Twin boys - help!!

[claire1982]

Hey everyone,

Its been a long time since I was here writing about my daughter who is now 4! I now have twin boys aged 3 months (just over). And I have issues!!! 

I have no routine in place yet, it seems at this point, impossible with two of them!!! if one cries I need to get to him before he wakes the other! Most of the time they want fed at the same time, they even poo around the same time. At night, they wake every 3 hours most of the time. During the day we are in a mess! They wake up around 8am then want food, I change their nappies first and clothes and take them downstairs to a playpen which has a raised level with pillows. I then make their bottles - but this depends on whether I have to take my daughter to nursery (which I have been this week) and in that instance I leave them with my husband who does his best whilst trying to get ready for work. So they eat and fall asleep in the playpen and normally wake up 45m-1h later wanting more food....I have been trying to feed them every 3 hours and then they generally sleep a little longer. So then my daughter comes home with my husband around 5pm when the babies have just about fallen asleep so they wake up soon after and are then awake till we take them upstairs around 9pm - because our daughter goes to bed at 8pm, hubbys son 8.30pm, should I get them to bed much earlier like around 7pm if they are awake so long?? should I be taking them upstairs to nap? how much should they be awake now? how many naps? they never seems to eat more than 50mls if they are eating often and they get really cranky around 6pm till they go to bed - probably overtired. The problem is, when I feed them every 3 hours they have 80-90mls generally, their appetite isnt increasing?? the formula box says they should be having between 100-170mls per meal, 5 times a day. I know I am feeding them more than that.....

I need a routine I can get into....Its so hard with two....I thought about bathing before bed but that is so problematic as when one is done, they want a bottle and in the middle of me bathing one the other one starts to cry because he has to sit there starving so then I get stressed and it isnt relaxing at all. So now I have decided to take them up with my husband and change them into nightclothes, feed them, then put them down to sleep. Obviously this isnt easy because of them being overtired. Im a mess! and lost! any help please?? I keep trying to find the time to find my BW book but I need to find the key to the cupboard and I never seem to have the time. Also, I have been trying pacifiers to subdue some of the hunger crying between the 3 hours but I feel like I HAVE to feed them as they want after 6pm due to me thinking my husband is getting stressed out with them crying. I am exhausted help!

[claire1982]

also they have had stuffy noses for weeks now (3 approx) cant seem to shift this cold!

[my3girlsjde]

Wow hun, congrats on your twins and big hugs. I remember the chaos and I can tell you it really does come together.

I was completely horrible with EASY but having had twins, I think a couple of things might help you out:

Are you using white noise of any kind? I swear by it and it really helps so so much. I still use it with my girls every night. I really think it would help you in the mornings.

I would start getting them to nap in their cribs when you're able to.

Is there any way your daughter or dh could give that first bottle while you're bathing the second twin? Dh and I would team up at bath/bedtime and I would bath one and hand her to dh for a bottle and I would do the other and do her bottle and after they were down, I would quickly clean up the bath area.

It does sound like they're up quite late. As for the amounts fo formula, I really don't remember but I can get some bottle feeding eyes on this as well.

Will hang around to support you hun.

[Lolly]

I have no twin advice - I'll leave that to the experts!

With feeds, can you swap their morning routine so that you feed them first as soon as they wake up (and nappy change)? Even with one baby I often still had DD in her pjs when I took DS to pre-school, I just put a coat/ snowsuit on her and then bathed/ dressed her when we got back. It meant that once she was fed and happy I could put her in her bouncy chair and get myself ready and DS while DH was around to keep an eye too.

Are the small feeds all day? Have you tried a faster flow teat for them? Do they have any digestive issues like reflux?

Can you post how the day has been with feed times and amounts and sleep times so we can get a better picture of how things are going. If you can it's helpful to write it as

Eat - what times how much
Activity - how long for
Sleep - what times how long for

Hang in there - we will do our best to help!

Laura

[claire1982]

Okay, I will keep a record for the next couple of days of their EASY routine. Last night I took them up when they were just starting to whinge for food - around 7.45pm but then DH came in and started tickling them so we ended up with the overtired-try-anything-to-get-them-to-sleep mode....I swaddled the one that was overtired and managed to get him sleepy and then he took milk and fell asleep. But then I was stressed about Hannah getting to bed again....

Today they woke up and I changed nappies and clothes then fed them and all of this quickly as we had to go to the health visitor with them for their 3 month check up so we just came back. Anyway, will keep a record of today, tomorrow and sunday and then post on either sunday evening or monday. The health visitor did just say that they have thrush in their mouths and there is also the snot issue.

Thankyou for being there for me! :-)

[claire1982]

also, with regard to the teats - I tried a 3 for them but they swallowed even MORE air if thats possible!! so I have no idea when to go up a size