Breastfeeding is one of those things that seems like it should be just so simple. Baby, breast, done. Any mom who has nursed can tell you that it isn’t always quite that easy. There are amazing moments to be sure, but there are a lot of challenges. Having twins just ups those breastfeeding challenges at times.
However, one thing I know to be true is that it is possible to breastfeed twins. And if you think that is what you want to try I want to give you the honest truth of what it is like to nurse two babies at once. Here are 5 truths from my experience breastfeeding twins.
Original guest post from Kim of Team Cartwright posted April 12, 2018
It is possible to breastfeed twins.
It is possible to nurse twins. I had several people express surprise that I was even going to try it, but it can be done! Breastfeeding is a supply and demand system. Two babies will demand milk for two and your body will supply it. So don’t assume that breastfeeding is off the table if you have twins. I did it, and so have tons of other twin moms.
I felt like mother goddess the first time I tandem nursed.
Seriously, I have never felt so earth-goddess-mother-of-the-world as I did the first time I nursed both my twins at the same time. It was magical. I was feeding two babies at the same time with my body. I was Mother. Enjoy this. Your self-worth does not depend on whether or not you breastfeed, but there is nothing wrong with being proud of your efforts to do so.
Related –> How to Choose Which Twin Nursing Pillow to Use
Breastfeeding twins is messy.
The early days of nursing are messy! Newborns dribble and spit up. Your breasts don’t know what is going on and leak all over the place. And twin moms are going through it twice over. Producing twice as much milk means twice the leaking, and for me leaking longer. Double the baby means double the spit up.
And when I was tandem nursing I didn’t always want to stop one twin from nursing just because the other one spit up a bit. So I ended up sitting around soaking in it. Motherhood is glamorous, isn’t it?
Most of my day was spent feeding tiny humans.
When my twins were newborns I timed it out and I was spending 8 hours a day nursing some days. Ladies, that is a full-time job. This is not to be discouraging this is to be realistic. Give yourself grace for everything else in your life.
Spending that much time sitting was challenging for me mentally. I like to be up and doing and going. The newborn days are important. It is okay to let go, ask for help, and relax the rules a bit. You are doing good and important work by feeding your twins.
I appreciate my body in ways I never have before.
Like a lot of women, I have issues with my body. There are parts I just don’t like. It is really easy to get down on myself because I don’t look the way society tells me I should.
But after having twins and breastfeeding them I can never hate my body again. This body isn’t perfect, but it grew two people at once. It nourished two people at once. I can’t hate that. My body will probably never be perfect, but I am proud of it.
Breastfeeding twins is so possible. I am so happy that I was able to nurse my twins for 15 months. It was hard at times, but overall I wouldn’t change a thing. I love to share my experiences with other twin moms so they know what to expect, and so they know that they aren’t crazy for wanting to give twin nursing a go.
There is one thing I want to remind every mother of though. Nursing is hard, and it doesn’t always work. That is okay. Your self-worth as a woman isn’t based on your breasts, and neither is your worth as a mother. Loving your children is what counts.
I would love to hear from other twin moms. What are your breastfeeding truths?
Here are some more twin breastfeeding posts to help you out:
11 Tips and Tricks for Breastfeeding Twins
How To Breastfeed Twins: The logistics of double nursing
Weaning Twins: How to bring your nursing journey to an end
Kim is a mother of three: a 4-year-old son and 2-year-old twin daughters. She blogs at Team-Cartwright.com about parenting, twin life, and STEM with kids