here's a question for you...

what do you do when you're all alone with your babies... it's feeding time, so you wake one up (i'm not even THINKING about tandem yet), put her to the breast, and 10 minutes in, your other baby starts to cry? what do you do? how do you handle it?

 

:hug99: I remember those days oooooooohhhhh so well!! I would try and keep them happy ardon: I would rock them in the swing with one hand (I got VERY good at nursing with one arm and being able to use the other for the other baby or give them a paci or if ALL else failed I would give them a little of ebm from a bottle while the other nursed.
Those times used to get me sooooooooo stressed and that is why I made it a priority to learn tandem feeding. One weekend when dh was home I practiced with his help for one day then on own the next, but since he was home if I couldn't figure it out he was right there. I still fed them seperatly mostly but when THOSE situations came ,I tandem fed in a HURRY, lol!! Then around 8 weeks I pretty only tandem fed.

HTH, hang in there :hug99:

 

This is why I started to tandum right away! They were always awake at the same time then!!!

 

okay, so how in the WORLD do you pick up both babies by yourself, get that pillow around your waist, and set both babies at your breasts... by yourself? (and i still have to sandwhich my breast into their mouths for them to latch on... how do you do THAT with both hands tied up? ) aaaaah....

 

QUOTE(ddancerd1 @ Nov 5 2007, 03:39 PM) [snapback]482333[/snapback]
okay, so how in the WORLD do you pick up both babies by yourself, get that pillow around your waist, and set both babies at your breasts... by yourself? (and i still have to sandwhich my breast into their mouths for them to latch on... how do you do THAT with both hands tied up? ) aaaaah....



I'd like answers to this too. I practice tendem a lot but my issues are not having a hand free for the one who unlatches so I have to unlatch the other...and...they always seem to be about 20-30 minutes off of each others schedules. This is not a problem for me when I have nothing else to do all day but if I have an appointment or something it's really hard.

I practice tandem and I think that helps...just figuring it out on my own. Nobody's been able to give me the magic answer - except the EZ pillow which I will get in a few weeks.

 

Here is a pic of me tandem feeding when they were about 3 weeks old. http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o4/excitedk/twins235.jpg
I would set up on the couch:
1. put back pillow for EZ-2 in middle of couch, place 2 small pillows on either side of where I would be sitting (keeps the EZ-2 pillow more steady for when they are younger) so that way the pillow would be resting on my legs and those 2 pillows.

2.lay the babies on either side of those 2 pillows I have set down, you are right there so they should be okay

3. strap on the EZ-2 pillow and sit down in the middle

4. Grab one baby and place on pillow, let them roll to your tummy as you lean over and grab the other baby (I also found if they are swaddled you can grab the swaddling and hoist them on the pillow quite easily, lol)

5. latch one, then latch the other

I would normally also place the phone, remote, a paci or two, burpies, etc under the side of the pillows or between my legs (lol) incase I needed any of them.

In the beginning it will feel awkward, you will need to hold them, your boob or both, but after several times of this it WILL get easier. Just think even if it doesn't work out perfect its better than one of them crying and you not being able to hold them.

HTH

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Nov 5 2007, 06:59 PM) [snapback]482592[/snapback]
Here is a pic of me tandem feeding when they were about 3 weeks old. http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o4/excitedk/twins235.jpg
I would set up on the couch:
1. put back pillow for EZ-2 in middle of couch, place 2 small pillows on either side of where I would be sitting (keeps the EZ-2 pillow more steady for when they are younger) so that way the pillow would be resting on my legs and those 2 pillows.

2.lay the babies on either side of those 2 pillows I have set down, you are right there so they should be okay

3. strap on the EZ-2 pillow and sit down in the middle

4. Grab one baby and place on pillow, let them roll to your tummy as you lean over and grab the other baby (I also found if they are swaddled you can grab the swaddling and hoist them on the pillow quite easily, lol)

5. latch one, then latch the other

I would normally also place the phone, remote, a paci or two, burpies, etc under the side of the pillows or between my legs (lol) incase I needed any of them.

In the beginning it will feel awkward, you will need to hold them, your boob or both, but after several times of this it WILL get easier. Just think even if it doesn't work out perfect its better than one of them crying and you not being able to hold them.

HTH


can you make this into video instructions? lol j/k... i will save this to my computer, tho! thanks!

 

RE: Tandem feeding -- I was never really comfortable with the tandem feeding until they were about 2 months, but before that, I used a lot of folded blankets and towels to keep them wedged in against me and at the right level. I will happily email you a photo of this set-up if you promise never to show it to anyone. Also, there were a lot of times where it wasn't so much tandem feeding as having them up there on the pillow at the same time, alternating latching on. I'd get Baby A on, he'd suck away and his brother would fall off, so I'd work on Baby B and meanwhile A would fall off. It was maddening.

