Tandem nursing newborns while laying down

Hi
I'm new here and I just had identical girls two weeks ago. Nursing is going great, but I could really use some help for night feedings. They nurse at the same time at night and I can't figure out how to lay down to nurse. I side laid with my now two year son all the time when he was a baby and it was a life saver. Any ideas for positions out there? I am so tired and I know this would help. Thanks!

 

Supposedly it is possible, but I couldn't do it - basically from what I remember, you lay down on your back, have the girls on pillows kinda on their stomachs almost, and bring them up to the breast. My girls wouldn't latch on that way - or if I got one on, I couldn't get the other.

What I would do in the early days would be to lean up against the headboard, tandem feed on two boppies and rest my head -- I'm sure I fell asleep many times with the girls attached and my head hanging down!

Good luck. It does get better - hard to imagine right now, but it does. My girls still wake up at night to feed (I'm loathe to let them cry it out in the middle of the night) and it only takes me 20 minutes total on a bad night, 10 minutes on a good night - and that is usually feeding each alone.

Sorry no great help!

Erica.

P.S. - Welcome to TwinStuff

 

I haven't managed to do that even with my 9 month olds! I heard that some people are able to "stack" the babies double decker style. Someone else said they lay on their back, put one baby on either side and let the boob hang down to the side, but my boobs are not big enough to do that.

 

QUOTE(poppan @ Feb 2 2008, 04:05 PM) [snapback]602355[/snapback]
I haven't managed to do that even with my 9 month olds! I heard that some people are able to "stack" the babies double decker style. Someone else said they lay on their back, put one baby on either side and let the boob hang down to the side, but my boobs are not big enough to do that.


wow hard to imagine this position.

 

i did it with one laying in front of me and the other draped over my rib cage on their belly, kind of a foot ball hold... kwim?

 

i would have loved to be able to do this too! now that they are older, i do side lying position at night as i feed separately now that 1 of my girls sleeps much longer than the other. the first few months i always woke 1 if the other woke and fed them both on my tandem pillow though. like the pp, i also fell asleep many a night sitting with my head against the backboard and a few pillows, not comfortable! my sister was in the peace corps in the south pacific and said there was a woman there (kiribati) with twins who fed them lying down, but i think they were older and able to "help" by holding themselves up a bit or something. of course, i think i am just addicted to my ez 2 nurse pillow for tandem feeding. it is hard in the beginning though when they are so helpless. well, i hope you find a way to get more rest and congrats and good for you for bf two!
heather
lily and sofi are almost 6 mos.

 

I did it. Not all the time though.

I laid on my side with a pillow behind my back to lean back on - had one lay beside me and nurse on the lower breast & the other laid on top of me and nursed on the higher one.

I also (and I sure wish I had a picture now :laughing: ) laid on my side but leaning over more. The babies laid head to head up around my breasts. The one whose feet were directed towards my head got the lower & the one with feet towards my feet got the high (had to lean a little more). I think you need to have pretty floppy breasts for this one :rotflmbo:

Occasionally they were on each side of me propped up with my arms and pillows - they have to be pretty good @ finding your nipples on their own though.

It worked.

 

Thanks everyone!

I tried a few things, but just can't get it to work. I think when they get a bit older and can hold their heads up and need less help from me to latch on, something will work. Here's a website with some pics: http://www.karengromada.com/karengromada/p...s/lyingdown.htm