13 Beautiful Tandem Breastfeeding Photos

While tandem nursing got a little crazy, logistically-speaking, for Lucy AitkenRead and her two girls, she wouldn't have had it any other way. "I can remember feeling we were all a tangle of limbs for a few days," AitkenRead says. "There'd be one child latched on, while another had a nipple in her ear. I'd have a foot in my armpit and a knee in my neck. Finally, there'd be a peaceful three minutes of sweet gulping and then the 2-year-old would be climbing on my head!" Ultimately, though, it worked out well for AitkenRead and she says that she wouldn't have done anything differently!

Daphne Heath credits tandem nursing with helping her eldest make the transition from only child to big brother—also, it made her feel like a rockstar. "The pros definitely outweighed the cons," Heath says of tandem nursing. "It helped my oldest with the transition of having a new baby around, and he also helped with engorgement those first few weeks. Also, nourishing both of my babes at once made me feel like an absolute queen!"

Every mother worries about spending time with their first-born after baby number two arrives, and for Raffaella Dobles, tandem nursing helped with that all-too-common conflict. "When my eldest decided she wanted to continue nursing after my daughter was born, I knew it was because she needed it," Dobles says. "Whether it was for comfort or a way to bond with mother and new baby, I knew it was important." But of course, there's a flip side to every situation. "There were more than a handful of times that I felt overtouched," Dobles reveals, "But that period was once in a lifetime—and that meant more to me than the momentary crazy."

Asia Lemoine is down more than 78 pounds and, among other things, she has breastfeeding two kiddos at once to thank. Of course, what's really important to Lemoine is the bond tandem nursing created between her daughters. "The bond they've created is amazing," says Lemoine. "It sounds cliché, but it's true. The love my girls have for each other is surreal. The weight loss has been a nice bonus!"

Ashley Sumner is still nursing her 14-month-old twins and she welcomes the breaks in the day. "Besides saving time and money, I love the quiet downtime tandem nursing gives my children and me during the day," she says. "It's also moving to see them bonding while nursing together." So cute!

Kyra Morelli was in awe of the relationship she saw forming between her sons the first time she tandem nursed. "The first time we tandem nursed I watched my 2 1/2-year-old reach over and caress his brand-new baby brother's head and I knew that we would all share a deep, indescribable bond forever," Morelli reveals. "My heart was so full of love for my two sons it brought tears of pure joy to my eyes."

When Erica Sommer found out she was having twins, she was nervous about the logistics of breastfeeding two babies but was determined to do it. "I started following multiples and pro-breastfeeding accounts on Instagram and started to feel more confident about tandem nursing and knew I could do it," Sommer says. "My twins spent the first nine days in the NICU with feeding issues, but the nurses helped me breastfeed because they knew it was important to me. It's so empowering feeding my boys while we learn and grown together."

In addition to teaching her confidence, trust, and an appreciation for her body, tandem nursing has shown Olivia Burns the amazing bond between her two sons. "Tandem nursing has given my eldest a special time to get to know his new little brother," she says. "He's so affectionate towards him, even reaching out to hold his hand or rub his arm while they both nurse!"

For Tanya English, tandem nursing her baby and toddler wasn't only a sweet way for her girls to bond, it kept her sane, as big sister wasn't quite ready to ween yet. "Tandem breastfeeding was a great way for these sisters to bond from day one. They are now 7 and 5 and are still best friends," English says. "Tandem nursing also was a sanity-saver during those early months!" (Check out that hand holding!)

Lauren Wayne really wanted to love tandem nursing, but ultimately, that's not how she felt. "I loved the idea of tandem nursing," says Wayne. "But the reality was that I felt like a squished octopus, my hands trying to cope simultaneously with toddler limbs crowding me and a floppy newborn baby trying to latch." Wayne also sensed a nursing aversion from her eldest when she started breastfeeding both of her children, so she wound up setting limits, which made things more comfortable for everyone.

Tandem nursing may be tricky, but in the end, it's totally worth it for Olivia Ariza. Not only has it been empowering for her to be able nourish both of her children, it's helped her eldest learn to share. "I love being able to nurture, feed, and comfort both of my little cubs at the same time," Ariza says. "It keeps my toddler confident and comfortable, and it's teaching her to share my attention and my milk!"

Before she started tandem nursing her twins, Jessica Quinlan was sometimes up between seven and 14 times a night! "I eventually decided to just tandem feed my babies and it cut down our night wakings drastically," she says. "Even during the day it has taken a half hour of feeding down to 10 minutes." Sweet! What mom can't use an extra 20 minutes?

Tiff Delancy was always curious about tandem nursing, but she never experienced it with her own children. So, when she had the opportunity to wet nurse her cousin's baby and her toddler at the same time, she jumped right in. "My daughter was so precious with her cousin and she loved having a nursing partner," Delancy says, adding that, despite the cuteness, nursing two at once got a little hectic. "It was pretty crazy and chaotic, but magical all at once!"