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Home › Articles › Multiples › Is Three a Crowd?

Is Three a Crowd?

Breastfeeding Triplets!

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

As an alternative, tandem nursing can be substituted as the babies grow and mature. Tandem nursing is feeding one baby directly after the other, alternating breasts with each. This method works best for triplets, as the alternating breast is allowed time to rest and offer more milk to the next baby without causing soreness of the nipple.

Setting a Schedule
Mothers of triplets must plan when to breastfeed as to ensure all her babies are getting what they need to start out healthy and happy. However, planning a feeding schedule for breastfeeding three babies can be overwhelming and tricky, but it can be done. "So much depends upon the mother's personality," Huotari says. "So many of us are so organized and will fall into a set schedule of every two or three hours. However, if you are not very well organized, you will probably get into a habit or a pattern of feeding the babies when they ask for it. The most important thing is that you have to be flexible. If it's 2 o'clock in the morning and the babies are supposed to be feeding but they are sleeping, let them sleep – it could give you an extra hour of sleep yourself. You can't be a slave to a plan."

When planning your breastfeeding pattern and schedule, try to rotate the babies so that each one gets their turn on each breast throughout the day. This is where creating a chart comes in handy. Rotating keeps the supply and demand fairly even on each breast so all three babies get their fill.

When It Doesn't Work
Not all breastfeeding attempts with triplets are successful. There are times when problems or complications arise that can prevent the babies from breastfeeding. However, this should not be looked at as a failure. "It's good to have a goal, and if your goal is maybe six weeks then you should strive for that goal," Huotari says. "It's a shame when people decide they don't even want to try and then they see someone else who is successful at it. If you tried and you succeeded somewhat – even if it is only for a few weeks – then you can feel that you have succeeded, period. It's very empowering to know that you tried and had even a little success than to never have tried at all."

"I had breastfed my first baby and didn't really do much to plan beforehand for breastfeeding my triplets," says Kendra Lutz, a dental hygienist and mother of four in Miamisburg, Ohio. "The biggest problem was the babies learning to suck. The doctor wanted to measure their intake. I had to pump my breasts and then divide it into the bottles to ensure they were getting enough and that they were all getting the same amount of nutrition. It was so hard to figure out whose turn it was and to make sure that they each got the same amount of milk. I tried breastfeeding them two at a time for a while, but my son would empty my one breast, leaving nothing for the third baby. We kept a chart to help but it became very hard so we stopped after about six or eight weeks. It was a good experience, and I loved trying it."


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