Putting breast fed twins on a schedule

I got both my first 2 babies on a feeding/sleeping schedule after three months. But I"m not sure how to do this with the twins. They are ebf every 2 or 3 hours and Greenbean has reflux. I'd like to know if someone has experience getting breast fed twins on a regular schedule? I'm really lost on how to do this, but I"m sure it's possible. I did it with my first 2 singleton babies. I know that NICU twins are all on schedules, even the ones eating only breast milk. So, how do I do it?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I breastfed every 3 hours. I know some people disagree with this, but it's theonly way all of us could stay sane. My only exception was when they were going through a growth spurt or were acting particularly hungry.

We strived for the EASY plan...eat (breastfeed), activity, sleep, then my YOU time was usually pumping, washing bottles etc and then we'd start all over.

YOU can do it!!!

 

QUOTE
I breastfed every 3 hours. I know some people disagree with this, but it's theonly way all of us could stay sane. My only exception was when they were going through a growth spurt or were acting particularly hungry.


that is what i do.

 

I guess the way to do it is to just do it. But if you do, it's possible that your milk supply might suffer. It's all supply and demand, and if you place limits on the demand, the supply might take a hit. Even if it worked out ok with your singletons, it's a whole different ballgame now making milk for two babies. Also keep in mind that the more frequently you nurse, the more milk you'll make, AND the higher the fat content - and it only takes 90-120 min to digest breastmilk.

For your sanity, I'd say always feed the babies at the same time, or one right after the other. When one is hungry, feed both. It helps when their demands are in sync!

 

QUOTE(mandyfish3 @ Feb 18 2008, 10:49 AM) [snapback]627087[/snapback]
I breastfed every 3 hours. I know some people disagree with this, but it's theonly way all of us could stay sane. My only exception was when they were going through a growth spurt or were acting particularly hungry.

We strived for the EASY plan...eat (breastfeed), activity, sleep, then my YOU time was usually pumping, washing bottles etc and then we'd start all over.

YOU can do it!!!



Thank you for the support!!! It is so nice to finally find some like-minded twins mom!!! So, now that i found you i have some questions. The EASY plan is what I'd like to put my twins on but am runninginto some challenges. Ok, questions:

What do you do with the twins if they wake early from their naps (just before a feeding time)? Do you wait til it's time to feed them or do you wake them both up and feed them early and reset their schedule times? What I mean is, if they usually start their EASY routine at 3, then what do you do if one wakes up from his/her nap at 2? Do you make him wait it out til 3 (and if so, how?) or do you wake up the other twin and feed them and restart their schedule? I'm having trouble with this...

Where do you put them down for naps/bedtime? Do you let them sleep in their swings or bouncy chairs?

How long is activity-time?

Do any of your babies have reflux? Greenbean does and so I hate to let him cry it out (CIO) not knowing if he is calming himself down or if he's in pain. I found that for awhile he hated being on his back. Now he's on Zantac so it's not so bad but I'm still hesitant to put him on his back for long. Any ideas about this?

ETA: how long did you breastfeed? Did you switch to formula? when?

You guys are a God send! I've been struggling with this for the past month. I had my 2 singletons on regular schedules at 2 months and they've done great with their schedules ever since. I'm finding, however, that twins are a whole new ballgame. This feeding-on-demand stuff is killing me!!!!

 

QUOTE(gatorsmom @ Feb 18 2008, 01:39 PM) [snapback]627314[/snapback]
Thank you for the support!!! It is so nice to finally find some like-minded twins mom!!! So, now that i found you i have some questions. The EASY plan is what I'd like to put my twins on but am runninginto some challenges. Ok, questions:

What do you do with the twins if they wake early from their naps (just before a feeding time)? Do you wait til it's time to feed them or do you wake them both up and feed them early and reset their schedule times? What I mean is, if they usually start their EASY routine at 3, then what do you do if one wakes up from his/her nap at 2? Do you make him wait it out til 3 (and if so, how?) or do you wake up the other twin and feed them and restart their schedule? I'm having trouble with this...

Where do you put them down for naps/bedtime? Do you let them sleep in their swings or bouncy chairs?

How long is activity-time?

Do any of your babies have reflux? Greenbean does and so I hate to let him cry it out (CIO) not knowing if he is calming himself down or if he's in pain. I found that for awhile he hated being on his back. Now he's on Zantac so it's not so bad but I'm still hesitant to put him on his back for long. Any ideas about this?

