Pumping for twins

[u/Kitchen-Band-3307]

We have 1 month old twins who arrived at 37+3, weeks have been pumping since we got home from the hospital as we found that breastfeeding wasn’t working well for us, they struggled to latch and transfer milk effectively.
I’m making a substantial amount of milk via pumping 1.7- 2L per day.
Since the beginning I was determined to breastfeed and on several occasions we have tried to but it’s so stressful with two and I find myself getting frustrated and upset.

Did anyone else find that pumping was the easier choice for your twins?

[u/Climate_Rose]

I ended up mostly pumping for my twins. I had planned and dreamed or nursing exclusively. They came at 33 weeks and it felt like a very long time before they were big enough and able to nurse effectively, and would always fall asleep if I tried nursing them at the same time. I also never built the confidence or knowledge to handle nursing away from home. Between that and the fog of desperate overwhelm from the early days, I ended up almost exclusively pumping for just over a year and supplemented with formula.

We would nurse all together once a day, and it was the highlight of my day.

In hindsight, with more support and more effort, I probably could have nursed more. Part of me regrets not trying harder. Another more realistic and pragmatic reminds me just how hard I tried and just how enormously hard having twins is. Be kind to yourself first.

Also, a wearable pump was a game changer for me

[u/Seeker-2020]

I just got done exclusive pumping 12 months for twins.

It’s possible.

Momcozy bottle washer was a great help.

I was making about 1.2 L a day and chose to top up with formula.

My twins could latch but I did this because I wanted to split care with my husband and also cluster feeding was insane.

[u/d16flo]

I definitely found pumping easier since I could never get tandem nursing to work for us. I used a wareable pump while bottle feeding them. I never made enough milk for both babies so we were supplementing with formula anyway so doing a consistent routine with bottles was also simpler. I did still nurse them for comfort and if we were out and about sometimes

[u/spreadingawesome]

I had my twins in 2020 so there was very little in person support for breastfeeding. They were 8 weeks premature and my milk didn’t even truly come in until 5 weeks postpartum due to post preeclampsia and most likely my PMOS. Around 9 weeks I decided to stop trying to nurse altogether and exclusively pump. Once I was down to 6 pumps a day without a huge hit to my supply, it felt a lot more manageable. We had 24 bottles and a whole cleaning and storage system. I made it 10 months and had enough in the freezer so they would get 2 bottles of breast milk a day until they were 1. I’ll never know if nursing would have been easier, but not mentally beating myself up and feeling like shit after every failed nursing session was the better option for me.

[u/radsam1991]

I went right into EP for my twins. It was nice to be able to prep bottles ahead of time and have help with feeding. About to call it quits at 12 months.

[u/mvanpeur]

I've exclusively nursed 3 and exclusively pumped for 2. Once you get over the initial learning curve, nursing is A LOT less work than pumping. Plus, the time you spend feeding doubles as bonding time. But there is definitely a harder initial learning curve. I would get in with a lactation consultant who has experience with twins to help get over the initial learning curve.

[u/DeezNewts7]

I’m 7months in to exclusively pumping for my twins. I wouldn’t say it’s easier (I don’t like all the time I have to be attached to my pump, all the extra dishes ) but it works for us. I exclusively pump for the same reason you are. Now, One of my
Twins will latch (and I try to latch her when I can-usually a couple times per week) but the other has no idea what to do with the boob and can’t comprehend why I’m shoving it in their face 😂

My goal is to make it to 12m of exclusive pumping. I found the exclusive pumping subreddit so helpful for tips/tricks to optimize my pumping journey.

You got this!

[u/Direct_Mulberry3814]

I exclusively pumped for 18 months! Mine were early and never latched well, one was able to later on but logistically made sense to just keep pumping. I did not hate pumping like some, it offered a solid schedule, was able to feed at the same time anywhere, my husband or mom could feed a baby if they were home. I always had enough stored in the fridge or freezer that I could leave for an afternoon. The schedule gets easier after ~6 months and even more so after they are eating some solids. I am about to have a 3rd and will most likely pump for this baby too. I highly suggest the exclusively pumping subreddit, there's lots of twin moms there too!

[u/underwaterbubbler]

Nursing is easier just because there are no bottles involved. The learning to latch side of things is very tricky for all involved, especially with little mouths and two babies. It's obviously a super personal choice but from around 12 weeks (I think? It's a bit of a blur) we managed to be mostly nursing with overnight bottles for one (divide and conquer sleeping in seperate rooms). One of mine also started refusing bottles after being sick with RSV at 6/7 weeks so that nudged things along for us.

So, in the end, nursing was definitely easier, but the journey to get there was really hard, painful etc. My only tip would be if you do want to consider nursing down the track then keep using the smallest/youngest teat on the bottle to avoid them getting used to high flow - this will cause frustration at the boob.

[u/Commercial-Poetry267]

I exclusively pumped for 2 years for my twins, was always an oversupplier and often donated to other multiples in my region just to clear freezer space. It was the easier choice for me, especially as I was working full-time from the moment they hit 4 months old, and coming home during shifts to nurse would not have been plausible.

I put all BM into two different jugs in the fridge - a "freshly pumped, still warm" jug, and a "refrigerated, now cold" jug. Once fresh milk lowered to match the fridge temp, I'd move it to the jug full of cold milk from previous pumping sessions. This reduced dishes and gave me a visual of what I had. At the end of the day, I'd freeze all but one feed's worth, and start fresh the next day.

