b feeding twins - healthy eating for mum

[Bangkokbaby]

Hello,
I have 9 week old twins who I am ebf. I have been a but worried that my supply is dropping and have realised that I need to take better care of myself. I am so busy during the day, feeding, changing, settling the girls, and trying to get out the house for an outing as this helps

It's great for your own sake to eat healthily but it won't affect your supply - what makes you think your supply is dropping?
It's def hard work to bf twins, and no wonder you feel busy!
If your girls are gaining weight ok, and happy, then you are almost certainly doing brilliantly :)

Sorry, posted to early, am typing one handed as am feeding!
anyway, I try and get out once a day with the girls to keep us all sane! I have realised that I'm not eating properly, I snack on crisps and chocolate and am not drinking enough. Does anyone have any tips for good healthy quick snacks or meals? I just don't seem to be hungry, and should be eating at least 600 extra calories a day ?? I'm worried that my milk will start to dry up if I don't eat better, and start each day determined to be healthy and eat, but yet again it's night time and I've not eaten enough again .

Thanks Tiktok, I've noticed that the girls can get very frustrated towards the end of a feed, latching on and off and sometimes crying, particularly on my right breast. If I try and express from this side I hardly get any milk.
One twin has recently dropped a centile, hv is coming out tomorrow to weigh them again.

I Bf twins for a year exclusively (once I got things going). It does help your energy levels to eat and drink well but as tiktok says it shouldn't affect your milk.

Strategies - get your DH to make you a sandwich lunch and put it in the fridge every morning

When you sit down to feed, make sure you have a full glass of water plus a jug at hand to top it up.

I ate a lot of cake. A lot! Better than biscuits/chocolate in that it has some protein etc in it. Also cereal bars/oat bars are an okay middle ground

yoghurts can be quick and handy and a bit sweet so help any sugar cravings. Go for full fat ones - now is not the time to be worrying about fat levels. You need all the energy you can get.

Buy lunch box style fruit packs (like pre chopped pineapple).

On the fussy feeding, that does happen from time to time. I think it just takes a bit longer for your supply to catch up to a growth spurt than for a singleton. It doesn't mean your supply is dropping, just that it is taking a wee bit longer for your supply to catch up to demand. Keep feeding, maybe adding an extra feed in at some point just ahead of the fussy period and in a week or so, you should find that it evens out.

Good luck - I did find it was worth it and eventually it was fab to go out without any bottles.

Water made a big difference for me, try and make sure you are well hydrated. You're doing a great job! One is hard enough!

Congratulations!
And a huge well done you are siing a brill job feeding two!

My advice re eating would be to create a feeding station. So you always sit in the same place to feed.

Get some packets of raisins, apricots, cranberries etc and pop them into tubs that you can have next to you whilst you feed. Also leave apples & a bananas there too, use a sports bottle or two of water (or squash). Us a kit kat or something that feels treat like too. This way you will hopefully remember to eat as you'll get into the habit of it whilst feeding your babies.

Agreed get your partner to make you a packed lunch & leave it in the fridge, get the sandwiches cut into quarters so easy to hold & everything taken out of its packaging where possible. Make life easy!
I hope this helps, these things all helped me!
Plus keep a water bottle in your change bag!

I lost loads of weight feeding twins (too much).
Have a cooked breakfast, drink milk (a pint a day minimum) and lots of cold tea. They must have been two before I drank a hot drink whilst it was still hot.
Encourage friends to visit bearing gifts of food, shop bought quiches, doughnuts, homemade stew, anything.

Fan-fecking-tastic to be EBFing twins! So impressed!

You don't 'need' to be eating 600 extra calories a day. Your body laid down a good store of fat while you were pregnant to get you stocked up for BFing. You also only need to drink to thirst - no need for the 'minimum of 2L per day' or any other random figure the latest women's magazine has devised. Follow what PPs have advised on having a feeding station with snacks and a bottle of water, mainly so you don't crash because you've forgotten to eat like I do

Also trust that your supply is probably fine. Not being able to express much just means you can't express much - it doesn't mean you're not producing plenty of milk.

Both of my boys slithered down the centiles for weight...but went up for height which they never check at baby clinics. DS1 is an absolute beanpole and DS2 is heading the same way - they gain in inches what others gain in pounds so maybe your DDs are similar? But if they're alert, producing plenty of wet and dirty nappies and out-growing clothes appropriately, going down centiles is by the by.

Thank you all for your advice. The girls were weighed on Wednesday and both have gained weight well. The twin who had dropped a centile is now back up having gained 10 oz. I'm tryingnot to stress too much about eating. My husband makes me breakfast in bed every day and has been fantastic at cooking on nights he is home for dinner. The past few days I've made an effort to eat a proper lunch, and have found that doing this makes me want more healthy snacks, think I was filling up on junk before!

:) :) Fab news, Bangkok and well done, TwinBabyBangkoks :)