't get the hind milk, or any milk at all, if the first twin took up ALL of the milk. Your body can only produce so much so fast.

But, if you fed them at the SAME time, you're only feeding for one hour, and your breasts have two full hours to get enough milk back in them. Plus, should I even start on how raw your nipples could potentially get after feeding for two hours straight.

Second: After giving birth, you HAVE to take care of your body, especially after a C-section. If you have to breastfeed them at different times, you're wasting really precious time that you need to use to care of yourself. Take a nap, read a book, binge watch your favorite show, or just relax are all things you should get to do while you recover. Therefore, don't limit yourself to one measly hour when you could have TWO!

And third, if I haven't convinced you yet, let's turn to research. According to My Brest Friend, "Research has demonstrated when mothers of twins breastfeed simultaneously, they have a higher prolactin level than if they breastfeed their babies one after the other. Prolactin is the key hormone responsible for signaling milk production, so more prolactin may mean more milk." And, what twin mama doesn't need a large supply of milk?

So, now what? Grab a twin nursing pillow, like the My Brest Friend Twins Plus Deluxe Nursing Pillow or the Twin Z Pillow, some kind of entertainment for yourself, and put one baby in football hold on the left, and one on the right. Twin nursing pillows help protect your back, while also giving your babies plenty of room to lay down comfortably and eat. Plus, the football hold generally helps avoid clogged ducts, so win-win here.

So, yes, feed them at the same time. Don't torture yourself and feed them by themselves. You got this mama! Twins rock!