Author Topic: Twins, Need Help!!!  (Read 1008 times)

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Offline carotheline

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Twins, Need Help!!!
« on: September 06, 2013, 19:43:54 pm »
I have 8 week old twins who just started on the E.A.S.Y. routine 2 weeks ago. They're eating every 3 hours, eating 2-4 oz, and they're usually up for 30 minutes - 2 hours for activity time. I would like more structured nap times (such as being awake only 1 - 1 1/5 hours before nap rather than such broad time frames) but that is the lesser of my problems. I get their room ready, swaddle them, occasionally sit with them to wind them down and, 75% of the time, they're off to sleep. I sometimes have to do shush-pat or give them their paci to help them off. The problem then is they only sleep 30-45 minutes and more often then not cry until the next feed because they can't soothe themselves back to sleep and try as I might neither can I. I try shush pat but they go off each other so the one twins cries just keep the other upset. It's a back and forth nightmare. I can only tend to one at a time and living in a very small apartment, there's no quiet place to go to soothe. Even when my husband is home to help, and we're both shush patting, we can only keep them consoled for short periods (no more than 10 minutes or so) before they're crying again. PLEASE HELP!

Offline weaver

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Re: Twins, Need Help!!!
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2013, 11:48:15 am »
Hello and welcome to BW!

I have no experience of twins but I've put out a call for some help so hopefully someone will come along with some BTDT (been there, done that) for you.

Hats off to you for getting them both napping at the same time at all.  I really think that's an accomplishment you should feel good about!

Overtiredness is probably a factor here, average A times at 2 months is 1 hour 15-20 minutes. So I would try shorter A times: this is awake time so include their feeding etc. 

Short naps can also be caused by overstimulation. I imagine just being around each other is pretty stimulating for them so I would reduce any other forms of stimulation that may be going on, exciting toys etc. 

These may help too...
FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions & Related Information
Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!!
Sleep Training  - the early days

Hope some of that helps and lots of love to you and your sweet babies!
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline momtonb&ab

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Re: Twins, Need Help!!!
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2013, 03:31:20 am »
Firstly congrats on those beautiful babies.  These few weeks are for sure the most challenging but I think you will see as Anne has said that if you can get that A time reduced you will find they will sleep longer.  It isn't easy but if you can get them back down earlier rather than later than the 1.25 hr mark you will likely see a BIG difference Ina few days.  And once they sleep longer they also will start eating a little more ..

Are you bottle feeding?

Offline weaver

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Re: Twins, Need Help!!!
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2013, 12:54:20 pm »
This may be of some assistance...some wise words from another twin mama! (To add to Cherie's above, thanks Cherie!)
On having Twinfants
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline my3girlsjde

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Re: Twins, Need Help!!!
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2013, 00:00:28 am »
Some great tips here and I really hope you're settling in well with your new lo's.

I'm thinking OT is an issue here as well. I know how hard a cycle it is when you get stuck in it. There's nothing wrong with AP'ing to get out of an OT cycle. Get out of it, get them sleeping longer and then go back to getting the independent sleep. Getting these lo's going together is a constant state of analyzing and adjusting and reassessing.

Many hugs and congratulations on your twinfants :D It does get easier, you will get more sleep, your los will get more sleep and you will get to enjoy them together in a way that you haven't imagined :)
Vicki - nursing student and proud mother to three refluxers in two years





Remembering my sleeping angels: 17 Jan 06, 30 Jul 09

Offline weaver

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Re: Twins, Need Help!!!
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2013, 12:59:09 pm »
Just realised that link doesn't work so here's what it says:

There must be something in the water lately with this twin explosion. Hopefully this answers a lot of the twin-specific questions that are out there. Don't hesitate to ask a twin mama, as we usually look out for one another (as all mamas do ;) )

1. It's easiest to get the bubbas as close to each other on routine as possible. This is easier to do with identicals but even identicals have their own individual needs. My girls would hit phases within two weeks of each other and those weeks were pretty challenging because you're dealing with a development with one and keep the other one close so you don't go crazy. Nf's were a nightmare in this department  When one woke, we would wake the other to save our sanity.

2. Get help for pu/pd for about a week. It is REALLY hard to do alone. Even if it's for naps, get a friend over and dp to help at night.

3. It is a lot easier to keep them in the same bed until it becomes a hindrance to sleep. Our girls were two months old and started causing too much disturbance in the crib and they were getting too big to lie sideways . Since we had the crib head elevated because we heard it would stop them from projectile vomiting in their sleep and we couldn't do it if they lay end to end.

4. Push the white noise. We still use it and it's so great. It helped with so many nw's just to have only one lo up.

5. Feeding was done by bottles after a week and when I did it on my own, I found the bouncy chairs helped and I would sit in between them. I would give a soother to one and burp the other and then switch before they could hold their bottles. When they could hold their bottles, I would alternate cuddling one and letting the other feed herself. Some people use bottle holders but I have some safety concerns with those. You can stagger the feeds by 20 mins or so if need be, and this would be especially helpful for BF mamas (tandem bf'ing two newborns isn't that easy, I tried it and failed miserably). So twin 1 would be on an EAS routine and twin 2 would be on an AEAS routine. It won't take too much trial and error to figure out which of the two would be more patient with waiting for the feed.

6. Solids were easy because I sat between them and being spirited they ate pretty quick. Sometimes I would feed one a bite and then the other but they got pretty impatient and I learned how to use both hands at the same time. I would strongly suggest BLW as it can let them have some much needed time to entertain themselves and explore while not taxing mom to feed them and keep up with them.

7. Most twins are somewhat premature. Some do exceptionally well, but even at 38 weeks (when my OB/GYN said they liked to get them out), some do have some premie things going on. Some don't need to be corrected at 38 weeks when technically most lo's don't need to be corrected anyway, but I found that mine did, especially the smaller one. Even the intro of foods needed to be delayed by two weeks and it made a world of difference for us. Reflux was definitely an issue for us and many other twins I'm seeing lately.

"Mostly, you make it what it is.  It doesn't have to be overwhelming.  Just do for one what you do for the other, right down to bathing and diaper changes, it is just easier that way." This is the best twin motto ever :D

Special thanks to Cherie for helping with all of this. Twins truly are a joy, they're uniquely challenging and mothers mostly need support. They often ask why there are no twin specific boards (as I did) and my now go-to answer is: I've received so much help from non-twin mamas that my posts would have been lost on a smaller multiples board where many people would skip it as there aren't too many twin families on here. Posting on the regular boards will get the most amount of eyes on the situation and if you put 'twins' in the subject line, then us twin mamas usually jump on for a peek to see if we can help.
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.