Feeding twins on demand....

Currently I feed both babies on demand. Unfortunately, lately they are demanding to eat at different times. I don't mind so much during the day, but in the middle of the night I am getting up multiple times and it is exhausting! Also, I alternate breasts every other feeding. Meaning baby A gets the left breast and B gets the right and then the next feeding B gets the left and A gets the right. Problem is when they don't eat at the same time one breast gets full and sometimes engorged. Did any of you feed on demand? I know feeding on demand is good for babies because it keeps their blood sugars level and helps milk production, but is this what you all do??

 

I found that I had these same issues. Regarding the middle of the night, many women wake the other baby. I did not. I felt that the babies were going to naturally progress into longer sleep cycles and I didn't want to mess with that - so I was their slave until about 6 months. I did get used to it and slowly but surely the wakings became less and less. During the day, I did try to keep them on the same schedule - so, if baby A wanted to eat - I fed baby B at the same time. Sometimes it worked and somedays I was a dairy farm with someone attached to me all day long. I do believe in feeding on demand, but there's nothing wrong with trying to have some form to your day, by feeding one when the other is hungry.

 

QUOTE(girls! @ Nov 13 2008, 01:42 PM) [snapback]1068989[/snapback]
I found that I had these same issues. Regarding the middle of the night, many women wake the other baby. I did not. I felt that the babies were going to naturally progress into longer sleep cycles and I didn't want to mess with that - so I was their slave until about 6 months. I did get used to it and slowly but surely the wakings became less and less. During the day, I did try to keep them on the same schedule - so, if baby A wanted to eat - I fed baby B at the same time. Sometimes it worked and somedays I was a dairy farm with someone attached to me all day long. I do believe in feeding on demand, but there's nothing wrong with trying to have some form to your day, by feeding one when the other is hungry.

I fed them both at the same time in the first 3 months (not tandem, but one right after the other), and then I switched to letting them wake, and I realized some of the waking was not hunger related at that point. Recently, I've gone back to feeding them at the same time (still one right after the other not tandem), but I should note that my guys can eat and sleep at the same time, so the one that didn't wake never has to completely wake up.

 

I tandem fed during the day - most of the time. For the most part, if one seemed hungry, I pulled out the pillow and they both ate. This helped keep me in balance and I always felt the milk flowed faster when they tandem fed. Daytime exception: If one woke up early from a nap and the other needed to keep sleeping, I would feed just one baby (and the other when they woke).

At night, I started with the "when one eats, the other does too" routine. It made me feel like I had at least a little bit of "control" over when I fed them and tried to get a few winks of sleep, myself. However, I stopped this at about 4 months because they started to sleep for a little bit longer stretches (just a little - only about 4 hours max)and I felt like I could be causing more wake-up issues (as Liesel mentioned) instead of naturally letting the sleeping twin sleep longer stretches. At times, it caused me to get less sleep because one would feed, go back to bed, and the other would be right up, so I was not getting real sleep for a longer period vs. just feeding them together. However, I got to be pretty good at laying down and feeding (at least I felt like I was resting, if not actually sleeping) for those nights.

Overall, the first 2-3 months I felt like I was still feeding around the clock- even when I mostly did tandem. It was exhausting. By about 3-4 months, it started to feel like more of a routine than an exhausting ritual. ;-) Hang in there! These were the toughest times.

Congratulations on your new babies!!!

 

Do you have a co-sleeper? This was a life saver for me. I nursed on demand, too. The girls both slept in it until around 4 months, I think. I could grab whichever one woke up and lay on my side and nurse her in bed. We might both fall back asleep this way. If I didn't want her to stay in bed with me (usually I didn't mind), I didn't even have to get up to put her back. Then when the next woke up, same thing. So I did get woken up, but it wasn't like I was sitting in a recliner or rocking chair in another room. We both sort of fell back asleep while nursing.

 

I also fed them at the same time until about 4 mos. One would wake up hungry and I would put the second on the breast at the same time. They never really woke up. THey nursed in their sleep. Now I feed them when they wake up and let the other sleep. Yes, it is very tiring adn often they do wake up right after the first has finished or I have gotten back to sleep. My husbund is up at every feeding because he gets up and hands me the babies while I set up my pillows for tandem on the bed. THen he puts them back in their cribs when they are done. He can do this practically in his sleep.

I am a bit concerned about waking issues. I think that they sometimes are waking and cry to pacify on the breast. I am not sure what I am going to do about that. This morning I asked my husband if we were going to nurse them all night everytime they woke up until they are 3, he said, "if that is what they want".... They say you cant spoil a baby but we sure are trying! LOL : )

Hang in there. They will surprise you and only wake up once soon. Mine did the night before last (both of them and at the same time)but were right back at their every 1.5 hour cycle last night. Wild around here.

 

I've always fed mine at the same time (one after the other). It worked great for us, as I was already feeding so frequently (every two hours for the longest time!) that not feeding the other twin and having the wake up shortly after would have been my undoing.

You could also try switching breasts daily rather than by feeding...it's easier to keep track of, and seems to keep supply up/balanced just as well.

 

I feed them whenever they're hungry, but whenever I feed one I try to get the other one to eat, too. I alternate them just like you do, every feeding I have them swap sides.

If only one will eat and you're having trouble with engorgement on one side or just being really full, you could pump after the feeding. Use it for a freezer stash.

 

When one woke to ate, I always woke the other as well and fed them both together! One the occasion during the night when I was tempted in the beginning to only feed the one that woke, I found that the other woke within 20 mins or so anyways!!! WAAAAY easier to wake the other and feed them both.
This way you have some down time. I used a cosleeper for the first 5-6mths as well.

 

Thanks so much everyone!

 

I feed mine on demand whenever each one wants it. Yes, still at 5 months plus! I had TTTS twins, and one is smaller (the donor). There was no way I was ever going to expect him to get on the same schedule as the bigger one (recipient)!

I am finding lately they've gravitated towards the same sleep/eat habits though.

 

QUOTE(Emily@Home @ Nov 25 2008, 01:27 PM) [snapback]1086634[/snapback]
I feed mine on demand whenever each one wants it. Yes, still at 5 months plus! I had TTTS twins, and one is smaller (the donor). There was no way I was ever going to expect him to get on the same schedule as the bigger one (recipient)!

I am finding lately they've gravitated towards the same sleep/eat habits though.

So how do you alternate breasts?