RE: What to do when they both want to be fed at the same time. For a little while, this worked: Sit on the couch, feed Baby A, the more intense, demanding one, while Baby B chills wherever he's most comfortable. Then set up Baby A reclining on a boppy close enough that I could lean over and re-insert a pacifier or give him a pat, and feed Baby B. There was often screaming, but less this way. If we had the situation you described, I would quickly put B down, get A out of his crib and into a bouncy seat or the boppy, and desperately try to entertain him while feeding B (rocking, pacifier, silly faces, singing, etc). THere were a lot of times - and I feel horrible admitting this - where Baby B did not get fed as long as he wanted because I couldn't deal with the screaming any more. If B stayed awake, I'd always offer him the breast again.

This whole circus was why I considered quitting bf'ing every day for months. But we'd have one or two sessions a day where everyone was happy and content and it gave me enough hope to keep going one day at a time. Now, they're really good, really fast, and honestly, the screaming just doesn't bother me as much ^_^

 

Have to agree with everyone else...LEARN TO TANDEM! It is so much easier to learn that than it is to learn a coping strategy for the situation you're describing. It's the worst feeling in the world. At that age, I usually ended up "holding" both their heads after I got them situated. It takes practice but you can do it!

 

Mine tend to rarely wake at the same time - I probably only tandem feed about once a day. When when I do - I do pretty much exactly what Kristi described. And I definitely grab them by the swaddle to hoist them up - sounds strange, but it works. I also used rolled up receiving blankets under their heads the first few weeks - to keep them pushed up against the breast, but now we don't need it.

 

I ditto the whole swaddling thing. I could pick them up one handed, and get them on that way. I really did not enjoy tandem feeding for the first few months, but it gets SO much easier. The stage where you are is the hardest IMO. Someday soon it will take you no time at all. There were many time where one just cried for the 10 minutes or so until I finished feeding the one. It was so tough! Hang in there.

Reyna

 

I am working on this too. Sometimes I think I am good and the other wakes about 5 mintues in. I let them cry in the other room so that I can at least give a good feed to one. I also found that if I sit on the floor and feed I can bounce a bouncy chair with my feet and that works sometimes. Let us know what you figure out! Thanks for asking the question - you got some advise that I need too!!!

 

Mine always woke at the same time or within a few minutes of each other so tandem was a necessary skill. I did pretty much exactly as the PP described. Put the pillow on, put them on the couch, sit between them, lift one on at a time, and then latch them one at a time. It's awkward at first but like anything else it gets easier with practice. Once they were good at rolling and no longer sitting still on the couch, I started putting the pillow on and then laying them side-by-side on the floor. I'd scoop the two of them up as one, sit down, and lower them from my chest to the pillow.

 

I struggled to tandem for a while. But even if only one is eating I usually had 2 on the pillows. I hope you have the EZ 2 nurse pillow. IT is a life saver. I also would use blankets to lift their heads higher and jkeep them in place. But I felt better if they were close and I could at least attempt to comfort while th other nursed. My DS still sometimes sucks the paci with it wedged against my breast while my DD nurses. It seems like they are never ready to burp at the same time and he can't eat anymore without purping but that keeps him quiet while he waits for her to finish.

Good luck it will come.

 

I'm all about tandem feeding for ever feeding if possible. I was tandem feeding from the beginning though. That way you won't have to worry about the other baby fussing. I thought it would be near to impossible to tandem feed without someone there to help place one of the babies and the pillow, but after a few times of practicing on my own I found out that I could do it. I would suggest practicing tandem feeding when you're alone on the bed until you get used to it so you have more space to lay down the babies and get comfortable. I'm alone most of the day so this is the only way I could survive. Just know that it can be done and I'm sure you'll figure it out Good luck to you!

 

I've said lots of times before how much I hated tandem nursing. And most of the time, I only did it first thing in the morning when they both woke up at the same time. I've only done it a handful of times in the last 6 months. The EZ 2 Nurse pillow didn't work that well for me, either. When I did it, I did it in my overstuffed lazy chair, with extra pillows. I could get them latched fine, it just always seemed to hurt or irritate my nipples. I think it's because I'm pretty large chested and couldn't hold them (breasts or babies) right in the right place to be comfortable. So I did it, but instead of tandem nursing all day, I would anticipate which baby would be hungry first (obviously when they were 6-8 weeks or older so I'd really learned their schedules), and feed that baby a little ahead of time so I would be finishing when the other baby was ready to eat.

Before my girlies were born, another mom of twins gave me some good advice. She said there would be times when they both were crying but you could only take care of one at a time. You just have to take a deep breath and say (as much for yourself as for the baby), "There is only 1 mommy and in this house we share." Obviously don't neglect your babies, but them fussing for a few minutes is not going to kill them, especially if you're able to hold their hand, rub their tummies, etc. Oh, and sing. I don't have a fantastic voice, but singing helped keep my sane. It often (though not always) calmed the crying baby. But better than that, it helped me stay calm when I was tempted to lose it.

 

QUOTE(Dielle @ Nov 8 2007, 11:21 PM) [snapback]487570[/snapback]
Oh, and sing. I don't have a fantastic voice, but singing helped keep my sane. It often (though not always) calmed the crying baby. But better than that, it helped me stay calm when I was tempted to lose it.


Hallelujah, Sister!