Breast feeding 6mo twins - feeling lost with it all now with bigger babies!

[twinnies26]

Hi there!

I have been bf my ID girls they are now 6mo - now they are combine fed in that after i nurse them i offer them a top up of formula.

last feed is formula and if needed in middle of night i nurse them.

One baby wakes and nurses quite alot at night, mainly for comfort now i think, but it's suddenly all bothering me as now the babies are a bit bigger i'm realising i'm going to start waking up more and more with two big babies hanging off my boobs! I find it too draining to be nursing two of them at same time now at night and am worried if a big habit sets in i will have two older babies always looking for me!

Part of me thinks i should stop before they get too hooked but i think i'll also be sad to stop now.

Did you bf your twins past 6months? How much longer did you nurse them?Did you keep tandem feeding? How did you cope with night wakings? How did you cope with the demands of two?

I'm a bit lost as to where to go with it all now! I'm really happy i managed to bf them and give them a good start (they were premi and ICU babies) but just need some advise i guess and to know what other people do/did!

Thanks!

No direct experience myself, but I'm a twin (also slightly prem at 35 weeks and in scbu) and Mum fed us for a year, tandem feeding, no formula. From what Mum has said she found it easier to feed us both at once because she then got a break, whereas feeding one after the other was too exhausting.

I don't quite understand your issue with feeding bigger babies - do you feel physically uncomfortable or is emotional?

You've done a wonderful job to get to 6 months - hats off to you!

Hi Twinnie - I did mixed feeding with my dt's. I bf them for 8 months when they decided they didnt want milk anymore. My 2 were also icu babies.

No advice on the night feeds (sorry) but I found that by 6 months it was easier to feed them seperately (unless they were both really hungry at the same time) as by then they were a good size and quite heavy. They also fed quite quickly on the breast by then and were happier to wait for a while while I fed one and then fed the other straight after.

Sounds like your doing a fantastic job.

No experience of twins but wanted to say a bloody well done for getting to 6 months with twins! I've got one dd (8 months) and I always wondered if I'd have got this far with twins I produce enough milk for two

oh thanks for your replies ladies :)

Turtledoves it's a physical thing for me, they're both over a stone each and i've been tandem feeding in a criss cross position and it's just such a weight to have on me all the time! I've got neck and shoulder strains.

I think i need to try what Muckingfuddle did and just nurse them separately when i can. I think it has just been much more time efficient for me to tandem feed.

I spoke to a La Leche leader today who nursed twins for 2.5 years! and she has inspired me to keep going for a while i think, perhaps we'll just go day by day for now.

I guess i never thought i'd still be going by now and have been abit anxious about the demands that might set in in the coming months - i'd imagine trying to wean 2 toddlers who are refusing to could be very difficult!!

Hi - I'm bfing twins at 12 months. I used a combination of tandem and feeding one after the other until about 8.5 months when they got too big on the cushion. As they fed more quickly when older this wasn't a problem (10 mins max each).

I feed through the night - one of mine is a good sleeper unless he has a cold or is in pain. The other one has up to 5 feeds between 7 and 7. I would love a good nights sleep (especially as their napping is rubbish) but I don't think weaning would stop the waking and feeding back to sleep is quick. If he is having a very bad night he sleeps with us. Maybe not what you want to hear but I have adjusted to it.

I'm only feeding morning, bedtime and a couple of times during the day as well as night feeds and as I'm not at work I wouldn't gain anything by stopping. You have done really well to get this far. It gets easier but whatever you decide to do you've given them a good start.

I am still bf 18 mo twins. I found it got easier after 6 months, around the time they learnt to sit up. actually, everything got easier around then. I could sit each next to me on the sofa rather than hold them. then a bit later I would sit and let them kneel either side or stand on the floor. I've never been able to not tandem, they get jealous otherwise.

I do find it more draining than feeding a single though. I am much more restricted physically with two babies ranging off me, so I totally get where you're coming from. for me, I've never had the energy to start the weaning process, and we just go day to day. good luck :)