Meet Eleanor and Iain
Eleanor and Iain live in Sherwood with their three children – Chloe and her twin sisters, Abigail and Naomi. Eleanor always knew she wanted to give breastfeeding a go, and she was prepared for it to be a challenge. She faced lots of difficult times with Chloe but continued to breastfeed for 19 months.
When Eleanor told her friends and family that she was expecting twins, many of them told her she would have to give up the idea of breastfeeding. But Eleanor wanted to give it a go. She knew that tandem feeding could lead to lots of challenges, and that many of them would be different to those she faced with Chloe. She decided that she would try for as long as she could, but always take it one day at a time. She didn’t want to put too much pressure on herself, or her babies.
Breastfeeding twins has been quite the journey. Eleanor was tired and overwhelmed, especially at the start. But she always turned to her partner Iain, who has been her biggest support. For Iain, helping with breastfeeding wasn’t only feeding the twins with expressed milk. He also did the bulk of the research, so that he and Eleanor could navigate their tricky path together.
While Eleanor has found breastfeeding is a way to share special moments with her babies, Iain has found lots of ways to bond with all three of his daughters. He cooks with Chloe while Eleanor feeds the twins, saying: ‘You feed them, so I’ll feed you’.