How your breasts produce milk

In the first few days after the birth, your breasts produce colostrum , a protein-rich food that supplies your baby with valuable antibodies against infection. Once you begin to produce milk on around the fourth day, your baby will naturally stimulate your body into producing a plentiful supply for his/her dietary needs.

The key to a good milk supply is feeding your baby when he/she wants to be fed - and in the early days that may mean at one – or two – hourly intervals. Breast milk production works on a demand and supply system: the more often your baby nurses, and the more he/she takes, the more your breasts will produce. Supplementary bottles of formula milk will undermine this system: if your baby’s hunger is satisfied by a bottle, he/she won’t be eager to suck and your breasts won’t get the stimulation they need.

Breast milk isn’t all the same. At the beginning of the feed, your baby takes foremilk, which is watery and thirst-quenching. Then he/she gets to the hindmilk, rich in calories and more satisfying. This is why it’s important to let his/her suck for as long as he/she wants to at each feed: otherwise he/she will soon be hungry again.

What you need to do

All you need to do to produce enough milk is to eat a good, balanced diet with plenty of protein, to drink whenever you are thirsty – have a glass of juice or milk on hand while you feed – and to rest as much as you can. Your baby’s natural appetite will do the rest.

You need a lot of energy to produce breast milk, so this is not the time to diet – you will feel run down and exhausted. Follow your appetite, and make sure you get the extra calories you need from fresh, vitamin – rich foods rather than “empty” carbohydrates. While you’re breastfeeding you need to take a vitamin D supplement containing 10 micrograms (mcg). Everything else you should get by eating a varied and balanced diet.     

care of newborn twins

Newborn Baby twins are double the work but also double the fun, from splashing in the bath to changing their diapers. The feeling can be overwhelming, just take one day at a time always accepting and asking for help if you need it. Even the most experienced moms can feel the pressures of caring for a newborn let alone caring for twins. When the umbilical cord is cut after delivery (this is painless), it leaves an umbilical cord stump. This will drop off within 1 to 3 weeks. Special care is required to prevent infection.

• Keep the umbilical stump clean and dry
• Let the stump fall of naturally
• Clean with a cotton swab with either cooled boiled water
• To keep from diapers and clothing rubbing the stump try to fold the diaper away from the stump and wear loose fitting clothing

My Best Tips on Bathing Twins

• The best way to bath twins is one at a time, it’s a bit tricky to bath them at the same time at least until they can sit by themselves.
• You can use a baby bath, the family tub or even the kitchen sink. I also used a bath support for our newborn twins, they could lay down keeping their heads out of the water (you could use a couple of hand towels to help with slipping if you don’t have a bath support).
• Get everything ready, towels, washcloths, baby soap and lotion (I used olive oil on our twins it was very gentle on their skin), diapers and clothes.
• I would lay two towels on the floor one for an underlay and the other for drying. This way I could go from the bath then wrapped up in a towel in seconds, babies can get cold quickly.
• You could tandem bath your twins with you and your partner (or helper) one does the bathing and one does the dressing.
• When newborn, babies can be bathed less often so you could bath each twin on alternate days.

Baby food

Baby food is any food, other than breast milk or formula, which is made specifically for infants roughly between the ages of four to six months to 2 years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes, can be produced by many manufacturers, or may be table food that the rest of the family is eating, mashed up. Because infants lack teeth, many different baby foods are designed for ease of eating; they are either a soft, liquid paste or an easily chewed food. Babies typically move to consuming baby food once nurture or formula is not sufficient for the child's appetite. Babies do not need to have teeth to transition to eating solid foods. 

Breast milk or principle is the only food your newborn needs. Within four to six months, however, your baby will begin to develop the coordination to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing. At the same time, your baby's head control will improve and he or she will learn to sit with support — essential skills for eating solid foods. Babies begin eating liquid style baby food, sometimes mixed with rice cereal and procedure, or breast milk. Pureed vegetables and fruits are an example of liquid style baby food.  

Your baby is 7-8 months old, he/she can eat '2' baby foods, which include single ingredient and combination foods that are strained, instead of being pureed. Examples are Beech-Nut Naturals Stage 2 Apples & Bananas, Gerber 2nd Foods Garden Vegetables, Heinz Strained Vegetables, and Earth's Best Corn and Butternut Squash.