Hi there
First of all - Big Big HUGS
My spirited girls were finally diagnosed with reflux at 13 months and finally medicated for it, but our days and nights during the first year sound like they were quite similar to what yours currently are. The 'groaning' also sounds really familiar. What we did find as well with the reflux was that there was a milk intolerance that went with it as well as all meats (when they were on solids) until they were medicated and they have just finally managed to 'outgrow' the issue.
Your schedule looks almost identical to what ours was, and I found keeping them upright as long as possible would help with the napping but we really struggled with the bedtimes. We went through five different formulas until we found one that worked. Our biggest regret was not being more forceful with our family doctor that something was up. I did find that after particularly rough nights they wouldn't eat as much due to being OT and fussy. At 7 weeks, I wouldn't think that yours would be UT especially with all of the NW's you are going through. It sounds a little more like it could be an OT cycle but I could be wrong on that one.
I do have a couple of questions:
Do you use a paci? Could this be a soothing/comfort issue due to the bronchitis or did it exist before that?
Do they sleep in the same crib? Are they habitually getting out of their swaddle? - the reason I ask these two is that at 2 months we had to separate our girls (spirited) because one was always getting the other one up. They were so active and I found in retrospect that the discomfort from their tummies would get them wiggling out of the swaddles which they so desperately needed. Some nights we physically held their arms in place until I made some swaddles with zippers and they were a lifesaver. If you could yourself or know someone who could do them for you they will save you much heartache in the middle of the night.
Just a side note on twins with reflux: we didn't know at that point that our girls were identical but they were treated the same as far as reflux went and medicated the same which was wonderful. DH's cousin just had identical boys and only one was sent for tests and treated for his reflux (he was spitting blood) and by the time he was sorted out the other one started showing more severe signs. Not sure if yours are fraternal or not but I would strongly suggest you have them looked at the same especially with the family history. Our paediatrician informed us that one of the greatest predictors to reflux is prematurity and although twins are often born 36-38 weeks and deemed 'term' due to their weights they can lag behind as far as gastro development goes. He also informed me that pacifiers help reflux babies due to the constant swallowing of saliva. Not sure if all paed's go with this school of thought but we kept them up and I have no regrets.
Hope at least some of this helps. It DOES get better, but if it's a reflux issue for sure the fastest way for them to get through this is for your doctor to take this seriously and quickly treat the problem.
Best of luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions
Take care
Vicki
