Breastfeeding. Not as easy as I thought

In my head I’d give birth and the babies would be laid on me for skin on skin and I’d get them on the boob and that would be that. I might get sore nipples or a bit of bleeding but I thought breastfeeding would just happen and it would be fairly straightforward.

Instead I was to ill to even hold my babies after losing half my blood volume. There was no skin on skin and their first feeds were formula from a bottle, while I was unconscious.

It was twelve hours later I got them to the breast. Twin one (I’ll call her baby F), got on reasonably well although at times would struggle to latch. Twin two (I’ll call him baby D), was routing really well and would go to the breast but just couldn’t get any milk from me. When he was checked over he has a really bad tongue tie so was not able to feed from me. I was advised to still offer him the breast but to feed him from a bottle after.

The two neighbouring NHS trusts sort the tongue tie out on delivery suite for free. Mine however does not and there is a waiting list for months just to be referred. I was therefore advised to get it done privately if I wanted to breastfeed. I rang lots of clinics and the cheapest clinics cost £150. Some places wanted over £350.

We got it done and it took about a week for baby D to get the hang of breastfeeding.

I’m now mainly breastfeeding both of them. I do top up with formula occasionally but I feel OK about that. I’ve been to a breastfeeding support group which was great and really helped me feel OK about struggling. Most people there have had struggles at some point. There was a lady there who is exclusively breastfeeding twins so it was good to see its possible.

I am able to breastfeed both of them at the same time at home surrounded by cushions but out and about its not as easy. When they are both screaming for food and I’m sat on a uncomfortable chair then I breastfeed one and formula feed the other. I make sure I then swap over. Also getting both boobs out seems very exposed, however I don’t like covering over with the breastfeeding covers as I like to see what they are doing. I’m sure I’ll get better at this eventually.