Breastfeeding Twins

When I first saw a picture of a twin mom breastfeeding I remember feeling a mixture of shock and awe. It looked so difficult, almost freakish. Many of my friends had just had babies when I found out I was having twins and the stories of their breastfeeding challenges left me more then a little nervous and doubtful that I would be able to pull off the double feeding. However, I had also heard that feeding both twins at the same time was the only way to ensure that you would have any time for other things like sleeping. Therefore, I was determined to at least try double breastfeeding. It wasn't easy at first. In the hospital, breastfeeding was the reason for a couple of major breakdowns. The babies just didn't seem to know what to do, and neither did I. Luckily there were a few different lactation consultants in our hospital. It turns out that not all lactation consulatants are created equally. The first one had us using a tube attached to my breast to drip formula through. What a waste of time! As if breastfeeding isn't hard enough without attaching a tube to your nipple! (The SNS system has helped lots of moms it just didn't work for me.) She also said not to try feeding both at the same time until I was an expert. Good thing I didn't listen. I knew I wanted them both on the same schedule asap, so from the beginning I tried to attach them both at the same time. During those early days I was also supplementing with formula and was so worried about how much food they were getting. It is funny that I can hardly remember that now. It is only 3 months later, and I am definitely a breastfeeding pro. I'm so happy that I went with my gut and breastfed both babies at the same time. It makes life much easier now. I'm not sure exactly how breastfeeding both will go as my babies grow, but I know that if it can be done, I will do it.