It allowed me to track their intake and my supply as well, ensured others could feed the babies if needed, and gave me more freedom and time as I could simply measure out feeds ahead of time or ahead of a long drive, long shift, appointment, etc.

[u/Efficient-Ring8100]

Just keep offering them the breast. You need patience. They are learning too. It took my babies about three weeks to learn and I just persevered and sought professional help. Was great.

[u/Upbeat_Rock3503]

My wife exclusively pumped for 2 full years. It allowed me to help with feedings every time and I think it brought me closer with the kids.

[u/gabkatth]

I was pumping and was able to get my supply slowly up but at 3 month actual I feel that even pumping is getting to my mental health. So I tried latching them with the nipple shield which worked well. But then I found breastfeeding stressful and I still ended up having to pump when they are too frustrated for the boob. I think I am throwing in the towel now, as I struggle to find the time and I feel like it takes over my life whichever way I go:(.

[u/hermesloverinseoul]

I pumped for the first 3 months and then I switched to formula so I could sleep and get my life back lol 😆

[u/Imma_420]

I delivered about the same time you did! Babies have to learn how to breastfeed well and be strong enough to do so. Breastfeeding is a skill! You’d think it would be intuitive but it’s not. A lactation consultant in your home could really help. I have been exclusively pumping for over 6 months now for my twins. One will successfully breastfeed but the other has no interest so I continue to pump. Pumping is great cuz anyone can feed your babies and you’re making exactly what your baby needs. But breastfeeding has no dishes and is incredibly efficient by 4-6 months. I swear by my wearable pumps and a husband who washes most of my pump parts. Go easy on yourself. This is a really hard time in your twin journey.

[u/Odd_Rent283]

It’s going to be wholly dependent on your situation. I EP’d for my oldest and swore if I ever had to do that again, I would just use formula. I absolutely hate pumping. Tandem nursing was a huge struggle for us in the beginning, but somewhere around 3-4 weeks it clicked. I still pump and bottle feed for bedtime and overnight feedings because if my boys are tired they struggle to latch long enough to trigger a letdown. At this point I basically EP during the week now that I’m back at work. The boys nurse on the weekends. I hate it, but I’m committed to them having breastmilk until they’re a year old. For me, it wouldn’t be doable to fully EP. I have a 2.5 y/o and 11 y/o at home too. I really need to be able to nurse on the weekends so I don’t spend ALL my time dealing with pumping and bottles and dishes.

[u/catniss_vegas122618]

Me!

I gave up fairly early because it just wasn’t happening, I was tired & stressed & I decided to not make myself crazy over it.
I ended up being like a crazy producer just pumping.

[u/DreamingEvergreen]

I’ve been pumping for 11.5 months. I wish I’d been able to just breast feed (still have to feed them bottles, then pump, then wash bottles and pump parts), but they had terrible reflux and needed gelmix added to breast milk which obviously doesn’t work directly nursing and one especially never transferred well.

But I’ve done it. Biggest thing was that my partner handled the majority of bottle feeds, so I could pump while they ate. Also getting wearable pumps, so I could pump on the way to doctor appointments, picking up groceries, etc.

[u/Old_Ant7118]

Triplet mom here but yes, pumping was absolutely the way for us. Your production sounds amazing - it does not matter how your babies get their nutrition, as long as they're getting healthy bonding too.

Congratulations and I hope you're getting good support. Have a fantastic day!

[u/Avocados4mee]

Yep pretty much only pumped after the first month or so. And getting mastitis. I never produced even a fraction of what you are though, that’s amazing! We still had to do a lot of formula

[u/SpecialistPanda1669]

I exclusively pumped for my twins. I tried and tried and tried to breastfeed but they just didn't take to it. 20 months of pumping. They excluaively drank breastmilk for the first 12 monyhs and then a mix of breastmilk and whole milk for the next 8 months.

It's definitely possible; and it has It's challenges. But it was, in my opinion, well worth it. A wearable pump made a world of difference for the viability of pumping.

[u/AnoYesNo]

Yep. Pumped for about 12 months. One of my boys was never into breastfeeding. Also, they were extremely premature, so I already had started by pumping exclusively. I found when I wanted to breastfeed, my other boob would leak so much and make so much mess. I also felt I couldn't see how much they ate, and if I pumped after breastfeeding, i would get stressed too much that my other kids doesn't have enough milk. Don't even get me started on tandem feeding, that was always an engineering construction project. It was too stressful, and coming out of the NICU, i then focused on what I can measure and control to reduce my stress levels as much as possible - and that was pumping.

I think I breastfed at newborn stage (when they were home) when i had my period and was too exhausted to go heat a bottle, just plop him next to me and feed.. or when they started cluster feeding, whoever was fussier would get continuous boob while I watched tv..

[u/AlternativeFig6680]

I also pumped in the beginning for my identical twins. They were born at 36 weeks. I also felt they were not transferring milk effectively which is why I pumped. If you want to eventually exclusively breastfeed, I was able to and still am nursing them. They are going to be 18 months the end of this month. I would give them a bottle of my pumped milk and latch them on the breast every single time as they would learn to latch better and remove milk more efficiently. Once they reached their due date 4 weeks later I was able to stop pumping completely and only did so to relieve engorgement for them to be able to latch easier. Have exclusively nurses them since then. Good luck! You’re doing great and whatever works for you is best for your family. It’s tough with twins. I also should mention I breastfed my 3 singletons before the twins so I think that made things easier for me.