Before you sit down...

Bottle feeding twins these last few nights has reminded me of something I sometimes forget to tell parents. As much as I believe that responding to baby's cues is so important, I also have to add that preparing things ahead of time is probably just as helpful. When I teach breastfeeding classes, I cover how babies give feeding cues that can be identified pretty early on in their life. Rooting, hand sucking, mouthing, turning head from side to side, grunting, etc, are all ways that babies tell us they are ready to eat. If they can be caught before the hunger escalates, then a peaceful transition to feeds usually follows. I find you generally have about 5 to 15 minutes warning before that happens. (Although for a few babies, you have approximately 60 seconds to get something food related in their mouth!) If you do have a few minutes warning, setting up the lactation or bottle feeding station makes all the difference.

• Take a minute and get yourself ready first: Go to the bathroom (you might be under a baby for over an hour...go now!). Grab some water and a snack if you can. Get your mobile device(s), a pad of paper and pen, & TV remote. Gather feeding supplies (pillows, extra blankets, breast pads, burp cloths, nipple shield, bottles, bibs, pacifiers, etc).

Now you can sit down! Once you get everything assembled, sitting down to feed can be sweet AND efficient. If you forget something and have a need for it, you might feel trapped. This goes double for feeding twins. I have found making parents a feeding basket with handle to keep all their items can be an easy fix for feeding in multiple locations. I hope this helps...now off to gather items for a double feed...