nursing laying down? with 2?

[butterflies]

These are the sorts of random things I think about when I can't sleep in the wee hours of the morning...

We're setting up a crib, side-carred to our bed, so I can nurse the babies throughout the night. I know most twin mamas recommend waking both when one wakes, to feed at the same time. I always nursed my other dc lying down at night and I was wondering if its at all possible with 2. Do you need to sit up with a pillow or are there some secret positioning tricks I'm not able to imagine? If it matters, I'm pretty petite and small on top even when nursing. (i was thrilled when i went up to a B cup with dd )

Lying down was wonderful because I could actually sleep through most of the nursing sessions. I've never really been able to sleep sitting up.

[michellyn]

I tried waking both babies to nurse at once, but it didn't work for me. Tandem nursing at night left me exhausted. When one woke, I pulled her next to me and nursed her lying down. When the next woke, I put the first twin (who had usually fallen asleep by then) where her sister had been and moved the second twin in to nurse. I moved them several times during the night, but that seemed to wake me less than nursing both at once--go figure! During the day, I tandem nursed a lot more, but at night, this worked better for me.

[Llyra]

I never managed to tandem lying down, either. I was lucky in that for the most part they didn't wake at the same time-- I used to roll back and forth, and side-lying nurse each twin one at a time. Then when the other one woke, I'd roll that way, plug in a boob, and go back to sleep. Then I'd just repeat that all night.

If they both woke at night, I either had to sit up, or I had to get DH to hold one while I got the other settled, then he would hand over the first baby.

I've seen photos of mamas tandeming lying down, but my breasts are really small, and don't maneuver into the positions those mamas were using.

[MamaRabbit]

When they were tiny I would roll over and feed one and then roll over and feed the other as they woke to nurse. But mine did tend to want to nurse at the same time, so I'd sit up and doze while using the nursing pillow. Once they were about 6 mo old I could feed one on my side and drape the other over the top. And by 9 mo could nurse them on my back, and yes my boobs are way stretched out as a result!

[herdingkittens]

eeek. i never woke up the other baby. too much for me to think about in those sleepless days i rolled back and forth between them, and when they were itty bitty, tandem nursed them on the easy-to-nurse inflatable pillow ( loved this pillow - going to use it with our new singleton!) when they were both awake or when nursing them down for naps/nights.

i did do a lot of laying down nursing when they got a bit bigger, and it took some getting used to, but was great. i have a hazy recollection of putting a pillow on either side of me under my arms and getting the babies in the crook of my arms. i must say, it got easier as they got bigger.

you will find a way to do it that works for you. it is hard to imagine until you are forced to come up with a position solution and then it comes pretty naturally. who knows, you may even invent a new nursing position!

enjoy those little ones!!!

[ShanaV]

The hubs says I should stretch out my boobs and drape them over the edge of the bed into the co-sleeper like little hamster feeders. Wouldn't that be great?!

I've tried a bunch of different ways.

At first I tried the wake em both up deal. Then I realized that sometimes the second baby just wouldn't wake up if he was sleepy, even after a diaper change, and he wouldn't eat if he didn't want to. So after some tries at that I just let each one sleep as long as he can. I also stopped changing dipes in the middle of the night because it just was more work for me and prolonged the whole process. (Once they stopped pooping, of course.)

If they both wake hungry at the same time, then I have to pull up the brest friend pillow and do em both, no bones about it.

If it's one at a time I've tried many of the things pp's have mentioned.
If they're in bed with me then either:
- Have one on each side of me and roll side to side.
- Put both of them in the middle, kind of back to back, and I go over them from side to side.

If they're in the co-sleeper, I'll pull the hungry one to me, nurse, fall asleep together. Or, if he's out dead cold, I may replace him in the co-sleeper so I can sprawl. Then when the second is hungry, I'll trade their places, taking the hungry one into bed with me. This seems to be the best option so far for us. It let's my DH have plenty of room in the bed - because he doesn't feel comfortable sleeping right next to a baby since he's a heavy sleeper and a sprawler - not to mention that he'd have like one foot of space. And it let's me get a few hours of solid sleep at the start of the night because they'll both fall asleep for 3ish to 4ish hours at the start, and thereafter it's a constant rotation of babies.

I need to learn how to tandem nurse lying down!

i have a hazy recollection of putting a pillow on either side of me under my arms and getting the babies in the crook of my arms.

Trying to imagine this. How did their faces reach your boobs? Were their heads up on top of you to get to the boobs?

I could feed one on my side and drape the other over the top.

Which direction is the draper? I want to try this.

And by 9 mo could nurse them on my back, and yes my boobs are way stretched out as a result!

If I did this my boobs would go out sideways. Like a hamster feeder on each side of me? I think I like!

[nudnik]

I usually do what everyone else does - nurse one at a time and switch. Usually I do the "both next to each other, mom switches sides" method.

But it IS possible to nurse both at the same time while lying down, and I have successfully done so when they both are crying and I'm too tired to sit up.
- Stack 'em! You just lie one down on top of the other (head of the top baby on chest of bottom baby)
- One half-sitting leaning on the other
- Putting them both at an angle to me (think of a tall K), and stretching a bit
- One of them lying down on me and hanging over to nurse upside down, and the second lying down facing me (this one doesn't work so well for me at this age, though - mine are almost 3 months)

[MamaRabbit]

When draping, pretend that the baby is almost standing behind you and leaning over the top to drink from low drinking fountain.

[attached2mason]

I actually do everything in my power to keep them from waking at the same time at night. For me, dealing with one baby while half asleep is much preferrable to dealing with both at once.

