I was asked many questions during the waddling stage of my twin pregnancy. Among the most frequent was “Are you planning to nurse them?” The question was posed with some combination of curiosity, admiration and incredulity, usually depending on the speaker’s own experience with breastfeeding.
I did plan to nurse my twins. In fact, I took a prenatal class on the topic. From this class I learned that it was possible, either in succession or in tandem, and that many mothers have nursed multiples for months or even years. I was also encouraged by my experience with our first son: Nursing came easily to both of us. I was confident that I could and would nurse the twins as well.
And I did, exclusively, for their first four days. Both Jon and Alex were voracious and gained weight before leaving the hospital, something the nurses said was unusual for twins. Except for the fact that I rarely slept, things were going pretty well.
Enter the unexpected. After one day at home, I was rushed back to the hospital with indescribable pain. My parents rushed to the store for bottles and formula. I was in and out of the hospital for the next ten days but was determined not to give up breastfeeding. I pumped… and pumped… every few hours when I was alone in the hospital and when I was in too much pain to hold my sons. We had two beautiful babies, but it was otherwise a pretty rough time.
I can’t remember making a deliberate decision, but we soon developed a routine of breastfeeding one twin while formula-feeding the other. We’d switch their places at each feeding. It was a good compromise – easier physically for me, and the babies were still breastfed about four times a day.
When I was stronger (a month or so after delivery), I again tried exclusive breastfeeding. As with everything in parenting, there’s the ideal and the reality. Ideally, twins would eat and sleep at the same time, thereby making life easier for their parents. In reality, twins are individuals who likely have different eating and sleeping patterns. Alex likes to do everything quickly, except eat. He would nurse and drink his bottle at leisure, sometimes taking a break to digest. Jon likes to do everything slowly – except eat. He would gulp milk so fast that he would choke, and cry, and get even more hungry, and even drink faster, and choke again. Try tandem nursing that!
Successive nursing might have worked, had I been healthier mentally and physically, and had we full-time help. But I wasn’t and we didn’t. My husband was back to a demanding job, my parents were coping with another family emergency a thousand miles away, and we had a 15-month-old son who was no doubt wondering what all the fuss was about. We therefore settled into a schedule of nursing and supplementing at each feeding, and continued this way for six months.
I stopped when Alex stopped. Alex has a rather fiery temperament. When he’s good, he’s very very good. When he’s bad, well, suffice to say he was unequivocal in his preference for the bottle. Jon would probably have continued but I was, frankly, in need of a rest. I had been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for two and a half years, I was well below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I was exhausted, thoroughly exhausted.
Am I rationalizing? Probably. Do I feel guilty about not nursing more and for longer? Yes – and no. We all know “breast is best”. How could it be otherwise? I would advise all mothers to try breastfeeding. If it’s your first time, be persistent. If you have multiples, be even more persistent. It is something that must be taught to, and learned by both mother and baby. And it’s beautiful when it happens.
It is easy, however, to underestimate the tremendous energy needed to breastfeed, especially if you’re feeding two (or more!) babies. You have to eat often and well, and you have to be rested. You have to have help. You have to find what works for your babies and for you.
A few asides:
- We use Medela bottles, nothing else. They are made from polypropylene, whereas most baby bottles are made from polycarbonate. There is evidence that bisphenol-A, a chemical used in making polycarbonate, mimics estrogen and causes developmental disorders. Why take a chance?Some useful sites:
Wikipedia entry on Bisphenol-A
Environment California’s Guide to Bisphenol-A in Baby Bottles - On a different note, chances of conceiving twins are apparently nine times higher while breastfeeding. Just so you know….
