1 person feeding 2 babies?

Hi ladies

I would like to get input from mommies who fed their babies without anyone assisting them.
Did you breast feed or bottle feed?
If you bottle fed, was it formula or breast milk?
Did you feed them at the same time? If so, can you tell me how you did it? And how you managed to feed and burp them by yourself etc
How long did each baby feed for in the beginning?
Also, if you can remember, what was your feeding routing in the first month or so?

Thanks!

Eve, a friend of mine is a twin mommy & I remember her saying that she breastfed the twins while they were in NICU and then switched to formula. I have read about moms saying they feed baby #1 15min before the other one, burp them ect before its time for baby #2 feed, same with bath time etc. Routine wise, you should find something that suits you & your babies, in the beginning they will feed 3hourly until they reach 4hours, but some babies go with a 4hour routine from day 1. Hope the twin moms can be of more help! xx

Hi Eve

It's amazing how quickly one forgets those early days! I did most of the feeds myself - especially the midnight ones! I used expressed breast milk and formula. I did once manage to get both on the boob at once but it was difficult as they were very different in size. My husband seemed to think it would be easy "(why can't you just shove one on each boob?")- but it wasn't! I also wanted to monitor their intake which I could do with the expressed milk as they were so tiny. I believe once one gets the hang of doing two at once it is really quite easy though. Might be worth persevering!

I used Nuk bottles (the kind they had in the NICU). I would wake one to feed and do one after the other. My son would guzzle his bottle down in about 5 minutes but my daughter drank so slowly - sometimes took 40 minutes which seemed endless - especially at 2am! If they both woke up crying wanting their bottles I would put them both in their car seats on the lounge table and feed both at once - worked well!

They came home from the NICU in a fantastic routine - I would feed them every 3 hours round the clock - ie 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, 12am, 3am. AFter about 6 weeks I started leaving them after their late night feed to wake themselves so ended up doing about 7 feeds per day.

It is tiring but doesn't last for too long luckily. I found it useful to make up a few feeds in advance and keep in the fridge. That way you aren't frantically mixing formula come feed time.

Sjoe that sounds quite hectic Wendy
If I wanted to try feed them at the same time, would I be able to put them in the car seat all thr time, or would it be better to prop them up against a cushion on the couch or bed, or soemthing like that?

Wendy, if I may ask, did you use breast milk and formula at the same time, or did you only start using formula a bit later on?

Hi Eve,

From the beginning I had to share out my milk as I didn't have enough to exclusively breast feed both of them. They would get 4 bottles a day of breast milk and 3 of formula.

I think propping up on a cushion would work. I just had to make a quick plan as both were awake and screaming and I grabbed the car seats! Had to give them bottle asap!

It actually wasn't too hectic - I couldn't imagine how it would work until I experienced it myself. Most of the time it was quite civilised as they would be asleep and Iw ould wake the one, feed it and then puthim / her down and feed the other one. They didn't often wake at the same time needing feeding.

HI eve

I had help sometimes and sometimes not.
I used the bouncy chairs and fed them together much easier when they are bigger. WHen they were tiny I put a donut cushion on my lap and lay each one on it and fed them together. Then when one needed winding i would put both bottles down and wind one then wind the other and then feed again.

in the early days they are only allowed to feed for max 40- 50 min. And Kian took 10min and COnnor 50min. So it is kind of feed put to sleep then feed again then sleep again. I prepared bottles in the fridge too then put boiling water in a plastic bowl to heat the milk up to drinking temp.

On the what to expect with twins seminar one mommy had enough bottles for both that she only washed them once a day in the dishwasher.

Breastfeeding I only ever latched one at a time and as I knew I did not produce enough milk I let them drink then did a bottle feed after but I think if you have help at the hospital in the beginning and there is a twin breastfeeding lady at SAMBA who will come help you. I think you can get it right.

I know the night nurse would cope by waking the one most likely to wake screaming for food 15 min before time feed him then wake and feed the other. ANd it is only 6 months then they can hold thier own bottles!!! yay!

Hi Eve,
Only Carmen received breastmilk for the first 7 weeks she was in ICU. My milk was to little for both so Bjorn had to drink formula. When both was home they both drank formula, cause I had to start my arthiritis medication and couldn't breastfeed anymore. I used to also first wake the one that drinks the fastest, give him his bottle. And then I would wake Carmen and give her her bottle. You will see that it usually just works out. Sometimes both would scream, but then I would just prop one on a cushion with a bottle.
I whish mine would start holding their own bottles, they are now 7 months and still don't want to

Hi Eve,
I breastfed both twins for 10 weeks( they were in NICU & got it via tube @ the beginning) but i was lucky as I had lots of millk. I tried feeding them at the same time but it wasn't easy!! Thomas was a lot smaller than Jason & would get distracted. I would only do it if they both woke screaming, otherwise I would feed 1 @ a time. I tried feeding them in their car seets but both ended up choking so wasn't very good @ that! I moved to Formula when I found that they weren't getting enough anymore, Jason would drain both breasts & thomas would end up with nothing! Friends of ours prop feed & it works well for them.
I also wish ours would hold their own bottles! Come on boys.....
Jason was a very fast drinker but Thomas took his time. @ the beginning it would take @ least an hour to feed both, mostly closer to 2 once we had changed them, fed & burped them. But, every baby is different!
I think if we'd had a single baby before the twins we would have found it even more hectic but we don't know any different. We just got on with it & it does get easier!
It's so awesome having 2!
Love me

