Breast-feeding multiples

Human breast milk is the best nutrition for human infants. Its advantages over the milk of other species, such as cows, include both a reduced risk for infections, allergies and chronic diseases, together with the full nutritional requirements for growth and development. Breast-feeding is as importa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Seminars in neonatology 2002-06, Vol.7 (3), p.231-239
Main Authors: Flidel-Rimon, O., Shinwell, E.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Breast Feeding
Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation
Female
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Lactation - physiology
Maternal, fetal and perinatal monitoring
Medical sciences
Multiple Birth Offspring
multiple pregnancy, breast-feeding, lactation, twins, triplets
Nutritional Requirements
Pregnancy - physiology
Self-Help Groups
Tropical medicine
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Summary:Human breast milk is the best nutrition for human infants. Its advantages over the milk of other species, such as cows, include both a reduced risk for infections, allergies and chronic diseases, together with the full nutritional requirements for growth and development. Breast-feeding is as important for multiples as for singletons. Despite the advantages, multiples receive less breast-feeding than singletons. Common reasons for not breast-feeding multiples include the fear of not fulfilling the infants' needs and the difficulty of coping with the demands on the mother's time. In addition, many multiples are delivered prematurely and by Caesarean section. Maternal pain and discomfort together with anxiety over the infants' condition are not conducive to successful breast-feeding. During lactation, the mother needs to add calories to her daily diet. It has been recommended to add approximately 500–600 kcal/day for each infant. Thus, between eating, nursing and sleeping, life is very busy for the mother of multiples. However, there is evidence that, with appropriate nutrition, one mother can nourish more than one infant. Also, simultaneous breast-feeding can save much time. Combined efforts of parents, close family, friends and the medical team can help to make either full or partial breast-feeding of multiples possible. However, when breast-feeding is not possible, health care workers need to carefully avoid judgmental approaches that may induce feelings of guilt.
ISSN:1084-2756
1532-2815
DOI:10.1053/siny.2002.0110