You are a mom to newborn twins. There are twice the cuddles, twice the smiles, twice the coos and twice the amount of breastfeeding. Whether you choose to breastfeed or use formula, feeding two babies instead of one requires twice the work. People will say, “I don’t know how you do it!” All I could ever say was, “You just do it!” and I did it for 3 wonderful months! I got to bond with my girls and provide them the nourishment they needed by breastfeeding! (Aren’t our bodies awesome?!) There were some items that helped me along the way and I don’t think I would have made it as long as I did without them!
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I am going to list a couple of my must have products for breastfeeding twins and most of them can be used for a singleton as well! The first thing I want to mention, though, is not a product. If you are a first time mom, like I was, I highly recommend meeting with a lactation specialist! We were very lucky that our pediatrician’s office had a lactation nurse on staff and I was able to meet with her! (I know some hospitals have classes you can attend as well) I met with her before the girls arrived and received GOLDEN knowledge on breastfeeding! We were very successful with breastfeeding from the start and I give all that credit to my consultation with her! She also evaluated the girls latching and sucking abilities at our one week check-up to make sure everything was going smoothly! Now onto some products that will make your breastfeeding experience a little easier!
Twin Z Pillow
This is by far my most recommended product for breastfeeding twins! It is actually my first recommendation to expecting twin moms whether they plan to breastfeed or not! My girls are now over a year old and we have used their Twin Z Pillow EVERY single day since they were born. It was the only way I could tandem feed the girls and it has great back support! Once we switched to bottle feeding, it made feeding them both at the same time super easy as well. We used it for tummy time, to help the girls sit up so they could play and to surround them as they learned to sit up on their own. Now they love to lounge in it and play on it!
Extra Cover
I also recommend to purchase an extra cover for your Twin Z Pillow. Between spit up, throw up, diaper explosions, etc. your cover is going to get dirty and unless you love doing laundry at the drop of a hat, you are going to wish you had another cover!
Pump
Not all breastfeeding mothers use a pump, which is fine, but as a mom breastfeeding twins I would suggest you have one. (Especially now because insurance providers are required to cover the cost! It’s essentially FREE! Ask your doctor or health insurance provider for details.) My insurance provided me with the Medela Pump-in Style pump. I have several reasons for this and go into more detail in my post Top 10 Tips for New Twin Moms.
Portable converter for pump
Having twins and breastfeeding them will slow you down in life but if you want to get out or are an on-the-go family like mine was, you will love having a portable converter in your vehicle! My vehicle had an outlet so that my pump could plug right in, but if your vehicle doesn’t have that you will need a converter. For me it took over an hour to feed the twins separately but it took me less than 15 minutes to pump and have a bottle ready for the girls! It provided us with a lot more flexibility in our schedule when we wanted to go somewhere because I wasn’t confined to the house to use my pump.
Hands Free Pumping Bra
LIFE SAVER! I was supposed to get an extra one from a close friend before the girls arrived but they came early and unexpectedly so I did not have this for my entire hospital stay and once I did, AHHHHH!, I don’t know how or why anyone would want to pump without one! This contraption (yes, contraption because it looks a bit bizarre) is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to pumping! If you have to sit in a chair for 15-30 minutes pumping, I can think of a whole lot of other things you could be doing other than holding pump parts! This gave me time to browse social media, text family/friends back, paint your finger nails, etc. It made pumping more enjoyable and turned it into a little “me-time”. I used the Medela brand Hands Free Pumping Bra.
Breastfeeding Tank Top
This was a staple clothing item while I was breastfeeding. Anytime we had company or we went out in public I would wear a tank under my clothes! I had three of them so that I wasn’t constantly washing one all the time. This way if I didn’t have a button up on or something I could slip down over my shoulder, I could raise half my shirt up and my stomach wasn’t showing. I still used a nursing cover but this made me feel more secure and comfortable with people around.
Steam Bag for Pump Parts
A product I didn’t know existed until the nurses used it at the hospital were the Medela Steam Bags to sanitize your pump parts! After I was done pumping, all I had to do was rinse off the parts, place them in the bag with some water and my nurse would come get it to sanitize them! When I got home these made the process of cleaning the parts a lot easier! You can use one bag up to 20 times and it has boxes to check off on the bag so you can remember. You can also place small bottles, pacifiers, nipples, syringes, etc. in the bag to sanitize them.
Extra Pump Parts
One of our twins had to be in the NICU for a couple days and could not nurse right away, so I pumped in the hospital for her. They provided me with a hospital grade pump (Medela Symphony) and all the pump parts! I didn’t know they would do this but I’m so glad they did because having two sets of pump parts was great! I usually only pumped twice a day so instead of having to wash/sanitize twice a day, I could do all my parts, bottles, etc. once a day!
Lanolin
A MUST have! If your baby has a good latch then you won’t have as much soreness but regardless you are going to have some! Especially at first when your breasts are getting used to being used 8-10 hours a day! Apply this cream after every breastfeeding session.
Nursing Night Gowns and Bras
Have plenty of night gowns in your drawers! A must have in the hospital and in the middle of the night when you are still half asleep; you want access to be as easy as possible. These are also great to wear around the house in the mornings (or all day) while you are on maternity leave. Have plenty of nursing bras too! (You will need nursing pads if you leak)
Burp Cloths
I can’t tell you how many burp cloths we have! The best/cheap “burp cloths” are the Gerber flat fold up cloth diapers! These are plain white, inexpensive and who cares if they get dirty or stained! My girls almost always spit up a little bit after they ate, so we kept one of these close by at all times. We had some really cute burp cloths that we used when we were out but otherwise we used these. The girls are over a year old and I still use the burp cloths to wipe up after meals, clean up spills, and they make great dusting cloths!
Boon Drying Rack
Another product that we are still using every day is our Boon drying rack. Since you are using bottles, pump parts, etc. on a daily basis, who wants to hand dry all of that and then put it in a cabinet just to get it out again in a few hours? If you are having twins, get the larger size! You will have to sacrifice some counter space for a while but I promise that the convenience is worth it.
The next two are not necessary but fun…
A Cute Water Bottle
It is no secret that in order for your body to produce plenty of milk for your babies, you need to eat right and drink plenty of fluids! I was not the best water drinker and so to encourage my efforts I bought a cute water bottle that I always kept full and with me at all times! Constantly sipping on something all day was easier than chugging it every now and then!
A good Netflix show!
Soaking up the bonding, the smells, and the snuggles that come with breastfeeding was the best feeling but sometimes I found myself starting to feel like a 24/7 dairy parlor! With twins you will obviously spend double the time breastfeeding or when you are pumping, it’s nice to have something to help pass the time.
If you are pregnant with twins or just starting your breastfeeding journey I want to say to you that, “You CAN do it!” It will be overwhelming at times but I promise this is just a season and there is light at the end of the tunnel! In a year or two down the road, believe it or not, you will miss it! I know you will do all you can and let’s all remember that “Fed is Best” no matter how it gets done.
If you have already weaned your little one from breastfeeding leave a comment and tell me what were your breastfeeding must haves?
Ahh pumping had to come into the list naturally!
I’ve heard about how alternating breast milk and formula milk could be a good idea too! Thoughts?
Yes! I think if you know that when you go back to work that you are going to quit breastfeeding and use formula, then using formula alongside breastfeeding the whole time will make the transition easier! I pumped once in the morning and once at night from the start! They got a bottle for those feedings and they always had some formula mixed in with the breastmilk! I believe this is why our transition went SO smooth!