Friday, March 7, 2014

On breastfeeding twin newborns vs. twin toddlers

This is one in a series of guest posts by other bloggers. Read to the end for a longer biographical note on today's guest blogger, Mercedes from Project Procrastinot. I am in awe of parents of twins — and particularly those who manage to breastfeed two hungry babies through toddlerhood. Mercedes gives us her tips and comparisons for breastfeeding twin newborns vs. twin toddlers, so if you're in the same boat, take heart: It gets easier. Or, at least: different.

Hobo Mama wants you to know she's a professional blogger! Look at how professional she's being!

Guest post by Mercedes of Project Procrastinot


When my twins were born, I couldn't know for certain if I would reach my goal of breastfeeding them for one year. Now that they are sixteen months, the idea of weaning them seems very strange. It just doesn't feel like our time is up, although nursing toddlers has its own challenges.

Here are the main differences between nursing twin newborns and nursing older twins, in my experience.

Newborn Twins:

  • Feed on-demand (aka constantly)
  • No schedule means (virtually) no sleep
  • Mama worries over babies' weight gain
  • Mama worries about making enough milk
  • Tandem feeding requires a lot of set-up and an extra set of hands
  • Babies are helpless and require physical support for proper positioning
  • Baby's wants and needs are the same, though not necessarily the same as the other baby's wants and needs!
  • Family members can give a bottle of expressed milk to make things easier
  • Nursing provides emotional and nutritional benefits

Toddler Twins:

  • If left up to them, they'd nurse more times a day than I'm comfortable with; as it stands they generally nurse 4 times a day and once at night
  • Night weaning has been a necessary process, but they still wake up at night (night weaning does not equal magical sleeping dust)
  • Mama tries not to worry, but does, about balanced eating habits
  • Tandem feeds are more prevalent, thanks to nursing jealousy 
  • Tandem feeds are much easier as nurslings get in and get the job done with little help from Mama
  • Toddlers enjoy gym-nurstics and a variety of positions
  • Toddlers' wants and needs are sometimes the same, but they can also WANT to feed when they don't necessarily NEED it (as in, they've just finished nursing and now it's brother's turn...WAIT, I WASN'T DONE!)
  • Toddlers haven't taken a bottle in nine months or so, it's easier and faster to nurse them 
  • Nursing provides emotional and nutritional benefits

Besides the overall confidence that comes with breastfeeding for one year or more, the main difference, I believe, is that now we mostly tandem feed during the day. I try to get one-on-one time with each twin when they wake up in the morning and at bedtime. 

When giving advice on breastfeeding twins, I mainly call on my first three months of our journey. These were the most painful and emotional times. Once you get the hang of it, and your babies get the hang of it, and you all get pretty well acquainted, breastfeeding is awesome and I'm so glad I have shared that experience with my two. 

You don't have to resign from breastfeeding just because you're having twins. You can do it. You can survive. You can enjoy it.




Mercedes is the author of The Twin Manibreasto, an ebook about her experiences breastfeeding twins from the rough newborn period (for Mercedes, it included recovering from a C-section and a further surgery, with a husband in a different country!) through toddlerhood.

I've had a chance to read The Twin Manibreasto, and I love it! Mercedes shares her experiences breastfeeding twins with humor and wisdom. Her tone is that of a good friend or sister, sharing the nitty-gritty of what worked for her and helping you make choices that will work for you. If you or someone you know is entering the world of breastfeeding twins, I highly recommend The Twin Manibreasto as a welcome ray of light for those early on-demand double feedings!

The Twin Manibreasto is part of the Essential Parenting Collection, offered by my affiliate partner Mindful Nurturing. You can get this lovely eBook, paired with 34 other quality eProducts for only $49.97.

Alternatively, you can get the module Parenting the Early Years for $19.97, giving you access to:
  • The Colic Solution, by Nicolette Roux
  • Twin Manibreasto, by Mercedes R. Donis
  • The Natural Parent's Guide to Babywearing, by Lauren Wayne (my book! woo!)
  • A one-year subscription to JUNO magazine
  • What Not to Say: Tools for Talking to Young Children, by Sarah Maclaughlin
  • Oxytocin Parenting: Womb through the Terrible Twos, by Susan Kuchinskas and Bryan Post

Mercedes is a stay-at-home mom to toddler twins. American-born and globally-educated, she has lived in South Africa and Angola with her husband before settling in their current home of Aberdeen, Scotland. Mercedes believes that motherhood has saved her from the soul-robbing apathy of her twenties, and this eternal Michael Jackson fan has begun to do what she can to “Heal the World.” She writes about her journey as an expat-twin-mama at her blog, Project Procrastinot. Her writing has also appeared on The Bump.com, on Yahoo! Shine, and in Multiplicity Magazine. You can find her at Project Procrastinot.

Photo Credit: Mercedes of Project Procrastinot

0 comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails