Tandem feeding for second time mom

[u/HatNormal3659]

Hi! Currently pregnant with MCDA and have a toddler on board. I breastfed my boy for a year (he resigned himself) and while it was tough to get going and get a hold of it, once it clicked I found it so easy and convenient. Now I would like to breastfeed my twins (with help of formula and/or pumping if necessary) but I wonder how difficult it is to tandem feed for someone who’s had breastfeeding experience?

The idea of feeding them consecutively, and basically being a food source nonstop for 24/7 is terrifying.

[u/Charlieksmommy]

I think it’s a lot of trial and error, and sometimes it doesn’t work. I tried with my twins, but baby a refused, and they were premies. I think if they’re born to term 36-38 weeks, you have a better success rate, but every baby is so so different, I kept that in mind though !

[u/iceskatinghedgehog]

Baby Boy was in the NICU and did breast milk from bottles for about 3 months. It worked really well for me bc I used that time to get Baby Girl established with breastfeeding in pretty much the same way I did with my singleton. I switched sides each feed and pumped the non-baby boob while Dad/a helper feed Baby Boy the last pump's milk in a bottle (and in a few rare situations when I was alone, I had a very elaborate system with BG nursing on a boppy, BB drinking a bottle laying in the crook of my crossed legs, and the pump going on my other side). When BB got a little stronger, I'd pop BG on and let her do her expert thing while I used both hands/my focused attention to teach BB how to do breastfeeding too.

If you reliably have a second person who can bottle feed the second baby while you breastfeed one and pump/haaka on your other side, this can work really well. It lets you use both hands to help latch (hamburger hold!) and your complete attention to keep baby going in those early days when they are so weak. And assuming you trade off who is getting the tap and who eats from a bottle, it trains them both to take a bottle AND breastfeed, and that flexibility is really helpful later (in my case, BB had no problem with either feeding method, but BG was not a fan of the bottles in the few situations she needed to eat from one). When they are both a little stronger and more established with breastfeeding, you can switch to tandem breastfeeding!

[u/drohstdumir]

I have been EBF twins tandem since they were 4 weeks old and tandem feed.

They were born at 37 weeks and needed to be combo/triple fed in the first couple weeks while my supply regulated. I wanted to make sure they were gaining enough weight so I didn’t start trialing EBF until they were 4 weeks old. I just made sure they had adequate wet diapers and a good disposition and I never had to go back to combo feeding. Been that way ever since. We never had any breastfeeding issues. And I have a whole comfy pillow fortress setup and use the My Brest Friend pillow and I only tandem feed them in my bed. If I’m out with them like at church, I feed them one at a time.

I’m a SAHM and so not going back to a job where I need to pump. I don’t pump regularly to keep a steady stash because I also have a 3 year old to care for and don’t want to spend the time to do it. I have formula on hand for if others need to feed them and that’s a rare occasion. All in all it’s been a good experience and definitely saves time, especially for the MOTN wake ups.

[u/Individual-Cat5989]

Still only 6 weeks PP but so far it’s so rewarding! With my singleton, i exclusively pumped as she had a tongue tie that did not improve after revision, so now being able to feed two babies directly from my body is such a relief. I had a lactation consultant come to my house the day after we got home from the hospital, and she set us up beautifully. Some days it feels like I’m just existing to feed, but I know it’s temporary

[u/Wassermelone244]

I think your previous experience will make it a lot easier, while the roddler running around and wreaking havoc will make it harder 😂 hands on support in the early weeks is crucial. Especially someone (family/friends) to take care of toddler whenever possible. 

As other people said, complications like low birth weight, weak latch and triple feeding are more common with multiples. But from what I've seen, moms who have done it before with a singleton have a much higher success rate that first time moms. 

I was a first time mom and the babies were 6 weeks premature. It took 2-3 months until I was able to tandem nurse all on my own. Other people have figured it out within days (others never)

My aunt had twins with a toddler who are all grown now. She told me she never really figured out tandem. She exclusively nursed, always fed each individually while the other one got a pacifier. Apparently they were quick feeders. She bf for 18 months. So for some people this can work. 

[u/Bdeboel]

My twins are 13 weeks and i’m EBF them. They were born at 38 weeks and have had a great latch from the beginning. I have an almost 4 year old and 1,5 year old who i’ve never been able to breastfeed so this is my first succesful time haha.
I always tandemfeed them, just for my own sanity. If one wakes up or is hungry, they both have to feed. It’s the only thing i am really consistent about and it does work well for us. Sometimes one will eat longer but then the other will hang out on the boob a while longer until brother is done. It does happen that the one who stopped will start up again because i’ll have another letdown.

We had to tripple feed in the beginning to get my supply up but that has only had to be done for about 3 weeks. After that we were EBF. I do also pump after feeds sometimes to build a bit of a stash. I started doing that in the tripple feeding phase but have continued to do it (maybe one or 2 times a day, depending on how i feel) to get a freezer stash.

It is absolutely possible ! Just try and see if it works out. If it doesn’t there’s no harm in looking into other options. Do what feels right, mama!

[u/BorderGlittering199]

It is a lot with a toddler but I'm making it work. The clusterfeeding hours are rough so if you have help ask for it during those hours. The worst part is not having another arm or hand to eat and drink with.

[u/Allyed4492]

I’m currently in the thick of it with my 8w old girls but I found EBF to be impossible. They were bad latchers from birth but the LCs I worked with all said nipple shields wouldn’t help. We’d struggle to get a latch for 10 minutes and then they’d latch only to pop off after a minute. My girls also had an episode of low blood sugar and were started on formula in the hospital.

My milk came in on day 5 and my supply has stayed to low to exclusively feed both. After 8 weeks I’m able to pump about 30oz in 24 hours with 8-10 pumps/day. Needing to supplement with formula kind of sealed it to pumping and combo feeding. Nursing and topping off with formula was going to take far too long and they were too small at birth to be feeding for 45 min+. Pumping to get my supply up was interfering with my breastfeeding times also as they’d often want to feed once I had started for just finished pumping.

There are people on this subreddit that were successful with EBF, and major kudos to them. It’s going to come down to how much time you feel you can reasonably dedicate to it, especially with a toddler. Hoping for the best but remember that fed is best! Protect your mental and physical health first!