Hi Eve,
Propping them on a pillow works very well, but you need to find where in you house it will work best for you, remember that it need to work for you as well. If you have a comfy feeding chair then feeding them on your lap like Kerry suggests works very well - if you have to feed them at once. But otherwise the option of feeding the fast drinker and then the other one works the best.
My cot had a "side wall" that dropped like a table to the side, so i moved my feeding chair so that this table rests on my armrests of the chair, and then i put pillows and the babies on pillows - they have to lie in a 30degree angle and not flat on their back , and remember if one chokes or have problems and you have to stop - put down everything and save the situation... you only have two hands... dont panic. you will be fine.

Breastfeeding vs formula feeding - well if you can breastfeed its wonderful and the best! but it think you need to accept that you can only feed one at a time. My one twin friend said she preferred it that way since it gives here one on one time for her and the one twin. And in the beginning they sleep most of the time so it will be easy to do one twin and then the next.....

For night feeds in the beginning, make your formula bottles in the evenings so that you only need to fetch them from the fridge and heat them up. I had 2 bottle warmers and they really reallly helped a lot.

Concerning the routine - do yourself a favour and buy the book Baby wise (or becoming BabyWise is the full name) This book really helped me a lot to establish a routine and be strict about it. Have a 3hour routine with your babies since day one. The most important thing for them to learn is DAY time and NIGHT time. And they pick this up very quickly.

If you cannot get hold of the book - then i will explain you the basics. But basically the most important thing is that you decide the routine and not the babies.

My babies got their last evening feed at 9:30pm , woke at 2 for a feeding and again at 5. this lasted for the first 6 weeks and then they start dropping the middle of the night feed. And one can basically say they sleep through. but you will learn all of this in the book.

I still feel you need to try and get some help during the day, just so that you can also get a bit of rest and an extra set of hands to help you.
I also got enough bottles to do at least 5 feedings before i needed to wash and sterilize again.

As for the moms above and the "holding the bottle" at 6 months.... Well done!!! Mine only started holding their own bottle at 9 months.... so all kids are different.

So Eve, what do you still need and have you had any baby shower yet?

Sjoe, this is very overwhelming! And terrifying!! Havent got anything yet except some nappies and wet wipes...

Page you are right about all babies being different. Mine started sort of holding thier bottles at +-4 months but only really got it at 6/7 months. I would threaten not to hold the bottle and they would then holdit themselves. But then Kian is particularly hungry.

In the beginning with Kian I tried very hard to have a routine but he does hysterical very well so he chose his routine. and as for sleeping Kian never dropped the middle of the night feed I had to force him to drop it. SO I think you are so lucky Page so what if you have to hold bottles.

Well my daughter still does not hold her own bottle. My son can but he is lazy....... sometimes he determinedly grabs it from me but other times I have to hold it still!

I really have little to add. The ladies have said it all. I used the car seats and propping them up on pillws and my legs. All I want to say is Eve, you'll make a plan, you'll see. One just does what works for your babies. re bf, I expressed for the twins for 2 months and had more than enough for both for that time period. It all depends, nothing can predict whether you will have little or lots. For the rest you'll supplement.

Just one tip, if the boys do end up in NICU just ask re breastmilk form the breastmilk bank, it is available in Johannesburg and is much better for prems than formula. You pay about R250 a week, or till your milk comes in (mine took 6 days).

xx

Thanks for the tip P

Hi Eve

I also combined EBM and Formula right from the start as I also didn't have anough for both, the girls never did learn to latch so expressed for 3 months untill I dried out, and just alternated the EBM between them both in that time, as I wanted them both to get some of the good stuff.

My girls were lazy suckers, while they were still learning to suck tho, we had to tap the back of the bottle to remind them to suck. It used to take about 1hr45min for the first few weeks to feed 1. At night DH and I each had a bottle warmer next each side of the bed and each do 1.

They generally woke at the same time for feeds. During the day I used to prop them up against a pillow on my bed and sit in front of them and feed like so. Feed one half a bottle, feed other half, burp the first 1, then burp the 2nd 1. Something to that effect. In the beggining tho.
Later I started feeding 1 her bottle, then lay her on her tummy for a while , which helped with the winds aswell, she would stay there untill I finished feeding the other, then I could go back to the first 1 and burp her nicely etc...

My girls were also in a very nice routine coming home from NICU. 2am, 5am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm etc...

It sounds worse than it is. You will be so proud of yourself, and you will just settle into it and find a way that will work for you - I'm sure.

My girls also arn't holding their bottles yet. Trying tho. Must say I am looking forward to when they can.

Ps: now they finish their bottles in about 10 mins and barely have to burp at all