Bad night
My husband had the night shift from 2-7am and almost had a nervous breakdown- they both would not stop crying no matter what he did! He fed them and changed them. Took their temps.... Their nursery is right next to our bedroom and as I tried to sleep their screams just penetrated through the walls. I tried not to get up, since it was his turn- I had done my turn earlier- but they were both screaming bloody murder. I got up to see what was wrong and they were both lying next to him ( on the bed we have in the nursery) crying. I asked him if he had fed them and he went crazy! He shouted that of course he did but didnt know why they were crying. He also said he didnt want to wake me since it was his turn. I seriously doubt that he didnt want to wake me since he could have taken them to the living room so that I would not hear their screams (like I do when he sleeps so as to not wake him). Of course that meant that I got up before I was supposed to take care of them. My husband got mad at me and said he no longer wants to take care of them at night. Ha! Meanwhile it was his day off today so that is why we took turns at night. When he has to work I let him sleep at night. Some type of resolution needs to be made very soon since I am starting work in a week and a half. I think the lack of sleep is getting to us- we fight all the time over the girls.
Anyway, I fed them and changed them and put them in their beds now. They are still crying so really there is nothing more that I can do for them- sometimes babies need to cry. I mean- what else can I do? Maybe I need to up their formula? I dont know. When do you know its time to up the formula? All I do know is that I am dying to take a shower, I have two screaming babies and a husband who is on the verge of a breakdown. I am tired.
I need a shower and a nap. Today I was supposed to go buy new clothes for work since nothing fits my post pregnancy body. I need transitional clothes. It was supposed to be a me day- buying clothes, getting my hair done after forever.... we'll see what happens. I keep going onto other twin mom's blogs and go backwards to see if they went through what I did- and of course they did. i mean, when will they sleep for more than 3 hours? They are technically like newborns, but are over 2 months now. Do we go by gestational age or corrected? I dont know.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Posted by Gemini Girl at 7:26 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Hi,
I've been there and it is tough. My boys were born 9 weeks early and I always went by the age they should be if they had been born on time. So I figured they got a couple extra mos of being a newborn, and newborns don't sleep well! My husband and I fought constantly too. I think you're so tired, don't know what to do, etc. He started out great in the beginning and after a few weeks it just got to us. HAve you tried letting them sleep in a vibrating bouncy or swing at night? I know a few nights they slept in the swing and one of us would lay on the couch half awake half asleep restarting their music when it went off. They might be too young for a bedtime routine but you can try a soothing bath, story, nighttime music, swaddling, etc when it's bedtime. I upped their bottle when they started drinking all of it fairly quicklly and didn't act hungry afterwards or just feel asleep. Check online, I know there are websites saying how muhc a baby should drink based on weight. good luck, it will get easier, it has to!
Candice
I have had people swear by the baby whisperer. I haven't seen her video, or even the appearance on Opra.h but it may be something that helps you understand what might be wrong.
If your girls are finishing their bottles and still sucking for more...up the ounces maybe 1 or 2 at a time.
Growth spurts aren't fun, but they happen.
Good luck to you both ! stay strong. when you have a moment when you are both calm and relaxed (more so than 2 am) make sure to talk about things. make sure to explain that it's the tired and frustrated talking and not to take it personal...which you still will in the moment, but it helps you get over it and realize you are both trying later :)
I'd say that if they're finishing their bottles completely then add a little more and see if they finish that. I never really had to worry too much about how much formula was enough b/c we breastfed exclusively....so my answer could be completely off the mark.
If you think they're having a growth spurt then the food issue could be the problem. Sometimes they just cry...it's crazy. I hope you guys get some sleep!! Maybe you should get your mom to sit for you so that you guys can go on a date!!
I'm sorry. I hope they start sleeping more soon. Hang in there.
I don't have any advice for you, but I've heard that it gets a lot easier, so you are probably in the midst of the hard part. I hope the twins get some sleep soon, and if you can't take that "me" day, I hope you can take it soon. When I get my hair done, its amazing how much better I feel.
Hugs.
Funny, I just wrote a post on how my perspective of the night has changed...it does get better but YES, it sucks for a while.
I don't remember exactly when things got better but it was pretty recently...I'd say around five months old or so (and my girls were 2 months early). I bought about 5 books on getting baby to sleep through the night (Baby Whisperer, No-Cry Sleep Solution, Happiest Baby on the Block, Babywise, etc.)and, honestly, they might work for singletons but the techniques just weren't right for us with twins.
I can only remember one night that we let them cry. And they cried ALL night long. Sometimes you just have to do it.
You might want to try giving them a little more formula at your last night feed. If they don't want it, they usually won't take it. We never really knew when to up it, either, but just gradually added an ounce every other week or so and paid attention to how much they were really drinking.
Somehow, Chayse has finally learned to sleep in her bed but Landry still comes to sleep with us. And I ALWAYS said I'd never let our baby sleep with us. HAHAHAHA. That's the only way I get any sleep so that's what's happening. I figure when they are old enough to understand that they need to stay in their bed, we'll work on that. Plus, Landry always starts off in her bed every night.
I wish I had some better advice for you but it just takes time. Good times are ahead, I promise. I hope you have looked at my previous blogs because I had a pretty hard time with it so hopefully I can be an inspiration to you that things WILL get better and fairly soon.
Hey GG, wow - it's all happening in your neck of the woods. The one thing I just couldn't get over when Tiger was a newborn was the lack of sleep. No wonder it's a form of torture in some countries!!
I really, really hope that your beautiful girls settle down soon and start sleeping for longer amounts, it makes a world of difference. xoxoxox
Oh God.
Twins must be such hard work. Of course they are! I hope you & hubby get some sleep soon...the girls may have other plans. Can you delay returning to work? You'll be a wreck. Thinking of you xx
I hear you- when they cry I just don't know what to do!! I just feel so helpless sometimes... and the lack of sleep is such a killer. I can't imagine doing anything other than feeding them and attempting to sleep for the next 4 weeks.
I had a little anxiety reading about what you and your husband are goign through since of course we went through the exact same thing. I even threatened to leave him. I was serious. He shaped up after that.
Mine were 8 weeks old when they started sleeping from 11 pm to 5am. I would say you would need to adjust their age for this situation. mine were born at 36 weeks, 5 lbs and no nicu at all.
when you go back to work you and hubby are going to HAVE to trade night shifts. It's the only fair thing.
dunstan baby language...saved us a LOT of stress. The only sound that was important to me was the "nah" sound. Jackson's was actually more "a-nah" but it definitely means they're hungry.
swaddling is SO important...they love to feel secure. sometimes I would just squeeze one of them and they would stop crying. i swear by the miracle blanket...it's the only one that actually stays done. the velcroe ones they can get out of easily.
Post a Comment