Breastfeeding/Bodyfeeding More Than One Baby

Breastfeeding/bodyfeeding (also called chestfeeding) more than one baby can be very special, but it also demands work and patience in the first few months. Here are answers to some common questions about nursing your babies.

Will I have enough milk?

• Usually, you will be able to make enough milk for one or more babies. The more milk your babies take from the breast, the more milk your body will make.
• Rest whenever you can and take any help offered. Sleep when your babies are asleep instead of doing chores or errands. Make your life as simple as you can and do not start any projects that can be put off for a few weeks or months.

Once my milk has increased, how will I know my babies are getting enough milk?

• You can hear, feel or see signs of swallowing when your babies feed, and you see rhythmic jaw movements or an “open mouth-pause-swallow-close” pattern.
• Each baby has at least 6 clear or pale yellow urine diapers in 24 hours by the 4th day. Each baby has 3 – 4 stools by the 4th day. The color of the stool will change from dark green to yellow in color by day 5. The stool will also become loose and seedy. Older babies may stool less often than newborns.
• Each baby regains his or her birthweight by 10 – 14 days after birth and then gains 5 – 7 oz. per week.
• Watch for feeding cues: baby moving his or her mouth in a searching or sucking manner, head turning when baby’s face is touched, hands to mouth movements or baby actively moving his/her body. Nurse each baby at least 8 – 12 times or more per day.

How often do I feed my babies?

• Feed on demand, or more often if you pediatric provider instructs you to. Babies generally nurse at least 8 – 12 times or more in 24 hours and may feed several times close together and sleep for a while. This is called “cluster feeding”. The first week or two, babies may seem hungry all the time. This is normal and doesn’t mean you do not have enough milk.
• Babies also go through growth spurts sometimes around 7 to 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months old. You may find they need to nurse more often at these times. This helps to increase the milk and last only about 2 days.

What if the babies are hungry at the same time?

• At first, you may find it easier to nurse one baby at a time. Once your babies have learned how to nurse, you may find nursing both babies at the same time easier and faster. If you have triplets, you can nurse two babies at once and then give the 3rd baby both breasts. You may feed the hungry baby(ies) first and then wake up the other(s).
• There will be times when you are faced with two or more crying, hungry babies at the same time. In this case, you can distract one or two babies while you feed the other baby, or feed two at the same time.
• There are many patterns you can use to feed your baby. You might want to rotate which breast your babies feed from every feeding or once every day. Rotating which breast a baby feeds from will stimulate both breasts, this is particularly important if one baby has a stronger suck, and if one breast has more milk supply than the other.
• Twin nursing pillows may help you to be more comfortable while feeding.

Works Cited

Lawrence, Ruth A. & Lawrence, Robert M. “Breastfeeding, A Guide for the Medical Professional”, Ninth edition, ELSEVIER, 2022.

Stagg, Kathryn “Breastfeeding Twins and Triplets: A Guide for Professionals and Parents,” Jessica Kingsbury Publishers 2023. (Available at The Ohio Digital Library to borrow electronically)