ETA: how long did you breastfeed? Did you switch to formula? when?

You guys are a God send! I've been struggling with this for the past month. I had my 2 singletons on regular schedules at 2 months and they've done great with their schedules ever since. I'm finding, however, that twins are a whole new ballgame. This feeding-on-demand stuff is killing me!!!!

i tried breastfeeding my twins and i just couldn't do it. I am first time mom of twins and it was just all too overwhelming at first. My DH didn't have a clue what to do with babies and i had no other help/ so i did it all by myself. I lasted 1 week breastfeeding then supplemented with formula while i tried to pump some milk to get some bottles for them. I would fall asleep while pumping so i just said forget it. My DD has reflux i keep her at an incline while sleeping wedge under mattress. i feed her sitting up in highchair and burp her every ounce in the begining. Gripe Water is great for my DD, when she gets hiccups it takes it away immediately, gas it works wonders. i don't know what i would do without it. Mylicon tried it and the gripe water is better. it's all natural and works. she was on zantac for 2 months but when i found gripe water and used that when needed it helped on that too and now she is off zantac all together. sleeping.....naps she sleeps for 1-2 hours him 1hr if im lucky i get more. i just pick him up and let him play. why let him sit there when he is clearly up. feeding schedules i feed both at same time. one is hungry i wake up other and feed them together. if not the other wakes up shortly after anyway so why not. if they wake up before feeding time and r hungry feed them there is no science to feeding them sometimes u just have to go by them. remember they will go through growth spurts too and will need more sooner. just listen to ur babies they will let u know. i let them sleep wherever they can get it. swing bouncer seat car seat. if they fall asleep i leave them alone. activity time whenever and however long u want it. if they get tired better for u. there is no real book to follow just go with what u feel and listen to them and watch for signs from them. my kids r on same schedule and r very happy babies and hardly ever cry.

 

QUOTE(2xthelove @ Feb 18 2008, 02:01 PM) [snapback]627475[/snapback]
if they wake up before feeding time and r hungry feed them there is no science to feeding them sometimes u just have to go by them. remember they will go through growth spurts too and will need more sooner. just listen to ur babies they will let u know. i let them sleep wherever they can get it. swing bouncer seat car seat. if they fall asleep i leave them alone. activity time whenever and however long u want it. if they get tired better for u. there is no real book to follow just go with what u feel and listen to them and watch for signs from them. my kids r on same schedule and r very happy babies and hardly ever cry.


I would love to feed on demand but I can't. I have 2 other children who need me. I can't just let the babies sleep til they wake up because I have a 4.5 yo who needs to be picked up from school and a 2.5 yo who is in activities too. I know that some people don't agree with putting the babies on schedules but the twins are part of a family. We all make sacrifices for each other. I can't just be at their disposal indefinitely. They will get fed just not always immediately. And I believe if there is some rhythm to it, then they will soon learn to trust me and be patient knowing that the food is coming because it always does. It just doesn't come as soon as they cry. Also, I don't like the idea of letting them fall asleep where ever they want because I want them to learn to respect bedtime. With 4 children, there have to be some rules in the house or there would be total chaos!! Besides, my older boys know that they are not to disrupt the babies' room when the babies are sleeping in there. Thank you for your feedback.

 

i don't know how u do it with 2 other kids. i give u plenty of credit. these r my first and they take up all my time. do u like the idea of a pacifier? it may just give you some extra time for a feeding...when do u get to sleep?lol

 

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They will get fed just not always immediately. It just doesn't come as soon as they cry.


Crying is a LATE sign of hunger. If they're hungry enough to be crying, then they've already been waiting a while.

Don't get me wrong, I totally respect that you have a LOT on your plate right now. But the babies are too young to understand that they're making sacrifices for the rest of the family - all they know is that they're hungry and not getting fed. Even if they only have to wait a few minutes, think how long a few minutes is compared to their whole life so far - it's like hours for you or me. And they've just come out from a warm dark place where they were never hungry (placenta constantly feeding them) to a cold bright place where they are pretty much always hungry.

I'm also really not sure that demand feeding is so much more difficult than schedule feeding - I've always found it easier to feed hungry babies and then have contented babies, instead of trying to keep hungry babies happy (or even just not screaming!) until they're "allowed" to eat.

If you have to put them on a schedule, maybe it would be easiest to aim for no more than 2.5 hrs from one feeding to the next, to avoid the "keep the babies from screaming" problem.

