Panicking big time - feeding schedule for twins?

lulugirl

I could not sleep a wink last night (might have had something to do with my aching ribs). I am starting to panic about having these twins at home.

I have been waking up every few hours to give my daughter her meds (she had surgery this past week) and it reminded me of getting up with her as a baby. I started to panic about managing two at night and getting them on the same feeding schedule.

A dad with twins told me and my mom at a multiples sale that the best thing they ever did was get their twins on the same feeding schedule. How do you do this? Is there a book that helps?

I think I am just starting to panic as I get closer to delivering. These babies will not have their own bedroom until we sell our house so we STILL do not know where they will be sleeping or what they will be sleeping in (no room for a crib).

Okay - panicked is mild. Last night I was terrified and wanted to stay pregnant forever.

 

Mrs.Babbsy

our girls eat every 3 hours, we wake them up when they are sleeping to eat to keep them on the same schedule.

I also sleep downstairs on the couch with them. I have a twin bassinet (I highly recommend it). I got mine at the twin sale, but BRU sells them online only.

Mrs.Babbsy

the twin bassinet is a pack n play.

irish1114

I was told that same advice & I could never get it to work.  My son wanted to eat every 2-2.5 hours until he was around 11 months old...it was awful.  MH & I took a baby at night...there was no way we were getting up with both of them all the time

sara1014

Mine also eat every 3 hours, so we wake them to eat whether it's night or day.

If one baby wakes up early or starts looking for food early, then they both eat early.  Sometimes instead of feeding them simultaneously, I'll feed whoever woke up first then the other - so with how mine eat, they're still within about 15-20 minutes of the other which works out fine in the end.

When I'm alone or when we're taking turns in the middle of the night, I feed them at the same time.  I lay them on Boppys with towels in the hole to kind of prop up their behinds a little bit and sit in front of them.  Sometimes the other is patient while their sibling is getting burped!    Their first days home DH and I both got up because with them being small and their heads were floppier, it was hard to prop them to feed them.

Mine have been sleeping in a PnP in our room from day 1 in the bassinet feature next to each other.  We recently lowered it since their combined weight was over the limit, so we plan to move them out soon. 

jettagurl

We let the first baby wake to eat and then will wake the second baby (change diapers prior to feeding both).  That way we get a good 2-3 hr stretch that they both sleep.  So we do somewhat of an on-demand schedule.  Even tho one then is eating about 15 minutes early, it is rarely the first one up that will wake up first the next time.  There's no book that I know of.  For the first couple weeks I'd set my alarm for 4 hrs, so they weren't going longer than that, but I never needed it...the babies are quite reliable! 

Honestly, try not to freak out about it. I do all the night feedings (I'll be a SAHM permanently) because DH works 12-14 hrs/day.  Once in a while one baby will wake about an hour after feeding and be hungry and throw the night off, but that has maybe happened 4-5 times in 5 weeks. 

 

gumiberg

if i can somehow  manage to do it, so can you!

in the beginning, you have to break the cardinal rule and wake a sleeping baby. at night, when one baby woke to eat, we woke  the other one.   after a few weeks, they were waking up together to eat, anyway.

 the hospital staff should help you get this started -
if you plan on tandem nursing/feeding (as i do), then you will start feeding them in 3 hour increments together. if you plan on feeding them separately, you will start a staggard schedule (so you will feed one at midnight, the other at 1230).

really, try not to stress over it.

RobynK

We started from the first feeding to get them on the same schedule.  They ate pretty much every 3 hours at first -- sometimes it would stretch to 4.  Basically feed them at the samet time, if one wakes before the other then you wake the sleeping baby to feed him/her too.

Every singleton mom will tell you "never wake a sleeping baby" -- this does NOT work for multiples if you want to keep your sanity and get them on the same schedule.  If one wakes and is hungry wake the other.

NewMommy2BeFinally

Mrs.Babbsy:

our girls eat every 3 hours, we wake them up when they are sleeping to eat to keep them on the same schedule.

SAME HERE! and i also have the twin pnp. love it. 

bclspeer

Do not panic!!  It is no big deal. When one baby wakes to eat, wake the other baby. Trust me they will both eat. Eventually over time they will begin to wake more or less together to eat anyway. You really do need to keep them on the same feeding schedule at night for your sanity. Really- no big deal....promise. Good luck and best wishes.....enjoy the ride!!!!!

DEP

Totally doable...once you get over the sleep deprivation, and you have EXPERIENCE w/ DD, yeah!!!!

When one wakes, wake the other.  I keep them on an every 3 hr feeding schedule during the day (usually one wakes in time),and feed on demand at night (which usually is around every 4 hrs, occasional 4.5----the babies are gaining weight rapidly, so weight is not an issue and doctor was okay with this).

I place them each in their own bouncy seat at the same time.  I prop the bottle up with a blanket when I need to burp the other and vic versa.  It works.  Feedings at night are short and sweet since they are ravenous b/c they're on demand, and I even PUMP afterwards, so if you don't plan to breastfeed or pump, you already are at a time advantage.

 Ask your friends with children for sleep gear;  we had about 5 bassinets donated to us, so if you lived closer, I would totally offer you one or two!  Good luck!

 

I feed them at the same time during the night