If you have multiples, how did you feed your kids? How did you come to the decision to feed them that way?
What would you do if you did have multiples? How would you feed them?
A girl can daydream and I often think that if I were to have multiples, I would probably go the formula route just because it was so much work to work full time outside the home and pump and feed ONE kid. I can't imagine doing it for 2 kids! Major mom props to those who do. 
nectarine / 2115 posts
Not a mom of multiples, but if I were I think I would breastfeed and supplement. That way they would get the benefit of breastmilk, and I would have the benefit of others helping to feed them!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
I particularly never had a strong connection to BFing and pumping was okay. I tried though. (I still have 'plans' to try pumping again... because I still feel guilty). Hoping that my work schedule makes me have a schedule so I can schedule pumping time at work. When I'm at home, I'm just too busy with bottles, laundry or whatever needs to be done at home.
Right now, both babies are on formula... and two different formulas at that. 
It's not so bad and formula isn't that expensive. I figured out it's like $0.25 a bottle. It's like eating out. Plus, I knew having multiples isn't cheap.
If I need to feed both babies at once (both wake up and start screaming at the same time), I can feed both with two boppies on either side of me. I use a BurpShawl if I need to burp two babies at once. Now, one baby is waking up before the other so I usually have time before I need to feed the other one.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@bluestriped bee: omg two different formulas?? Do you label everything with their names so you don't accidentally get them mixed up?
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
@mediagirl: I use pink & purple or green & blue hair bands that go around each bottle. I think it's a genius idea and not very expensive. Before we used to put a piece of tape on the bottle and label with A or B.
I looked into bottle labels or bottle bands but they were $5 a piece. I thought about hair ties and there's like 50 in a pack for like $6. Yes! Woohoo!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@bluestriped bee: perfect! Love your creativity.
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
I bottle feed my singletons so I would definitely bottle feed multiples haha.
Right now I EP and supplement as needed, If I had two infants to look after I would probably ditch the pump and do formula 100%
nectarine / 2152 posts
I BF'd my twins. It was very hard but I'm glad I did it. Mine got one bottle of formula right before they went to bed but that was by choice bc I thought it helped them sleep better. Otherwise I nursed and then pumped at work.
nectarine / 2031 posts
I ebf my twins until 7 months then ran out of my stash and started supplementing with formula while I was at work and I still pump at work too. I prefer nursing even though it is super time consuming. I hate having to do all the extra dish washing. So the less bottles to wash the better I say.
pomelo / 5678 posts
I would BF if possible. My friend did, so I know it is possible for some!
grapefruit / 4291 posts
I'd definitely have a crack at exclusively bf'ing but I'd be getting in touch with an IBCLC before the babies arrived so I had the best chance at doing it.
nectarine / 2973 posts
I would still go for ebf. But I would probably be more open to supplementing than with just having a single baby. But ebf would be my goal.
grapefruit / 4355 posts
Formula all the way! I tried to EP my singleton and hated it! Plus I would want for other people to have the ability to help me with feeding.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
I breast feed my twins for a year with supplementing formula. No matter what I did I was always completely tapped out at 1:00 each afternoon. So they would get a bottle.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
I breast feed for a year with formula supplements. No matter what I did I was always out of milk at noon. They would get a formula bottle right at lunch.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
@mediagirl: both my singletons have been formula fed, but for different reasons. If I ever give birth again, singletons or multiples, assuming my health is better I will be giving bf a go. I really felt sad I couldn't (well I guess it was more of a shouldn't than couldn't) with my two month old. But I would just assume there would be SOME degree of formula with two. And that would be fine with me! There are some awesome perks to formula once you get through finding the best bottles and formula for your baby, which can be tough in itself.
eggplant / 11287 posts
I haven't had multiples and I'm assuming this is easier said than done, but I'd probably EBF if I could. I've pretty much been breastfeeding since May of 2012 nonstop, so what's a couple more kids? 
