7 months

The girls are 7 months next week and we're still breastfeeding. Each breastfeed is no longer a major logistical event, with each taking only about 15 minutes to feed. They only have 5 milk feeds a day now (between 6am and 9pm), and one during the night if they need it. Recently, when they wake during the night they haven't really been hungry. Few sucks and they're done. So I think the night feed is on its way out. Yay!
Feeding the girls now still has its challenges, with them pinching each other and pulling at the other baby's breast while feeding together, but also its delights. They like to hold hands while they feed and take time out to have a smile and a little chat to each other.
It's also much much easier to feed while we're out now. While the waiting child can still get a bit restless waiting for her feed, it doesn't take as long and there is much less screaming. Although far more distractions. A wrap to cover the feeding child helps there.
I think we'll make it now for as long as they want to keep feeding, although they soon won't fit the double pillow so I'll have to work out another way to feed them at the same time. Stay tuned for that one!

Moving etc

So we're moving again next week. Been trying to pack between feeds. Of course, girls aren't settling well at night again, so been packing, feeding etc with average 3 hours sleep. Giving myself a computer break now :)
The paediatrican recommended trying to get the girls to go to 6 feeds a day, but they still seem to need 7. Currrently they feed around 7.30am, then every 2.5-3 hours until 10pm. Then they have a feed somewhere during the night, usually around 3am, but it changes. I was trying to feed them separately in bed when they woke up, but ended up feeding for an extra hour or so, and was getting even less sleep. So it's back to getting up and the full shebang. M is taking about 20-25 mins for a feed, E taking about 15 mins.

Together or separate?

Whether you feed your twins together or separately (one after the other) is entirely up to you. I have been told either is essential by several well-meaning and ignorant midwives and mothers. But it really depends on what suits your babies and you best. In the end, you'll probably end up doing both.

For the first few months, I found feeding together at most feeds the easiest. My girls took 40 minutes for each feed, then needing cuddling and burping for a while afterwards. So feeding them together was the most practical option. I am still feeding them together at 5/7 feeds a day, but they generally only take 20 minutes to feed now, so sometimes I can feed them separately for my own comfort.

It is definitely less time consuming to feed twins together, plus it helps with the let down and stimulating supply if they are fed together. Until the babies can both hold their heads and necks up well, it is almost impossible to fed them together unless you use a twin feeding pillow. This is the pillow I use, although there are several on the market. Obviously, unlike the woman in the photo, you tend not to feed with your shirt still on...

Otherwise, I've found they slump down, you end up having to hold both of them up and when they detach on and off it is exceeding difficult to latch them back on if your hands are otherwise occupied. A feeding pillow means you often can have at least one hand free.

The other advantage to feeding together is that it doesn't leave one twin screaming if she gets hungry while the first twin is feeding. Especially when you are on your own, having one baby crying while feeding another is pretty unpleasant, and there's not much you can do about it if you're busy feeding one.

Once the babies are more efficient in their feeding it is nice to sometimes feed them separately for a break. This gives you more special one-on-one time with each baby, it feels less strenuous on your breasts, and means you can eat or at least lie down while feeding.

The disadvantages of feeding twins together are that it can feel quite strange or uncomfortable, especially in the early weeks when your nipples are sore from constant feeding. It feels a bit strange having two babies sucking at once and I found it a bit unpleasant for the first couple of weeks. It also means you're stuck on the lounge or wherever you choose to feed, and stuck sitting up for around 7-9 hours a day. I found watching tv while I fed (or dvds) to keep my mind off the whole thing more manageable. Feeding twins together also limits your going out. Not that you'll have the energy to go out much anyway, but if you do, you'll have to feed separately (having twin babies is enough of a freak show to the general public without exposing both breasts as well).

The main reason I feed together is that my babies struggle to keep to any kind of simultaneous sleeping anyway, and feeding together at least puts them in the ball-park of being able to go to bed at the same time. I found after our girls had surgery, and had to feed separately for around 5 days, I almost went out of my mind with the non-stop feeding. Especially in the early days when the babies will want to feed anywhere from 7-11 times a day, feeding separately would have meant I literally never stopped breastfeeding the entire day and night.

At the moment, the girls are feeding around 7 times in 24 hours, and I do about 2 feeds a day separately (that's breastfeeding 4 times). It's much easier to do this on days when you have some else to help, as they can entertain or change the nappy or comfort the waiting or finished baby.

Troubleshooting

As well as writing about the basics of twin feeding, I'll blog about some of the problems I've had. This isn't to scare you! Many twin mothers have no problems at all during breastfeeding. Others, like me, have had to deal with other breastfeeding issues as well as learning to feed twins. So I'll also be blogging about how to breastfeed with a baby with severe reflux, what I did when they had surgery, what I am trying to do while they are unsettled and don't sleep at the same time, issues related to them being premature (most twins are!), and having low birth weights. I am also dealing with dermatitis, have had nipple thrush and have other health problems. So while it hasn't been smooth sailing at all, it has been possible to keep going so far. Now the girls are 4 months, and feeding is starting to get easier for all of us.

Getting started

I always wanted to breastfeed my baby. When I found out I was pregnant with two, I assumed it would be possible to breastfeed both, but I had no idea where to start finding out how.
There are a few books and some websites with sections written about having twins or more, but few offer more advice on breastfeeding except to tell you that it is possible and that you should do it.
Breastfeeding two babies at once Is possible, and you CAN do it. But you need to be pretty determined to keep going once you start. Because having two babies at once is hard enough to begin with, let alone learning to breastfeed both, whether you feed them simultaneouly or separately.