Breastfeeding Twins:

What About Sleep?

By Melissa Clark Vickers, IBCLC

Sleep is an important priority for mothers of twins. Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is laughable, at least to begin with. The rule of thumb for any new mother -- and especially moms of twins -- is to sleep when the babies sleep. If you are lucky they will nap at the same time! Some moms find they can take their twins to bed with them, making nighttime feedings as easy as possible. Others attach a crib to the side of their beds at the same level and remove the side railing nearest the bed. Both babies sleep together in the crib and mom can just reach in and grab the baby who needs nursing. Having the babies in a nursery down the hall may sound good in theory, but it will mean you have to be wide awake to go to your babies in the middle of the night. There will be plenty of time for their own room later on!

Sometimes the issue is not so much sleep, but fatigue. Make sure you are eating nutritiously and drinking plenty of water. Your body will make good milk, even if your diet is poor, but you'll feel much better if you take care of your nutritional needs. Many moms of twins find that eating 6 smaller meals a day works better than the traditional 3 a day. Look for easy-to-fix nutritious foods that you can keep on hand and snack on throughout the day. Keep a sports bottle filled with water next to your nursing area, as well as a stack of clean diapers and wipes so you don't have to get up any more often than is necessary.