These are my favorite tandem nursing positions. I know everyone will always have their own preference depending on comfort level, their specific babies, anatomy, etc. But when I’m asked about positions, these are what I recommend (and obviously whatever works for you!).
Double Football Hold:
This is my tried and true definite favorite position to nurse the babies if I have my pillow (I *highly* recommend the My Brest Friend twin nursing pillow, and the regular one for singletons!). This has been my go-to since the beginning. This is the easiest position to learn to breastfeeding newborn twins in from the beginning. You can latch the more difficult twin first (so you have 2 hands to latch and position them and you can move more if needed), then roll up a towel behind them so they don’t pop off, then you can latch the other twin and adjust as needed.
I definitely preferred this position until the twins were about 11 or 12 months. They still fit on the pillow well, they were easy to get into this position, and we were all comfortable like this.
Cradle and Football Hold:
My second favorite position is the cradle and football hold. This is now my go-to since about 11 months if I don’t have my nursing pillow. It is super comfortable and you basically use one baby as a pillow for the other baby’s head. So you can latch the first in cradle hold (whatever way you’re most comfortable), then use that baby as a pillow for the baby in football hold. This is easier to do without a nursing pillow.
Crisscross:
I like this one if I don’t have my pillow and they are still young/small. I never felt totally comfortable in this position because I felt like I was always holding them and I didn’t feel like I had a lot of control over what was going on.
Relaxed:
This one basically speaks for itself 😆, if I’m laying in bed and both babies are hungry, this is pretty comfortable. If my boobs were big enough, I would do side-lying, but 🤷♀️. This is how I feed the twins every morning (still at 2.5 years old) and it’s very comfortable and a great option when the babies are a little bigger (I’d say past 6 months or so).
Upright latch:
This is also called Double Koala Hold. Yes those are dolls and I’m at work 🤣. I didn’t have a pic of me with them in this position, but as they’ve gotten bigger, this one is pretty comfortable to have them in a sitting position.
Pumping and Bottle Feeding:
This is also breastfeeding (I have much respect for my EP mamas)! Getting set up beforehand and pumping while feeding bottles is a huge time saver. I have a post about pumping and bottle feeding twins which you can read more about here for tips and tricks!
Nurse one at a time:
I do this more often now that they are older and take way less time to feed and it’s nice for the momentary one-on-one time. And in the beginning, I fed one at a time to figure out both of their latches first before getting comfortable with tandem feeding.
Get Creative!
Do whatever makes it easy and comfortable for you, these are just ideas and what I’ve found helpful.
There is no “right way” to breastfeed twins. You can do whatever is easiest or most comfortable for you and your babies. If you need any help, I am here for you, I offer twin breastfeeding consults and I also have a digital Twin Breastfeeding Course that has everything you’d ever need to know about breastfeeding twins! Reach out to me with any questions!