Breastfeeding twins - possible?!

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

I am end of 2nd tri with twins and as so many are prem, I am trying to think about the practicalities!

I bf DD for around 9 mos, ebf till nearly 6 mos then returned to work but managed to keep 3ish feeds in 24h till 9mos.

But it was HARD. She clusterfed like a champ for hours as a newborn, my back hurt so so much, she put on weight slowly and I was pressured to top up with formula - compromised by expressing and adding to her feeds with a syringe.

I would really like to ebf the twins but how possible is it? I am searching for twin nursing pillows tonight and the vast majority are clearly intended for ff mums so I am getting the sense it is not that common.

Oh it's totally possible. Even with issues in the early days where mine wouldn't latch and needed formula in hospital we were EBF with expressed breastmilk and breastfeeding by day 6 and breastfeeding direct by 3 weeks. It was hard in the beginning but with determination and the right support around you it can be done. I used a TwinZ bf pillow (in bed where I co slept) and Harmony Duo (on Sofa) and couldn't have done it without these. I also highly recommend the fb group linked above - I don't think I would have got through the early weeks without it.

I have back issues too but found there was no problem with breastfeeding using the feeding pillows - what I did find was that my weakened back from twin pregnancy and the physicality of baby twins difficult on my back, but I had an urgent referral to physio (GP pushed it through because of me having twins) that helped back issues enormously.

I'm still feeding my twins now at nearly 21 months.

I managed. Mine refused bottles too.
The first 6 weeks were a living hell though. I never managed to feed both at once, so it was almost continuous at first.
Mine had a side each, and each was fed on demand.
I had an app on my phone to track feeds with too, otherwise I'd forget when one or the other had last fed.
I managed to feed mine until 23 months, but it was sheer determination and willpower for the first 6 weeks. After that it was relatively easy.
Good luck, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work, as long as they are fed that's the main thing.

A very good friend of mine is fully bf her twins. Now almost 5 months old. They are her third and fourth babies. They were born at term - both over seven pounds. She feeds them together - one under each arm. I think that’s rugby ball? The smallest baby feeds every hour. I don’t know how she gets anything done, but she does get out - she has a school run for the oldest two. She is amazing and I am in total awe!

Wow, lots of inspirational stories on here! Thank you all so much for sharing. I will look at the Twinz and Harmony bf pillows as well as the Breast Friend.

I have an osteopath I can consult - privately - so I'll see if she can help postnatally.

Feeling a mixture of terrified and determined!

Have a look for @motherof5boys on instagram. She is still bfeeding 10month old twins

Re backache. My sister had two breastfeeding pillows which she put on top of each other to lift the babies up to the right height so she didn't need to bend over.

I breastfed my twins for nearly 2 and a half years. They were both prem and had IUGR and were in special care for 3 weeks. So even with those issues it's still possible. I had mix fed them (Due to weight gain issues) but at 2 months they refused bottles.
You might want to look into the supplemental nursing system if you have prem babies. It can help build up supply too.
I used the my breast friend pillow and always nursed my girls at the same time.