QUOTE
Also, I don't like the idea of letting them fall asleep where ever they want because I want them to learn to respect bedtime.


I always aimed to have my babies sleep in their cribs, but never stressed about it or moved them if they fell asleep somewhere else. And they are great crib sleepers and definitely respect bedtime. You're in survival mode right now - just do whatever works. You will NOT be creating bad habits. Their brains simply aren't wired to form habits yet.

Btw, I should also add a great big WTG for BFing your twins! That is really awesome! :clapping:

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Feb 18 2008, 02:37 PM) [snapback]627553[/snapback]
Crying is a LATE sign of hunger. If they're hungry enough to be crying, then they've already been waiting a while.

Don't get me wrong, I totally respect that you have a LOT on your plate right now. But the babies are too young to understand that they're making sacrifices for the rest of the family - all they know is that they're hungry and not getting fed. Even if they only have to wait a few minutes, think how long a few minutes is compared to their whole life so far - it's like hours for you or me. And they've just come out from a warm dark place where they were never hungry (placenta constantly feeding them) to a cold bright place where they are pretty much always hungry.

I'm also really not sure that demand feeding is so much more difficult than schedule feeding - I've always found it easier to feed hungry babies and then have contented babies, instead of trying to keep hungry babies happy (or even just not screaming!) until they're "allowed" to eat.

If you have to put them on a schedule, maybe it would be easiest to aim for no more than 2.5 hrs from one feeding to the next, to avoid the "keep the babies from screaming" problem.
I always aimed to have my babies sleep in their cribs, but never stressed about it or moved them if they fell asleep somewhere else. And they are great crib sleepers and definitely respect bedtime. You're in survival mode right now - just do whatever works. You will NOT be creating bad habits. Their brains simply aren't wired to form habits yet.

Btw, I should also add a great big WTG for BFing your twins! That is really awesome! :clapping:


I know a lot of people don't agree with schedules, and I understand that babies don't understand what a sacrifice is. The reason i WANT a schedule for them is not to make them suffer hunger pains, it's so that they get fed on a regular basis. I think it will be BETTER for them in my case right now.

For example: I feed them when they start to fuss now. That is now how they tell me when they are hungry. But then they fall asleep after nursing for just a little while. Oh, well, I'll feed them more when they fuss again. But in the mean time, I have to take my 2yo to his doctors appointment and oh, no! The babies are hungry already? They are starting to fuss and the 2 yr old is waiting to have blood drawn!! They are going to have to wait because I couldn't have predicted they'd be hungry so soon. I mean, how COULD I? They eat at irregular times. So, now they are screaming with hunger and the nurse comes in and I have to hold down my 2 yo. If they were on a regular schedule, I could have planned the doctor's appointment around their eating times and the twins could have slept through the appointment. With 4 children, these things happen every day. With a sleepin/eating schedule, they fall into a routine and our daily lives have a rhythm. So, not to belabor the point, but demand feeding IS much harder than having a predictable routine. I EBF both my first boys for 10 months and now am EBF my twins on demand. I think that is important for the first few months of life, because as you say, to make a tiny baby wait to eat, is NOT good for them. But they are healthy, chubby, pink little babies now. So, we have got to transition them into something that works better for our whole family. I'm just looking for some support and suggestions from moms who have done this gracefully.

 

QUOTE
But then they fall asleep after nursing for just a little while.


I hear you on that one! I had SUCH sleepy nursers in the beginning.

Have you tried doing stuff to keep them awake? I'm sure you know all this stuff already from your experience with your two older kids, but here are some tricks that worked well to keep my babies awake long enough to get full:

-remove layers of clothing, even down to just a diaper
-blow gently on their faces
-play with fingers, toes, and ears
-comb out cradle cap
-jostle them just a little to startle them awake
-and the all-time meanest: cold wet washcloth to the face/back

I had to be super-vigilant with my babies. As soon as they'd start getting sleepy, I'd do something to keep them awake and nursing, and that really helped them tank up enough to go a predictable amount of time until the next feeding. If I had a nickel for every time I kidded them, "There's sleepy, and there's full, and they are not the same thing!" their 529 plans would be enormous!

GL

 

My twins are still very young, so I'm struggling through these same issues!! However with my older three that I did BF, I absolutely had to have a schedule. I tried demand feeding my first, and he ate so frequently that I never had time to build up any fatty milk and we both cried constantly! Once I put him on a (flexible) schedule, we both were much much happier. We used the eat/play/nap routine, and it was great...for some reason when I stuck to that my babies slept better at night. I never had any supply problems once I put them on a schedule...I had 11 lb babies at birth, and they more than doubled their weight at 2 months! They certainly got enough.

