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Home › Articles › Preemies, Multiples and Adoption › Breastfeeding Twins Series

Breastfeeding Twins Series

Educating Yourself

By Melissa Clark Vickers

Pages:  1  2  3  

Mother Nature is pretty smart. She equips our bodies with more than what we need them to do. Most of the time, humans have one baby at a time, and we come equipped with two straight-from-the-factory milk delivery sites. As it turns out, either of those "sites" is capable of providing enough milk to fully nourish a baby – and that means that Mother Nature has already covered the possibility that more than one baby might be breastfeeding at a time.

The Principle of Supply and Demand
Milk supply is based on a wonderful supply and demand principle: The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more the breast will make. It stands to reason, if there are two babies removing that milk, then the breast will just respond by making twice as much milk. So, in theory, at least, there's no reason that the mother of twins shouldn't be able to fully nourish two babies at the breast.

That's the theory. The big question, though, is it practical? Can you breastfeed twins and still have a life? Can you do anything but nurse those babies – round the clock? Does sleep become a non-priority? How in the world can you manage all this, day-in, day-out?

The good news is that it IS possible to breastfeed those two babies and still have a life. The keys to making it work are: education, planning and prioritizing, support and flexibility.

Education
Preparing for the arrival of twins is much like preparing for the arrival of just one baby, only more so. The more you learn ahead of time, the better prepared you'll be when the time comes. Chances are good that you'll learn ahead of time that you are carrying twins, so you'll have at least a little time to adjust to the idea before your babies arrive. In order to prepare for breastfeeding twins, take time to learn as much as you can about:

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