365 Days of Twinipedia - Day 50

Day Fifty of Twinipedia: 

Fact #50

Can it really be done? Can one woman breastfeed two human beings at the same time and survive? 
Well, knowing that breastfeeding has some great benefits to your baby's health and your families finances, it is definitely an option many women are opting for post-delivery of their twins.  Bottle feeding is definitely not a bad thing at all and we do not want women who are not able to breastfeed for whatever reason/s to feel like they failed their twins.  But knowing that breastfeeding has some great benefits, and that many women are hoping to try to breastfeed their multiples, we thought we'd share some information to help make the process a little easier.

One thing that many women want to know who are planning to breastfeed their twins is how exactly you position your twinnies to feed them at the same time.  Most women hope to do a simultaneous feeding whenever possible so that the feedings can be done efficiently so that mom and babies get the best amount of feeding and resting time possible. 


HavingTwins.com is a great source of information about twin pregnancy, and post-pregnancy baby-care guidance and information.  They have a great post about some of the breastfeeding positions that are most effective and easiest on the twin-babies and mom while nursing occurs.


Here are some of those positions. 

1. Double Clutch Hold or Football Hold: This position is a favorite for many women breastfeeding twins.  Both baby's bodies are held under the mother's arms while their faces are placed against the breasts.

2.  The Double Cradle Hold: Is when the twins face the breast and the mom is using her forearms on each arm as support.

3. Cradle and Clutch Hold: This is another popular position when breastfeeding twins.  This is a combination-hold option where one twin is under the mother's arm like the Football hold while the other baby is in the Cradle position as shown just above.

And to read more details about these positions and how to do them, go to http://www.having-twins.com/breastfeeding-twins-1.html

Some benefits from breastfeeding for mom and babies

• Saves money as breast milk is free 
• Helps lose your pregnancy weight 
• Reduces the risk of postpartum depression 
• Boosts the immune systems of your twins 
• Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer obesity 
• Reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)