Frequency of feeds

[becster05]

Hi, I am currently breastfeeding twins that are now 5 months old who feed every 2 hours!! They have done this since birth. We have been managing pretty well and they pretty much developed their own routine as they are boy/girl twins and quite different in personality. Whilst they both feed 2nd hourly in the day, Dd will only feed once overnight thankfully and Ds still every 1.5-2 hourly. This is irrespective of having started solids. I was just curious for those mums of frequent feeders when this started to get a bit better for you?? Don't get me wrong, I love feeding my Bubba's, but admittedly I sometimes do wish they would take a bottle sometimes as it is really tiring!!! Lol. They won't take a bottle btw. Just looking for a little shiny light at the end of the elusive tunnel I guess!! Even every 3 hours would be fantastic!! Thanks!!

[mim1]

Well done on getting to 5 months BFing twins, although it sounds like the little rascals wouldn't have it any other way by refusing bottles . My ds refused bottles too, but he started it at 5 months!

To be honest with my ds it's all a blur as to when his feeding frequency reduced. I know by about 9 months he was mostly on 4 feeds a day, but I know at 12 months when he got sick he'd sneak back up to 6 feeds a day. But then he weaned to a bottle and was reliably on 4 feeds a day at 12 months.

My dd is 6.5 months and at 5 months she was feeding 1.5 - 2 hourly during the day and 4 - 8 hourly overnight. I found the daytime feeding frenzy hard work. Now, she's stretching for longer periods during the day and to my relief about 3 weeks ago started having a big afternoon nap (sometimes starting late morning) for 2 - 3 hours. It means she goes for 4 hours between feeds in the middle of the day quite easily.

I've gone back to work (minimal hours) and my dd will happily go 4 - 5 hours without a feed as long as I'm not around. In fact even today I had a rest in the afternoon and she had happily gone over 4 hours without a feed and wasn't showing any signs of hunger. Then I appeared and she went nuts, nearly jumping out of the highchair and shaking & screaming as I undid the straps. She was starving, yet, minutes before she was happily looking around the room not making any noise at all! It's not much good when it's just me & her at home, cause she wants a feed all the time, but it is good when someone else is helping out.

So, maybe you could leave the twins with someone (?dh) and take some time out and see what happens. Be close by and contactable, but you might be surprised and find that they can last more than 2 hours if need be.

[Busy-Bee]

Well done feeding twins!! My DD was attached pretty much around the clock for the first 3 months - I used to envy people who fed every 2 hours (but I only had 1!). The feeds slowed down when she really took to solids which was about 8 or 9 months.

[trishalishous]

well done feeding twins!
my dd fed pretty much constantly till 6 months. luckily she took a bottle of ebm from dh before bed, so i had a break!

[overwhelmedmommy]

Well done on getting to 5 months BFing twins, although it sounds like the little rascals wouldn't have it any other way by refusing bottles . My ds refused bottles too, but he started it at 5 months!

To be honest with my ds it's all a blur as to when his feeding frequency reduced. I know by about 9 months he was mostly on 4 feeds a day, but I know at 12 months when he got sick he'd sneak back up to 6 feeds a day. But then he weaned to a bottle and was reliably on 4 feeds a day at 12 months.

My dd is 6.5 months and at 5 months she was feeding 1.5 - 2 hourly during the day and 4 - 8 hourly overnight. I found the best handheld vacuum frenzy hard work. Now, she's stretching for longer periods during the day and to my relief about 3 weeks ago started having a big afternoon nap (sometimes starting late morning) for 2 - 3 hours. It means she goes for 4 hours between feeds in the middle of the day quite easily.

I've gone back to work (minimal hours) and my dd will happily go 4 - 5 hours without a feed as long as I'm not around. In fact even today I had a rest in the afternoon and she had happily gone over 4 hours without a feed and wasn't showing any signs of hunger. Then I appeared and she went nuts, nearly jumping out of the highchair and shaking & screaming as I undid the straps. She was starving, yet, minutes before she was happily looking around the room not making any noise at all! It's not much good when it's just me & her at home, cause she wants a feed all the time, but it is good when someone else is helping out.

So, maybe you could leave the twins with someone (?dh) and take some time out and see what happens. Be close by and contactable, but you might be surprised and find that they can last more than 2 hours if need be.

HOW did you wean to a bottle? I'm starting to pull my hair out, first time mother and I have absolutely no idea how to get them to accept bottle feeding.

He just refuses, and I had to extend my parental leave because of it.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm being too soft? I don't know, he refuses to take the bottle and I get worried and switch back to BF.

[becster05]

Thanks so much! It has been very tiring at times but I just love breastfeeding my babies and feel such a strong bond with them so it's completely worth the effort. I think because I just had a short bout of dry cracked nipples, that was extremely painful, it put my mind into a bit of a bad place with feeding them & had they taken a bottle, I probably would have weened them. They are all better now thankfully!! I do worry about going back to work though with them not taking the bottle. Guess I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it!! Thanks for replying =)

[Rose&Aurelia&Hannah]

My aunt Bf'd her twins till 15mths (they are now 16yrs old) but as I was staying with them I noticed that she co-slept. She had one kid on each side and they self served. I dont think she woke up much after 6mths.

I trid to drop BF feeds for my DD around 6mths cos the idiot MCHN told me that she needs to boob less to eat more. It actually made her nights worse - she went from 1 overnight feed to 4-5. It took me another few months to get her to 2 wake ups and at 14mths to sleep through.

Babies feed in the night cos they either dont get their full amount during the day or for comfort. Maybe offer more feeds to the bub that feeds more overnight. I remember my paed telling me when I went to him last year that "babies eat the same amount every day - you decide if its during daylight hours or night".

Congrats on feeding your twins. You have done wonderfully.

Btw if you want to give your bubs a bottle try a sippy cup instead. it is completely different to a nipple and might not upset them so much. Also run the lid under warm water so it doesnt taste so plasticy.

[mim1]

HOW did you wean to a bottle? I'm starting to pull my hair out, first time mother and I have absolutely no idea how to get them to accept bottle feeding.

He just refuses, and I had to extend my parental leave because of it.

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm being too soft? I don't know, he refuses to take the bottle and I get worried and switch back to BF.

How old is bub? How much work are you going back to? A half day or a full day?

My ds was 12 months old when he finally accepted a bottle and up until that point I had tried nearly all the bottles on the market and most sippy cups too! All without success for EBM/formula/water. In the end I got really sick with gastro and my dh was away so my Mum took my ds from 4pm til midday the next day. She said she'd bring him back if he really seemed to need a feed. But the little rascal took a full bottle of formula before bed & another upon waking. Mind you he was happy to have a BF when he got home.

Looking back I reckon I was offering a bottle when my ds was probably not as thirsty as I thought he was. For example I feed my dd 2 - 4 hourly during the day now (BF), but if I'm not around she will happily (and I do mean happily) go 5 hours without a feed and show no signs of distress. So, offering her a bottle at the 2 hour mark would be unsuccessful.

With my dd she will take a bottle if she's thirsty. But I've been a lot more determined to leave her than I ever was with my ds (understandably). I just have to go to work, so she just has to manage and she's with my dh or my Mum & I trust them. I also know they can bring her to me if they really run into trouble. I did try with a narrow neck bottle but it gave her colic, so I changed to the Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottle. But I don't think there's anything particularly magical about any bottle type.

Btw the good sippy cup that ended up working for my ds was the cheap Take 'n Toss cups

[trishalishous]

dd would never take a bottle from me. i think she figured if the boobs were right there, why was i giving her a bottle?!
do you have someone who can try to give bottles? we did ours before bed, so i could shower in peace