My Journey of Exclusively Breastfeeding my Twins

Monal, a mother to 1-year-old twins, decided to and achieved the remarkable feat of keeping her twins exclusively on breastmilk. In this interview, she candidly shares her breastfeeding journey, her motivations, and roadblocks, and how she sailed through them on this “seemingly impossible” mission.

Why did you decide to exclusively breastfeed? What were your personal motivations behind this?

Firstly, since childhood, I have seen all mothers in my family and extended family breastfeeding their kids. Honestly, I got to know about formula milk only a few years back.

My first motivation was a seminar I attended during pregnancy when the paediatrician told us that there is nothing like “less breast milk” - it is just a marketing gimmick. She told us that in early years mothers knew that they had to breastfeed the kid and it never fell less than required, but now we know that other substitutes are available and have a doubt that whether we will be able to produce sufficient or not and this is where it starts. So, she told us to have full confidence and never doubt ourselves.

Another thing that really helped me stay motivated is Social Media. Yes, it is a tool that can be harmful, but can also be really useful at times. Being part of groups that keeps one motivated and praised for what we are doing helped me even when I lost strength. Also, I followed many accounts on Instagram related to lactation, breastfeeding, breastfeeding twins, pumping, etc.

How did you get started?

First is being prepared mentally - I was very clear in my mind that I was going to breastfeed my kids no matter what!

Second, we consulted the paediatrician during pregnancy and tried to understand how I could do it.

I read a lot about tandem feeding; also, the paediatrician suggested we start storing milk immediately after delivery so that it gets easy and helpful in future.

The next day of delivery, my husband gifted me a very good quality double-sided electric breast pump and we started off with our journey, since my kids were in NICU.

What process / routine did you follow?

Being very honest, I never followed any routine or process, it was just going with the flow. I fed on demand and pumped when I could. It was direct feeding 90% and express feeding 10%. My only motive behind pumping was having enough milk for a few hours if I fall asleep. Especially during early mornings as I wanted to rest – at that time my mom and mom-in-law took over the kids. Also, when I had to step out for some urgent work.

I did master the art of tandem feeding in the very first month and am still doing it. It saved a lot of time and gave me opportunity to rest well. My doc suggested and helped me with both babies in football positions. But in the initial months, I preferred one in cradle hold and other one in football. I used pump on one side when one baby was fast asleep and the other one needs milk. But now, both babies are trained and comfortable feeding in football position. Also, I mastered the art of sleeping while tandem feeding both 😊

How did you manage when travelling / stepping out of home?

The best part about breastfeeding is you need not carry anything when travelling, just a cover or pillow that is it. And trust me I have nursed my twins everywhere I have been to - other than the loo ofcourse 😊

Electric pump works well while traveling as well. I have pumped during travel as well as in the car.

I never left the kids home if it was not very urgent. In the car, I seated them both in their car seats and I sat in between. We have travelled as long as 8 hours by road when they were 4 months old. I fed them one by one, put them to sleep, pumped and stored some milk, ate something, and slept. And repeat!

Anything specific you did to improve breastmilk flow?

1. I did take supplements for good supply - shatavari tablets along with lactation granules in milk once a day
2. Methi laddoo made by my mom with lots of khuskhus
3. Dudh-daliya with dryfruits and ghee
4. Power pumping early morning around 4-5 AM
5. Latching both kids as much as possible

Any suggestions to make the process easier?

Some things that made my journey a bit easier:

1. Nipple Care cream / Lanolin
2. Nipple shield
3. Feeding bra
4. U shape pillow – I could not find a twin feeding pillow, so relied on mix of normal pillows and my U-shaped pregnancy pillow
5. Hot water bag
6. Baby feeding tracker

What roadblocks did you have to overcome?

There were a lot of roadblocks!

First - family - everyone was concerned that I am not making enough milk OR I needed more rest OR my kids cry because they are hungry. At that time, my husband stood by me as my pillar of strength. Even when my family members used to say that my milk is not enough for the kids, he used to support me and took a stand.

Second - my health – breastfeeding is a very satisfying feeling but can be a bit painful too. You get really exhausted and lose hope many times. It is absolutely natural to feel this way.

I had a series of milk bleb on both nipples one after the other every week and it was damn painful. At that time, I fed my kids with breast milk donated by my friend. She had given birth one month after me and was over producing. Also, lactation consultants know people who can donate when needed

Third - lack of support - you need support, especially in the first few months, be it family or hired help. I had none for some days. A lot of days I relied on swiggy and zomato for food and did nothing - just feeding kids, ordering food, eating, and then cleaning, and repeat.

What benefits are you seeing from the process?

Talking about benefits - my preterm born twins have an amazing immunity now – they rarely fall sick and recover really fast.

Second the growth is quite good - but I cannot say for sure what would have been the case if they were fed any other way.

We have a great bond too!

Any advice for fellow twins’ parents?

Few things that are very important and play an important role in this journey:

1. Diet - few food items help in good lactation and few lead to drying up of milk, so please eat wisely.
2. Medicines - do not take any medicine without asking your gynaecologist. Medicines affect the breast milk most.
3. Hydration - please drink lots and lots of water, I used to drink 5-6 litres of water in the initial days.
4. Social circle - breast milk is all about what you believe. So be wise and try to be in a company that promotes breastfeeding. Follow influencers who talk about it, talk to fellow mommies, try to embrace this amazing feeling, and trust me the tiredness will dissipate!
5. Good support - in the initial days with twins, you need support. For tandem feeding also, as kids are very delicate and cannot balance the neck so someone will need to support and help while feeding. I had days when I just fed kids, ate, and slept, and did nothing else. All thanks to my mom.
6. Rest - it is very important to rest, if u want to breastfeed twins. Because it is true - breastfeeding takes up most of your energy.
7. Confidence in yourself - trust yourself, you had three hearts beating inside you at one time. Have confidence, and trust me your body will automatically produce enough.

Also, just want to say that through this article I wanted to share my journey, which can act as an example and source of confidence for other mothers who want to breastfeed their twins. However, each mother’s journey is different and whatever choices you make, breastfeeding or not – there are no rights and wrongs, and there are no perfects! The most important thing is your and babies’ happiness, and whatever decision you make in your context can still help you towards that end 😊 So make your choices consciously and follow them through with confidence!