premie twins and feeding?

Breastfeeding will be the best option for you. Once the babies are born, you will immediately start pumping if they are unable to feed. You will need to pump every 1-2 hours for 15-20 minutes each time. You must pump at least once at night, preferably between 1 and 5 am. The size of a premie stomach will be smaller than a grape. Heck, a full term newborn has a stomach the size of a grape. Don't worry about not making enough, your body WILL make enough for both.

If the babies are able to feed directly from the breast (early premies cannot latch properly), you need to be feeding them every 1-2 hours. Don't be alarmed if the babies want to feed more often. The more you feed, the more you make. The less you feed, the less you make. The more you supplement, the less you make.

For the first couple weeks I HIGHLY suggest you solely breastfeed/pump. It can seriously make the difference between life and death for a premie. Premies cannot tolerate switching between the two like a normal baby could. The doctor will likely tell you this if they have any experience with premies. It could cause gas build up, diarrhea, vomiting, or constipation - something that you DON'T want in a vulnerable premie.

Women seem to think they automatically start making fully bottles of milk. This is not true. The first week of pumping you will only be making a 1/2 oz - 2 oz at a time. This is ENOUGH for baby. Don't be worried. It can take a full 12 weeks before your milk comes in fully. Some women get a really fully supply off the start that tapers off to normal, and others gradually build up - both are normal.

I suggest you meet with a lactation consultant now to get help before the babies are even born. This way you can have your questions answered and also be comfortable for when you need help later on. Also, get a good nursing pillow, it will make tandem feeding a lot easier for you. Tandem nursing is actually easier. Both babies end up fed and happy. Nursing one at a time is not ideal and will lead to issues likely.

You can't really predict when they'll be born. Babies like to surprise you by being late or early. You need to contact the hospital where you will be giving birth. Many of them have "tours" where expecting moms can see the labor and delivery area and learn hospital policies. Doing that and asking your doctor and the nurses what the NICU procedures are in your case is the best way to learn this. Don't wait until after you go into labor and are a patient before you ask. When you are there in labor you are in a vulnerable position and may not be able to articulate your desires regarding the care of your babies.

And congratulations! You're blessed to be a mom twice at one time!

NO ONE should judge how you feed them unless you're giving them a hamburger. If you plan to combo feed (breast and formula) see if you can wait to introduce the bottle until 2 months to keep supply up. You'll probably still need to pump a bit if returning to work to ensure your supply. As for what happens in the hospital, write out a birth plan including how you want the babies fed and you should be fine.

Unless there are some specific medical issues that would preclude breastfeeding, you will be urged to breastfeed the twins. If they are unable to latch and nurse (probably not a problem for a 36-38 week baby), you'll be encouraged to pump your milk for them. Hospital NICUs fully understand the benefits of breastmilk (especially for sick or premature babies), and the days of nurses routinely giving bottles of formula because it's easier for them are long past.

I would also urge you to hold off on giving them bottles until breastfeeding is well established. Mixing feeds from the start is likely to cause problems with latching and supply. (This isn't a judgement -- it's a medical recommendation.)

You can tandem nurse. It would actually be far more difficult to nurse one while the other gets a bottle than it would be to just latch one onto each side. And no, your milk won't "come in as normal" because you'd not only only be stimulating only half as much as needed, but you'd be risking latching issues by switching back and forth, which would then negatively impact supply.

Damn I love these "don't judge" commands on this site. If you don't want judgement then don't broadcast your private information on the internets for the entire world to see. Talk to the professionals that will be in charge of your MEDICAL CARE, we don't know what they're going to do.

They will bottle feed, but with your milk.