18 week old twins started 5am EW

[GemmaD]

Hi everyone i was just looking for some advice i have read through some similar posts as well.

Until last week (my boys had a tummy bug) this was our EASY (apart from today which is messed up due to EW but tomorrow is a new day!) They are both on the same routine give or take 10 minutes.

Wake up and F- 700/715 (they are becoming increasingly less interested in this first bottle)
S - 830/845 - 930/945am  (i put them in their cot when they start to look tired and begin yawning they settle quickly with min fussing)
E - 11.00am (6/7oz)
S - 1130 - 200/230pm (if the wake after 45 mins i can ssh them back to sleep)
E - 300pm (6/7oz)
S - 4pm - 5pm
E - 645 (6/7oz)
BT - 700pm. We always do nappy change and put on pjs and read a story before bed so that they dont fall asleep feeding. They generally settle well with some shushing. Sometimes we use a paci but this isnt routinely and only if they seem to want to suck. we always remove it if they dont spit it out.
E - 11.30 ish DH does this one usually take 5oz. It used to be a DF but now he waits till they wake and usually feeds them back to sleep we have discussed that this may be an issue and have agreed to not feed them to sleep or would it be better to go back to DF?

They then wake at 3am and take around 4/5oz at the moment a few weeks ago it was less so i was starting to phase it out as i thought i was just a habit. Then they got sick and now we are back to 4/5oz.

They have now started to wake at 5am. If i feed them they take say 4/5oz and will go back to sleep until normal wake up but then wont want a morning feed. If i dont I can usually get them back to sleep until say 6 with help of paci   but then they cry off and on i give in and get them up which ruins our days routine!! im not sure whether i should feed them as they had a feed just 2hrs before. Should i break the 3am feed but not sure if its habitual and feed them at 5?

Is this just a phase/GS/ or have I got something very wrong -i dont know where to start any advice would be appreciated!  

Thanks
Gemma

[Ima shel Alon]

Hi Gemma.
My experience was that EW is the hardest to deal with, harder than NW, because this phase of sleep, towards the morning is lighter, therefore harder to go back to sleep. If feeding works for you for now, I would do it, but that's me.
I think what you could do is leave the 5AM feed, but work maybe on the middle night feed and increase that bottle slowly (1OZ every 3 nights). I would also start the DF again, rather than feeding when waking up. At least that was my experience, that in the first weeks the DF didn't make any difference so I just waited for him to WU, but later on around 4m old we started the DF again and we did see a different. Not straight away, but we did.

[GemmaD]

Hi thanks for your reply. So we went back to basics and picked up the DF again at 11pm
 making sure they had a full feed. They slept through until 3.30am and they managed 6oz and slept through till normal time. Fingers crossed for tonight I guess they still need a full night feed at the moment which is fine I'd rather do this and get up at a normal time. They still not massively hungry at morning wake up at 715 so I left it till 745 i figure not everyone wants to eat as soon as they wake.

[Ima shel Alon]

That sounds great!

[brummum]

Hi Gemma, I appear to be having similar issues to you! Did I read your response right in that reintroducing the dream feed elliminated 5am waking (at least for 1 night anyway!)? Can you or anyone else clarify for me why it is preferrable to do a dreamfeed rather than feed on waking if the wake up is approximately the time you would do a dream feed anyway, and also why a reintroducing dream feed would get rid of that 5am wake up? I am a bit confused!
I will be keeping a close eye on your progress in hopes we can steal some ideas so please keep posting updates!!

[GemmaD]

I'm not really sure about the dreamfeed apart from the boys would wake up themselves anytime between 1130 and 1230 have a feed then still wake up at 3 but would take fewer ounces which I think might be why they started with the EW. A DF just means my OH can feed them just before he goes to bed a little earlier thsn normal and I guess it also helps they have a longer stretch of sleep from 7pm-3am as they don't wake earlier from hunger. I'm no expert henxe my cry for help but I'm sure there is someone who can explain the pros of DF rather than an early NF. But will see what happens tonight it could have just been a one off!!!! Oh btw I also live in birmingham.

[brummum]

There seem to be quite alot of us brummies on here! How did it go last night? We had a bit of a weird one. LO woke at 10:30 for feed. Mantra cried (or what I think was mantra!) at 1:30 and resettled after 20mins then woke at 3:45 so I fed him (but only 5oz as oppose to usual 7 in an attempt to improve morning feed), changed him and added sleep suit (wanted to see if temp was an issue) and he slept through til 7:30!! Unheard of. Unfortunately am now confused about which change led to this. He also had a longer activity period before bed as he would not take a proper cat nap (30mins max). Hoping it's not a fluke!!

[GemmaD]

Hi how did your night go? We have had two good nights now so fingers crossed back on track. I bet it's your last activity time of we mess that but up it does cause problem at night if they don't catnap at all or just half an hour put them into bed by 630 to make up for it as they start to get tired and fractious which works fine.

[Ima shel Alon]

Can you or anyone else clarify for me why it is preferrable to do a dreamfeed rather than feed on waking if the wake up is approximately the time you would do a dream feed anyway

I had to check myself as it worked for us, but I don't know the reason behind it. So I asked in the mods board and I got these as answers:
*A DF doesn't encourage the LO to wake for a feed like feeding at a NW does since they should be asleep for it and hence it doesn't disturb their sleep. Plus the parent then has the control when it comes to weaning.
*It's to help them learn to sleep longer stretches by giving them the calories they need that they would wake for otherwise.

[brummum]

Thanks very much for clarification, will discuss with other half as DF was detrimental previously (went from waking at 1ish to waking prior to dream feed!) but that was a long while ago. His sleep is the best it's been in a long time so a bit weary of making it worse again.
Gemma - is reintroducing the dream feed the only thing you have changed?

[GemmaD]

Hi we make sure they have at least 6oz at DF and NF. Also I make sure they have enough activity time before bed as I mentioned before. So in theory when we DF they are getting a long stretch of sleep. How's it going for you?

[GemmaD]

Hi Ima just wanted to say thanks for your advice we have been back on track for a while now. In bed asleep by 7pm they fall asleep easy DF at 11pm usually take 8oz now. wake around 4am I feed them but only 4oz which takes them to 630/7 when Noah wakes up I usually have to wake Joshua if he's still asleep 30mins after Noah has woken poor lad - he loves a lie in! Also no more paci didn't even have to wean just stopped giving it one day. Writing this it all seems to good to be true I'm sure something new is on the horizon do I'll love it while it lasts! Thanks again for listening when I was lost!

[Ima shel Alon]

Yay! I love when things work out. So happy for you and I hope it lasts long!