Episode 82 (Epilogue): Tandem Nursing

Tandem Nursing refers to a mom who nurses multiple babies or children at the same time. Sometimes these children are the same age, such as twins, but sometimes these individuals are different ages, such as siblings. Cheryl, and tandem nurser herself, and Carmela discussed tandem nursing, with a focus on nursing siblings of different ages. They started by noting that each tandem nursing mother is different, just as their individual nursing relationship with each child is different

Our guest tonight was Jeanie DeLa. Jeanie is a parenting enthusiast, Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified Childbirth Educator, Car Seat Safety Technician, Infant Mental Health Specialist, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. But her greatest achievement is being mother to Justin age 11 and fraternal twins Jason and Jamie age 8. Jeanie tandem nursed her twins, and walked us through some of the struggles she had when she first started nursing, and how she came through this difficult time to a successful tandem nursing experience. Jeanie and Cheryl discussed concerns that individuals may have about milk supply, and assured listeners that bodies can make enough milk to nurse multiple children.  The also stressed the importance of reaching out for help if individuals are struggling with nursing.  Jeanie also dispelled the myth that women cannot nurse when they’re pregnant, and noted that for the vast majority of individuals, nursing during pregnancy is safe.  We also discussed shifts in breast milk during pregnancy and after birth, and what this means for tandem nursing.

Cheryl then moved to a discussion of some of the potential frustrations that can be associated with tandem nursing, in particular a need for space that mothers may feel when nursing both a baby and a toddler. Jeanie suggested some steps to take in order to develop new nursing patterns with the older child to best meet the needs of everyone involved.  Cheryl and Jeanie also discussed “momma guilt” in nursing relationship, and how mothers can best manage by paying particular attention to the specific needs of each child, instead of just general ideas of what being the “best” mother is.

Next, Carmela and Jeanie discussed potential for germ and illness sharing in tandem nursing household, focusing on the fact that breast milk is a good boost for the immune system. Finally, Jeanie discussed how individuals with chronic low supply can best attempt tandem nursing, focusing in particular on releasing guilt associated with supplementation and cherishing beautiful breastfeeding moments that do happen as more than just filling bellies. We closed our show tonight with some listener statements on tandem nursing.

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