Breastfeeding TWINS!

Stacy Kwan

My first breastfeeding journey began in February 2010. My boy/girl twins were born early at 33 weeks due to my having pre-eclampsia. They came into this world crying, it was beautiful. Almost immediately they were whisked away to the NICU due to complications from their prematurity. I had a c-section and was weak and in a lot of pain both from the surgery and the stress from my condition. I couldn’t go see my babies. I felt helpless. I had always thought I might breastfeed the twins a little, but didn’t have any support. I really didn’t think it was possible to breastfeed twins. Most of my mommy friends at the time had not breastfed their children and neither had my own mother. However, laying in that bed, knowing my only children were struggling I knew the only thing I could do was to provide them with my breast milk. So that’s what I was going to do. I couldn’t hold them or comfort them or take away their pain, but I could nourish them. I had my husband get a breast pump and so I began. I had purchased a La Leche League breastfeeding book for multiples that I had never read, so I began reading. I realized I needed to pump frequently and began every 2 hours around the clock. I felt so proud when I started to get some colostrum! I would get barely anything and would have my husband run it down to the NICU to give to the babies. I felt desperate, but it was a powerful thing to be able to continue to do something. On the second day my milk came in. I believe it came in because I had been pumping so frequently. 

I pumped all the time! I actually pumped too much because in the 26 days my babies were in the NICU I filled the hospital freezer up and my freezer at home. They never had any formula and were only on IV nutrition for several days in the beginning. The twins were fed through a feeding tube for several weeks and then a bottle. My daughter took well to the bottle and began gaining weight, with only a little complication from some stomach issues. My son never took well drinking from a bottle. When I would feed him in the hospital I would have to help support his chin because he was unable to hold suction enough on the bottle nipple to get the milk out. I would try and try and often would get so discouraged and would let the nurses take over because they seemed better at being able to get him to drink. 

During this time the strong desire came to me that I wanted to feed my babies directly from the breast. I was making more than enough milk..I could see that with my eyes. I didn’t need to worry they wouldn’t get enough. I really just wanted to breastfeed them. I tried a few times in the NICU and they wouldn’t latch. It was such a open area and not private. I felt exposed and not comfortable. I decided I would try again when they were home. My son and daughter came home the same day. They kept my daughter a few days longer so that I could bring them both home together. My son still wasn’t drinking well from the bottle, but he was drinking enough to satisfy the doctors and I had gotten much better at supporting him during feeds. 

We came home and I decided to start my daughter on the breast first because she was the better eater. It would take forever to help her latch. She would cry, she was hungry. It was difficult for both of us, but I was determined. I knew this was best for both my children and I just knew we could get through this. I found it easier to get her to latch if she was hungry. I also learned to “aim” my nipple towards the top of her mouth as far back as I could get it. Turned out it was easiest to help her latch if she was crying because her mouth would be open wide. I continued to work with her, only offering the breast. Sometimes she wouldn’t feed very long and would want to eat an hour and a half later. But we continued. I did not offer her the bottle. Looking back, I wonder if I should have been so cold turkey with the bottle. I read in the LLL book about a baby moon and that’s what I was doing. Offering the breast all the time and doing what I could to make her comfortable enough to settle and latch. It was difficult. I would often cry and think it would never work. But it did! She started latching for longer periods of time, before long she was a champ at it! I was eating and drinking a lot (not sleeping much though haha). At her month check-up she had gained 3 lbs! I was so scared before that first appointment. I was worried the Doctor would tell me she hadn’t gained enough weight, but I think we were both shocked when we saw the scale. 

Now for my son’s breastfeeding struggle. It wasn’t a struggle at all. It was just amazing. I waited a few weeks while working on my daughter’s latch and then decided to try with him. I had been pumping and bottle feeding him up to this time. I was worried. We had just been through hell with my daughter and here was my son who didn’t do well with bottles. That amazing precious little boy took only a few times to figure out how to latch and fed like a champ. He looked at me as if to say, “It’s about time you figured out this is what I wanted!” He loved breastfeeding and was so good at it. This entire time I thought he would have a difficult time and it was the most easiest natural thing for him. Later our pediatrician told me that breastfeeding is easier for babies who have a weak suck than bottles. I wish someone would have told me that earlier! By his first month out appointment he also had gained 3 lbs. 

I exclusively breastfed my twins until they were 12 months. I weaned them at 12 months because my body was just tired. I felt worn out and feeding that much was draining. During that year my children thrived. We had no serious health complications from their prematurity. We have a amazing bond and I attribute a lot of it to breastfeeding. It brought us closer together. It’s such a nurturing relationship and I am so glad that even though I have twins that I was able to give them each that experience. If I had to do it again I would! Breastfeeding was not always easy, but starting and getting things going is the hardest. Nothing we went through was unusual. My daughter went through a nursing strike at 4 months, but we got through it once I stopped allowing any milk fed through bottles. They also both went through their “distracted” phase and feeding would take forever. 

 Some advice I would have for mommies of twins would be that if you want to you can breastfeed! Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, because it is totally physically possible. It is hard and will be a huge sacrifice. I have friends who have supplemented along with breastfeeding and I support any way you make it work. I know how hard it was and other people have different challenges in their lives that make it harder. However, you can totally do it with the right support. I read a lot about helping babies latch. It isn’t much different than helping to latch to a bottle which I had gotten good at in the NICU. I think that stresses a lot of moms out in the beginning if their babies have trouble latching, and twins are usually early, and so most may struggle a bit to latch on. Get help and surround yourself with other breastfeeding moms and people that support you. My mother told me after one really hard morning that it would be ok if I wanted to go to formula. I looked at her and told her not to say that to me again because what I needed was for someone to say “you can do it!”. If I had supplemented I wouldn’t have had the year long breastfeeding relationship that I had with my children. 

Lastly, and these are the questions I almost always get from moms: Yes, I did breastfeed exclusively the entire 12 months. No, I didn’t breastfeed them at the same time. I found it too difficult to maneuver. Yes, my body could make enough milk for two babies! Yes, I am pretty amazing, but so is your body too :)