I tend to make a lot of milk and have a crazy supply so I don't think supply would be an issue. I so WAH so I wouldn't have to worry too much about pumping at work and figuring out that aspect of it.
apricot / 364 posts
I BF for the first month and a half and tandem nursed (otherwise I would never have done anything else!) but then one of mine just wasn't nursing well and not gaining fast enough so she got bottles of pumped milk and formula and nursed the other one but he still got formula bottles as well until 8 months when my supply tanked and I surrendered to the glorious freedom that was formula.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
Assuming my supply could keep up, EBF would be my goal. I personally feel like EBF is in the best interest of my babies so my feelings on that wouldn't change just because I had two instead of one. However, I would certainly be willing to supplement if my babies weren't thriving despite lots of effort to make EBF work, or if I just couldn't handle the pressure, just as I would be with one baby.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
I know I would want to try nursing and being EBF, but it was already hard having to wake up every 2 hours to feed one, I can't imagine having to feed two all by myself. When would I sleep???
honeydew / 7230 posts
@bluestriped bee: Nice color coded system!
I BF and supplemented formula from the first weekon. They got off formula at 13 months, and are still nursing at almost 20 months.
I really wanted to BF, but knew that having twins would make a lot of things difficult, so I kept an open mind. Ultimately, I ended up with two tiny full term babies who lost a lot of weight and didn't start gaining for a long time. My priority became getting my babies fed and growing! I'm so glad we were able to use formula (we used high calorie formula until 6 months) to help get their weight up. I'm also really glad that despite all the bottles they've received, they still preferred nursing and have kept it up!
coconut / 8472 posts
I like BF-ing, so I would probably do as much of it as possible, but definitely use formula to make life easier. I'd probable get one of those keurig type formula machines 
.
A lot would probably depend too on my work situation. If I was to stay home for a while, BFing would be easier than if I had to pump at work.
persimmon / 1165 posts
I struggled with low supply at first. I nursed but had to supplement with formula. I switched to EP so I could manage it better. Then at 6 weeks my supply somehow caught up and I continued to EP with no formula supplementing until they turned 1 year old.
nectarine / 2262 posts
I only have one baby, but I'd BF/pump! I have a crazy milk supply and easily make enough for 2-3 babies right now! I know that's unusual, though!
nectarine / 2152 posts
@Adira: you don't sleep. Like, at all, for the first 6-8 weeks. It's awful.
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
I'd like to think I would be able to nurse. Who knows? We're pretty successfully tandeming at the moment and I think I could make it work.
pomelo / 5093 posts
I am blessed with a great, responsive supply, so I'd give nursing my best try. If I couldn't do that I'd supplement with formula. And even if I could do it I bet I'd supplement eventually just because omg, nursing twins.
nectarine / 2765 posts
I have twins and my plan & hope was to BF. Apparently I had a pretty low supply and the girls didn't want to latch no matter how hard I tried, so I pumped. Between constant blebs/clogs/pain, no sleep (and I mean no sleep, there wasn't a whole hour of uninterrupted sleep for the first 6/8 weeks and only slightly improved from there) and a meltdown in the hallway at 3am at around 6wks, I decided that my sanity was worth more to me. Formula was expensive as crap but worth it.
coconut / 8483 posts
I always say if I had twins I would formula feed from the start. And have one baby sleep in a room with my husband and one with me and share the duties.
But. Reality I'm stubborn and would probably try to go ebf but definitely use formula as needed!
apricot / 378 posts
Since they were in NICU, feeding from a bottle was required to get out. So we surrendered to bottles pretty early on. I pump now and put them to breast (I try once a day) and still need to follow up with a bottle. Out of 8 feedings/day/baby, 5-6 are bm and 2-3 are formula. I'm still hoping my supply catches up. I'd love to nurse all our sessions, but I'd settle for just pumping what they need at this point! It's hard and the guilt is real.... 
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