Now twins is a new story... :blink:

 

QUOTE(gatorsmom @ Feb 18 2008, 11:39 AM) [snapback]627314[/snapback]
Thank you for the support!!! It is so nice to finally find some like-minded twins mom!!! So, now that i found you i have some questions. The EASY plan is what I'd like to put my twins on but am runninginto some challenges. Ok, questions:

What do you do with the twins if they wake early from their naps (just before a feeding time)? Do you wait til it's time to feed them or do you wake them both up and feed them early and reset their schedule times? What I mean is, if they usually start their EASY routine at 3, then what do you do if one wakes up from his/her nap at 2? Do you make him wait it out til 3 (and if so, how?) or do you wake up the other twin and feed them and restart their schedule? I'm having trouble with this...

I kept mine on a 3 hour schedule and I would wake the second baby and then restart their schedule. i did this from day 1 and had them on a schdule.

Where do you put them down for naps/bedtime? Do you let them sleep in their swings or bouncy chairs?

I put them in the basinnet unitl 3 or almost 4 mo then I pu thtem in the crib for all naps and night. Why fight it later. The earlier it is the easier.

How long is activity-time?

Acitivity time slowly got longer it was about 1 hour at 3 mo and now is only 2 hours except jsut before bed then it is usually 3 hours.

Do any of your babies have reflux? Greenbean does and so I hate to let him cry it out (CIO) not knowing if he is calming himself down or if he's in pain. I found that for awhile he hated being on his back. Now he's on Zantac so it's not so bad but I'm still hesitant to put him on his back for long. Any ideas about this?

I am still bf all the time (1 bottle a day for when I need to leave them)

ETA: how long did you breastfeed? Did you switch to formula? when?

You guys are a God send! I've been struggling with this for the past month. I had my 2 singletons on regular schedules at 2 months and they've done great with their schedules ever since. I'm finding, however, that twins are a whole new ballgame. This feeding-on-demand stuff is killing me!!!!


Obvisously there are times they need to be fed earlier but you can put them on a schdule. It makes them happier babies.

 

I have 4 kids now too (still amazes me to see that in print!) While in a lot of ways it would be nice, I guess I don't really adhere to a schedule. When we first came home, they kept the NICU 3 hr schedule. Once we were EBF, they went to more of an every 2.5 hr thing. Right now, we're in a growth spurt so it is even more than that. It seems like they still do the every 3 hr thing PLUS some extras in the middle. Once nice thing since I started nursing them at the same time is that they both get hungry again typically at the same time for the next feeding. When I need to go somewhere (only to the Dr at this point) I usually feed them in the car before going in, even if I have fed them recently. I consider it a snack that will hold them over I don't really know how that works with putting them on a more consistent schedule. I nursed my other sons (not twins) for a year + and I guess I just never paid attention to the clock, maybe they were on a schedule and I never knew it I think with my older sons, things got more consistent once they started solids. I know there were times when they needed to nurse more than regular. . . . I'm a nurse and work a couple of 12 hr shifts each month and on the days I worked they took EBM in bottles, but once Momma was home, they wanted to be at the breast for the entire night - I think it was their way of getting that time regardless!! Anyways, nice to know there are other moms with four around here

 

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he ate so frequently that I never had time to build up any fatty milk


Just picking a nit: the opposite is actually true. The more frequently babies nurse, the fattier the milk is.

QUOTE
Research from Peter Hartmann's group tells us that fat content of the milk is primarily determined by the emptiness of the breast -- the less milk in the breast, the higher the fat content.

Between feedings, milk collects in mom's breasts and gradually moves out toward the nipple, leaving more and more of the fat "stuck" further back in the milk ducts. The more time between feedings, the lower the fat content of the foremilk available to baby at the beginning of the feeding.


source

 

QUOTE(gatorsmom @ Feb 18 2008, 11:29 PM) [snapback]627858[/snapback]
I have to take my 2yo to his doctors appointment and oh, no! The babies are hungry already? They are starting to fuss and the 2 yr old is waiting to have blood drawn!! They are going to have to wait because I couldn't have predicted they'd be hungry so soon. I mean, how COULD I? They eat at irregular times. So, now they are screaming with hunger and the nurse comes in and I have to hold down my 2 yo. If they were on a regular schedule, I could have planned the doctor's appointment around their eating times and the twins could have slept through the appointment. With 4 children, these things happen every day. With a sleepin/eating schedule, they fall into a routine and our daily lives have a rhythm.

