Breastfeeding twins (or more) is recommended, very possible and an amazing achievement for women who do. Just because you have more than one baby, does not mean they need to miss out on the benefits of having your breast milk. Because a woman's breast milk supply always equals what her babies' demand, her body simply produces more milk, to meet their needs. For women whose babies are premature,
expressing their breast milk until their babies are ready to suckle, can contribute to them feeling like they can provide something for their babies, while they are being treated in the intensive care nursery.
Having twins or more can be challenging in itself, and you will need plenty of emotional and practical support to look after yourself. Eat well and drink plenty of water and fluids while you breastfeed and care for your babies. When breastfeeding multiples, it is important to remember that they are individuals. They will want to feed different amounts, at different speeds, and often at different times. However, many women will coax their multiples into similar feeding and sleeping patterns, so that they become more 'synchronised' with their feeding times. This is discussed in
twins or more - after the birth.
Breastfeeding triplets and quads brings up the numerical dilemma of having 3 or 4 babies and only 2 nipples! This is usually accommodated by using a 'rotation' system that allows each baby a fairly equal time at the breast, (depending on who is crying the loudest) and making sure both breasts are fed from fairly equally. You may want to keep a written record of when and how long each baby feeds, and which breast they fed from.
When breastfeeding twins, the simplest way to feed them is to offer each baby one breast per feeding time. In past years, caregiver's used to advocate that each twin only fed from 'their own' one breast all the time. This was aimed at the individual breast supply being 'equal' to that baby's particular needs.