Right now we have a cosleeper where one sleeps and the other sleeps in between DH and I. We have a king bed but standard size pillows so this creates a pillowless, blanketless nook for one baby to sleep. They are getting too big for the cosleeper, though, so I may be moving the bed up to the wall soon and kicking dh out and having him sleep across the hall. I like lots of space . Besides, then I could start the night across the hall with DH if I want and head over to baby land when one wakes.

I do the flop back and forth between babies all night long too. If they wake at the same time I certainly can nurse lying down - either by stacking them or by doing the drape over the ribcage thing, but I don't like either option. My babies are far less likely to fall asleep this way and it is sort of uncomfortable for me b/c I have to support their bodies more. I usually end up sitting up and having both latched on sort of cradle-esque bellies together, bums between my legs as I sit crosslegged. Obviously that only works once the babies are big enough (I have 18lb 4.5 month olds, they are little monsters ).

Once they are a fair bit older I'm sure I will be able to lay on my back and nurse them both since I did that with my singleton - could have easily had another baby latched. We'll see, though . . . might still just be easier to flop back and forth.

[SashaBreeze]

I'm so glad you asked this question butterflies, I had been wondering the same thing.

Originally Posted by michellyn

I tried waking both babies to nurse at once, but it didn't work for me. Tandem nursing at night left me exhausted. When one woke, I pulled her next to me and nursed her lying down. When the next woke, I put the first twin (who had usually fallen asleep by then) where her sister had been and moved the second twin in to nurse. I moved them several times during the night, but that seemed to wake me less than nursing both at once--go figure! During the day, I tandem nursed a lot more, but at night, this worked better for me.

Of course there is no way to know for sure until my guys actually get here but I sooo see myself doing it this way. Dh is a wonderfully supportive co-parent... during the day. At night he sleeps like a log and we decided long ago that when the kids are newborn I have to sleep in the middle as a human buffer zone between him and the baby. Until the kid is near walking age it just isn't safe to have a baby between dh and I when we co-sleep. It is comforting to hear that others have kept both babies on the same side at night and that it worked.

[cdahlgrd]

Originally Posted by nudnik

- Stack 'em! You just lie one down on top of the other (head of the top baby on chest of bottom baby)
- One half-sitting leaning on the other
- Putting them both at an angle to me (think of a tall K), and stretching a bit
- One of them lying down on me and hanging over to nurse upside down, and the second lying down facing me (this one doesn't work so well for me at this age, though - mine are almost 3 months)

Do what works at the time. SOmetimes I stack'd em, sometimes 1 at a time, sometimes, different beds, sometimes switching in and out of co-sleeper, sometimes, one lying on my ribs and one next to me, sometimes in the LazyBoy. . . .

Mine woke at the same time a lot, so I had to figure it out or listen to lots of crying. Identicals tend to do that (in case yours are ID).

[herdingkittens]

the pillow at side thing:
yes, their bodies were in the crooks of my arms with their heads on top of my breasts. the pillows were there more to support my arms and give them a little height so the babies could reach better. SO hard to explain in text. wish i had pictures....then again, maybe I don't

STACKING!!! I totally forgot about that!!! That is a good one for the newborn phase, for sure. Hilarious, too.

[butterflies]

I'm loving all the responses here-- good to know there are so many creative possibilities!
Stacked was the only idea I could come up with and I felt kind of silly suggesting it. I wasn't sure how the babies would feel about it. But I guess they've been squished together for 8 months now-- they should be used to it.

[dividedsky]

i couldn't nurse them both lying down - if my boobs were bigger, maybe, but i was a b to begin with and when my milk came in i was a REALLY FULL b () so it just wasn't happening for me.

i slept in the ez2nurse pillow, with 10000 pillows behind me and babies on top, for like 3 months. uncomfortable? kind of. could i pee at night? no. but i got to sleep in big stretches without moving too much, which was amazing and entirely worth it!

[ShanaV]

I just wish my boobs were vertical so I could nurse sideways like a mama dog.

[lookatreestar]

Originally Posted by ShanaV

I just wish my boobs were vertical so I could nurse sideways like a mama dog.

eta, mine are tandem nursing and my older one is able to drape herself over me or they both lay in the crooks of my arms. i have small ones so it is a little bit harder sometimes. two tiny babies would be a challenge for sure.

[ladydodson]

if you are a little bit larger in the chest, you can lie on your back and have each baby in the crook of your arm, head resting on your armpits and let your breasts fall to the side and nurse that way. at least that worked with my newb and my nearly 2yo...haven't tried it yet with two newborns...

[4Marmalade]

I nursed lying down a lot right from the start. I'm pretty lazy that way . When they were tiny I would swaddle them (made it easier to position them and keep them there). I would lie mostly on one side so that ds could nurse in a side-lying position. I would use a pillow behind his bum to keep him on his side. Dd would be positioned across the top of me (perpendicular to my body). I would use a pillow behind my back to keep the lower part of her body level with my body. She would then nurse kind of face down. They pretty much slept in these position most of the night too.

As they got bigger I was able to switch to nursing while lying on my back. They would rest their heads on my upper arms (almost in the crook of my shoulder) and nurse that way. At the beginning I would use pillows under my arms to help support them. Now I don't need the pillows . 8 years of nursing has stretched these boobs enough.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by ShanaV

I just wish my boobs were vertical so I could nurse sideways like a mama dog.

That would help so much, wouldn't it? I have small breasts-- when I lie on my back, they point straight up at the ceiling, and don't fall to the side at all. I was so envious when I saw pics of mamas nursing twins, lying down-- I tried so hard to make it work. Mine wouldn't nurse at all if they were in contact with each other, and they wouldn't nurse face-downwards, and it was just impossible. I used to wish I had nipples all down my belly, like a cat...