I feed on demand but am still able to plan things and get to places on time without hungry babies. For instance, when my 4.5 year old has dance class that starts at 4:30 pm, and we have to leave the house by 4:00 pm, I know I need to have DD dressed and feed the babies (whether they are sleeping, awake, just ate, whatever) at 3:30 pm so they are fed, I have time to get them in their seats and get us all out the door. DD's class is from 4:30 - 5:30, and it's enough time that we get home and the boys are JUST getting ready to eat.

If, for some reason, I can't BF them before we go (they are too sleepy or something), then I sit down with the pump before we go and then take the fresh milk in bottles with me (just because in public, it's easiest for me to BF one and bottle feed the other).

Anyhow, my point is that you can still make it work without a set schedule, though I understand your reasons for trying for a schedule. I just know a schedule does not work for my boys just yet, so we've found other ways to make it work.

 

When mine came home they had breast, bottle, breast, formula, EBM (expressed breast milk), etc. Now I'm mostly breast even in the middle of the night. We had them on a 4 hour schedule when we were using bottles and EBM but now I have NO SCHEDULE ! They no longer have that 8 hours of sleep at night and I miss it. When I go out I take formula or EBM if I have any and give them a bottle. I have bf once while I was out. I just find bottles easier when I'm out.

I think the great thing about twin moms is that we realize that organization is paramount yet we also understand that anything goes ! Heck, if your twins need a swing to go to sleep -- then give it to them. anything to give yourself some sanity, sleep, food, etc. So trust your instincts and realize that sometimes what you are doing is the best that you can do under the circumstances. I have also heard that boys are hungry little monsters -- mine are two girls.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS -- you are doing great with 4 kids !!

Heather

 

QUOTE
I have to take my 2yo to his doctors appointment and oh, no! The babies are hungry already? They are starting to fuss and the 2 yr old is waiting to have blood drawn!! They are going to have to wait because I couldn't have predicted they'd be hungry so soon. I mean, how COULD I? They eat at irregular times. So, now they are screaming with hunger and the nurse comes in and I have to hold down my 2 yo. If they were on a regular schedule, I could have planned the doctor's appointment around their eating times and the twins could have slept through the appointment. With 4 children, these things happen every day. With a sleepin/eating schedule, they fall into a routine and our daily lives have a rhythm.


This is one of the huge misconceptions about feeding on demand. My days weren't chaotic or unpredictable after the first few weeks. We had a routine and they ate at predictable times (their schedule rather than mine but it was predictable). If I needed to be somewhere at a specific time, I'd feed them before leaving and if they wanted to nurse again on the go, I nursed one at the earliest signs of hunger so the other wouldn't be crying before we finished. I never tried to do the EASY routine but I found letting them sleep on a full tummy to be just fine (no reflux) and since they tended to half-wake when moved, they learned to self-soothe without needing CIO.

I'm not saying schedules can't work because there are obviously mothers using these techniques but I wanted you to know that a baby-led feeding schedule isn't such a bad thing. And I have two happy boys with good sleeping habits to prove it.

 

I thought I would chime in and say that I have done it both ways. My ds who was ebf for just over a year was on a schedule from day one. He ate every 3 hours and truthfully, I was totally inflexible! I was a new mom and was told that was what I needed to do by my ped so I trusted her and listened to her. My supply never suffered, my baby thrived and all was well. He slept through the night and was a happy baby. He is now a healthy (almost) 3 year old in the 95% for height and 90ish for weight.

With my girls,I feed on demand. I felt I couldn't get locked into a schedule because I have an older child(which is funny since some of the pp see it the other way!!). If I have to pick him up at school, I feed the girls before hand even if it has only been 2 hours. It has worked really well for us but truthfully the schedule was so much easier for me. I knew when he would eat and with the girls, I have a general idea but because I am more flexible not everyday is the same. My girls are both thriving and healthy.

Bottom line, None of us are going to starve our babies which is why the big concern comes with scheduling. If your babies are growing, meeting developmental milestones on time and generally happy, then whatever you are doing is working for you. Keep it up! A schedule can be done as can feeding on demand. With either it is important to watch for wet/dry diapers, baby's disposition and so on!
Andie