Breastfeeding after a C-section can be challenging, and trying to nurse two babies at once can be even more overwhelming. Not only do you need to make sure both babies get enough to eat, but you also need to keep pressure off your abdomen so your wound can heal. Fortunately, there are plenty of tips and tricks to make breastfeeding twins after a C-section easier, and plenty of resources if you need one-on-one support.
Step 1
Position yourself in a bed or comfortable chair that allows you to lean back slightly. Prop yourself up with pillows if necessary.
Step 2
Place a C-shaped breastfeeding support pillow designed for use with twins around your middle, on top of your belly where the C-section incision was. This helps cushion the area and prevents small hands or elbows from rubbing or hitting the incision.
Step 3
Lay one baby on the pillow in front of you with his head at your left breast and his feet near your right side. His front should be facing you, slightly curled around your body. Pull him towards you and let him latch onto your left nipple and start nursing. Don't lean forward, but pull him in towards you instead.
Step 4
Have someone hand you the second twin once the first baby is latched and nursing.
Step 5
Lay the second twin on the pillow on your right side, where it curls around, with his head at your right breast and his legs reaching back towards the back of the chair or headboard of the bed. Let him latch onto your right breast to nurse. The two babies should now be in a line with the feet of the first touching the head of the second.
Step 6
Switch sides each time you nurse so that the babies nurse from both sides over the course of a day. Alternately, you can try putting both babies in a clutch hold, along your sides with the feet towards your back, on either side of you. This position keeps both babies off your abdomen, but it can be more difficult to get into and maintain than when one baby is across your front and one is in the clutch position.
Tips and Warnings
- If one or both of your babies need special care and cannot nurse consistently, you may have to pump your breasts to keep up your milk supply so you can start nursing again as soon as your babies are ready.
Things You'll Need
- Pillows
- Nursing pillow
- Chair or bed
References
- Baby Center: Breastfeeding Twins or Multiples
- Breastfeeding.com: Nursing Positions for Twins
- La Leche League International: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 8th Edition; Dianne Wiessinger, Diana West and Teresa Pitman
