Twins due in 6 weeks - want to exclusively bf - any advice most welcome!

[ZippysMum]

Hello lovely ladies.

The twins will be my first DCs. My husband is very supportive of bf and I also have a friend who has successfully bfed all 3 of her dc's. My mum (who is absolutely lovely, and likely to be around a lot when the twins are born), while superficially supportive of my decision, wants me to get in bottles and formula 'just in case', which I am not going to do - I get the impression she thinks I am being stubborn and irresponsible. Am I right to stick to my guns? We have a 24 hr Tesco 15 minutes away!!

Also, I have PCOS. Don't know whether this can cause problems with bf but ordered some fenugreek which (according to some advice online) might help; what do you think?

Will almost certainly have c-section due to position of the babies. Will be requesting early skin to skin contact on birth plan.

My DH is wonderful and will be practically as well as emotionally supportive. He will be at home full time until I go back to work after a year and he will be SAHD. We plan that feeding will be my 'job' for the first weeks/ months and that I will mostly stay in bed! We will be sort-of co-sleeping - we have one of the cotbeds set up as a 'sidecar' so I can easily feed without getting up.

Any advice / tips / ideas most welcome! Many thanks for taking the time to read all this!

I am expecting twins in approx 6 weeks....very nervous about managing to BF.
Never managed to BF my ds1, as hosp. whisked him away to hosp. nursery as soon as he was born (to give me a rest apparently!) my breasts were so engorged & sore from lack of feeding for first 24 hours, I was unable to even get started!
However, refused to allow DS2 to be taken away from me...and managed to get BF-ing underway....albeit, with difficulty....but managed to last over 3 months.
By DS3 & ds4, I was becoming quite pro
and managed to BF both until after their 1st bdays....
But, petrified of feeding twins...(I felt like Daisy with singletons)!!! can get quite difficult, and I did feel I couldnt do anything for me...as constantly feeding/winding/changing....with only hourly intervals (of which Id be dealing with other sons) then back to feeding again.
Never got the hang of my pump...and managed measly amounts of expressed milk...so gave up.
Im worried if babies are prem....or I have to have C-sec....anything that could disrupt the initial BF-ing establishing...
and also...managing my others...!!!
will still have to have school routine etc....so times cannot be flexible.
Petrified.....!!!!
Doesnt quite hit home, until labour is so close !!!

Hi mumsylady,
I don't know how you are coping with late twin pregnancy and 4dc's!! We don't have any children yet, and I am good for nothing but lying on the sofa with 4 weeks to go. Oh, and the odd irrational bout of crying about silly things (like not being able to inflate my gym ball).

I am almost def. having a C-section, but lots of ladies have said that that didn't cause them a problem with establishing bf. I feel very lucky to have had advice from others on here about how to get what I need and want in hospital, and DH is well briefed too! I also get the impression that if you can crack tandem feeding, it is easier - doesn't take so much time. Though again, I am very fortunate that DH works at home and will be on hand. On the other hand, you have lots of baby and bf experience to draw on!

I also oscillate between excited and terrified - and I have no idea what to expect!!!

Hiya zippysmum...

I have a well established routine in the hols..

which is:- lie in...let boys help themselves to any cereal .....mini multibox cereals are brilliant for this !!

feed them prepacked sandwiches for lunch (made night before by DH !!)
then by 4-5pm dh is home...and he takes care of dinner ..
I am struggling to move, breath, relax !!
everything with twin pregnancy is much harder
I have had EVERY pregnancy symptom possible this time round...even carpal tunnel !! never had this with others

Least I know partly what I'm in for..... having had children...
I feel terribly sorry for first timers with twins !!!
unless they are sailing through....in which case Im sooo envious !!

Im crying at most things...feel quite silly at my age ( could get away with tears in my twenties )
mainly TV gets me crying...but went in hosp for my bloods, and slight shortness of breath/dizzy spell whilst in waiting room ..had me in tears in front of all other expectant mums
Agghhhh
impossible to keep control on emotions
I too am petrified...then excited then tearful...then impatient ...!!!
doesnt get easier with experience ....

Hi Zippysmum...I just have a avent single pump, didn't try any others, so can't compare but it is dead good for me. BTW you were asking about getting the latched - I tend to go for whoever is not screaming first actually, because the non-screamer is usually easier/quicker, so you can attend to the other one with a bit more focus. But some will just jump right on as soon as you offer, so you might find it works better the other way round. Mostly I do mine on my own too, so it really is doable. I'd just recommend being flexible and trying everything - you'll find that as they grow and change, you need to too.

Sounds like you have great support - lucky you! Only other bit of advice is to remember the motivation for breastfeeding that you have now, and that will get you through the rough patches - and there will be rough patches. Right, must off, this emailing about breastfeeding has caused my let-down reflex...perfect timing for the night feed!

Good luck!

Thanks bdoing! I've just read the 'Politics of Breastfeeding' and I'm even more determined now! Glad you found it OK getting both latched on - hope mine are also cooperative!

Just thought I would ask......is a V-cushion essential in BF-ing twins ???
any other good products on market ??

I have a glider feeding chair & not sure If Im going to beable to get them both on chair with me comfortably to feed anyways???

also...worried about getting them both latched on & off alone...
(I wont have anyone around to pass babies to me etc. when children back to school & DH at work.

Will just have a 3 year old running amok -taking advantage no doubt-...(so expecting I'll need to be good at getting them on & off quite quickly!!)

thanks ladies

Sorry not seen this thread earlier, been feeling a bit poo due to expecting no3!

I bf my twins until they were 13 mths, and now I'm a peer support counsellor and 'counsel' other twin Mums to try to have an enjoyable bf experience!!

I swore by the EZ-2-nurse cushion. It's the only one I could feed 'hands-free' so could eat, drink, remote tv, etc

Once it's established bf is really easy and probably easier than bottle feeding, as no sterilising and makin up feeds etc. However, establishing it in the first place is hard.

Sounds like you're clued up on everything you need to do. Breastfeeding counsellor sounds great! DEFINITELY insist on skin-to-skin after c-section. I've heard of Mums goving their first breastfeed whilst they're still being sewn up! It's really inportant to get this first feed in the first hour if you can. But if for some reason it doesn't happen, I've had Mums who didn't even start breastfeeding for 6-7 days and still managed to exclusively breastfeed once they got going!

Personally I nearly always tandem fed, unless I was out. Got that established by about day 3, but I know a lot of Mums do it later. I used to put both on the bf cushion, then latch the 'easy' one first, followed by the more 'difficult' one. Meant I could spend a bit more time on the difficult one.

Anyway, enough rambling, good luck!!

Hi! Thanks for the advice. Sorry to hear you are feeling poo. I don't know how mums do pregnancy with other DC's running around!
Not long to go for me now - 22 days max (and I suspect they might be here earlier...)

I have the EZ2 nurse twins pillow! Did you take yours into hospital with you? It seems I have so much stuff - they have said to expect a 3 day stay and I have 2 huge bags already!!

I didn't get mine til the babes wre 3 weeks old. WISH i had had it earlier!! You might find that it doesn't fit on a hospital bed, that's the only thing! I used pillows whilst in hosp.