How to BF twins at the same time

[MrsSW]

Hi
My twin boys are 3 weeks old and I'm BFing them. I also have a 14 month old so want to BF the twins at the same time so he doesn't have to spend the whole day watching Cbeebies!! At the moment I'm finding it hard to latch both on to feed them together. Does anyone have any tips? Once they're latched they suck well but they seem to bob on and off. I've tried an E-Z nurse cushion but found it too restrictive. And I'm trying the football hold with pillows under my arms.
I BF'd my eldest for 6 months so am confident latching one at once but am finding it much harder together.
Thanks so much.
Mrs W x

When you use the pillows with the football hold, are they supported well enough to stay in position? When they are supported high enough you can often then use a small infant blanket folded slightly under/behind their head to keep them up close to the breast. Sometimes another small blanket rolled supported along their back keeps them on their side while they are still small. This can help free up your hands so that you can better place the second baby on.

Some mothers find having one in the football position and one then in a semi-cradle position works for them.

In either position it helps to have someone hand them to you, or if you have one lying on the sofa next to you, while you get the first latched and positioned, then you can place the second.

hi mrs w
i really struggled to bf mine together til they were at least 3 months - but what did work for me was to get the one on my left in the cradle hold, then hold her in place w/ my left hand - and then grab the one on my right and put her in the football hold - as i'm right handed it somehow worked easier that way

good luck
x

Hi breastfed mine together almost from birth so it can be done. Make sure they are far enough back. Legs should be tucked right in behind you, and you must start nose-to-nipple or the latch will not be good. Then make sure they can throw their head back to latch on.

Try the EZ again, but make sure you have at least one cushion behind you and that you-re sitting fairly upright and that the cushion is pushed right up to your tum as near as poss. The EZ is great because they don;t roll off sideways and once they're on don't tend to go anywhere.

Put both on sofa or bed next to you, lift both onto the cushion, latch the most desperate one on first, wait until he is sucking slowly and rhythmically and then latch the other. If first is in the slow rhythmical stage he SHOULDN'T come off!!!

Takes a bit of practise but keep persevering!

Something that works for me is having one in cradle position either on a pillow with other cushions underneath to get them to the right height, on a nursing pillow designed for singletons (I use the Widgey when I'm feeding one at a time or to do this tandem feeding position) and then the other in the football hold, again on a pillow with cusions beneath. It means that the one in the football hold is lying on the legs of the one in the cradle hold, but it doesn't seem to bother them much. The advantage of this is I seem to be able to have one hand free (I need a hand to hold the cradle hold baby steady, but once football hold baby is latched I can take my hand away.

I've also had some success with the EZ but I've had to send back 2 inflatables because they were faulty and kept deflating. Now waiting for a foam one to arrive! I found that once I had them in the right position on the EZ I didn't need hands to hold them steady

I do find tandem feeding a bit overwhelming (my DTs are almost 5 weeks, so there is time to practise!) but it's getting easier each time, particularly as they get better at latching on themselves.

Hi Mrs W - congratulations on your little ones. I sympathise with the Cbeebie thing - my DTs are 4 weeks tomorrow and I have a 2.5 year old! I'd say keep experimenting as things will change/get a bit easier as the babies get bigger. I'm trying to do a few tandem feeds to reduce the amount of time feeding and can see the potential of the EZ but currently DT2 not too keen on it and prefers pillows. Also both mine will happily feed for 15-20 mins if they have mummy to themselves but will both come off after 5 min if I tandem feed . Taking it one feed at a time in our house....

Nice to know so many other mums are persevering with breastfeeding 2 though!