A new University of Dundee study will explore ways to strengthen breastfeeding support for families with multiple babies.
Experts from the University’s Faculty of Health will coordinate a nationwide study that aims to identify how parents of twins, triplets and other multiples can be assisted if they wish to breastfeed, often in the face of significant practical challenges.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Dundee researchers will collaborate with experts at the Elizabeth Bryan Multiple Birth Centre at Birmingham City University, Twins Trust, Breastfeeding Network and NHS Tayside for the Twin and Multiples Feeding breastfeeding support (TANDM) study. Together, they will engage with parents of multiple children and host workshops across the UK to produce recommendations for healthcare providers.
“Rates of breastfeeding among multiple birth infants are lower than those of single babies, often causing distress to parents who had initially intended to breastfeed their young during pregnancy,” said Dr Anna Gavine, an expert in maternal and infant health at Dundee who is leading the study.
“While breastfeeding offers significant health benefits for both mothers and babies, parents of twins and higher-order multiples often face additional challenges.
“Multiple babies are more likely to be born prematurely, and many require specialist neonatal care, making breastfeeding more difficult. There are also the practical, physical challenges of having to breastfeed more than one or two babies, which can be daunting to a new mother.
“Parents of multiple children are often overlooked in research, so by working with this group and utilising their first-hand experiences, we can create tailored advice to make the lives of future parents in similar circumstances as easy and stress-free as possible.”
Professor Alastair Denniston, Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme, said, "This study will provide crucial information from parents with lived experience of breastfeeding after multiple infant births, helping to identify the challenges they face and how best to support them.
"The NIHR celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and over the past two decades, we're proud to have funded a wide range of women's health-related studies like this which have made a real difference in improving women's healthcare, while also helping in our aim to build a fairer health system."
Twins image. Credit - Arabella Futcher