First order of business -- Feed us!

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Depending on your baby and you, feeding may get off to a good start or it may take a little bit of time for learning.   Getting your baby to latch is the first step.  Babies will naturally start rooting (moving their face and mouth looking for food) and the sucking action has already been developed before they arrive in the world.  Some babies will require a little bit of help, in terms of positioning them and pointing them in the right direction.  Many moms who nurse twins will also need a high quality double-electric breast pump, storage bags, and slow flow nipples and bottles.  Starting this a few weeks after babies arrive will help with sharing the feeding experience with other family members.

 

In the early days, it was about feeding them every 2-3 hours and that meant not a lot of quality sleep for us, and some very trying first few weeks while we worked to get the latch right and remember the importance of burping, decreasing gas and getting to enjoy cuddling our newborns while still having time to cuddle our toddler.  Once we got the hang of things, breastfeeding make life simpler, no bottles to sterilize, no formula to prepare, and when we went out, we had everything we needed!



With twins, you're making double the effort to ensure two little mouths get a good latch.  For mom, this means getting set up for this.  Here are some tips that helped me to get started:

• Drink lots of water--and keep hydrated 

• Eat healthy-- you will be hungry more often - similar to being pregnant

• Have the right pillow support -- there are several types of pillows and if you plan to be nursing your twins together, you can get one built for twins

• Dress so that you can easily open your clothes for nursing

• Find a good comfortable spot that is quiet and relaxing

• Be sure to be mindful of your posture, keep your shoulders relaxed and sit upright unhunched

• Many moms go "skin-to-skin" with their newborns to assist in the bonding/latching/nursing experience - you can try this with your newborns and watch over 45 mins how they can actually make their way to start nursing on their own

• Include dad in the process of feeding -- have dad do the passing of the babies, helping with positioning and set-up; dad can also take on a big role in the burping process, diapering and swaddling for sleep
   

• Places to look for more information:

Baby Centre - tips to get going on feeding your twins

Double Blessing - nursing pillow built for two

Breastfeeding Mum - common breastfeeding myths 

La Leche League - support network for nursing babies

Dr. Newman - breastfeeding guru, advice, education, etc.

Momzelle - nursing wear - canadian made and information

Bravado - nursing bras and information