tips to handling twins overnight

jlh123

My husband and I are really hurting physically and emotionally at nights.  Each time they wake up to feed, which is usually together, we both have to get up since they both are crying.  No one gets more than a few hours at once and that's if the night is going well.  Also, DH is going to visit his sick mom in the next week and I have no clue what I"m going to do.  Thinking about hiring a night nanny but the thought of the babies not waking up to me is breaking my heart even if it's just for a few days.  They know us and are comforted by us.  Any advice?

bearfootz

Not much advice as we're in the same boat most nights. But I would say to go ahead with the night nanny or have a friend stay with you.  My dh will be gone overnight this wkd and the thought of doing it alone overwhelms me so my Mom is staying with me.  If I end up not needing help, great. But if things get busy at least I'll know she's there. 

I know it will be hard to have an outsider for you. Look at it this way, if that baby wakes up hungry at some point they care more about getting food vs. who has the bottle.

good luck

omalley

Have you guys tried working in shifts?  You could go to bed at 8:00 pm and sleep for 4-5 hours and then relieve DH.  And you could try to feed both babies at the same time.

I would sit up in my bed with my legs straight out and a boppy on each side of me (next to my thighs)  I would have to put blankets in the center of the boppie b/c the babies were still small.  One baby would cry a little when I was burping the other but I always had binkies close by.

When DH goes out of town you should set up someone to come help you.  Even if it is just to let you sleep for a few hours.  And your babies will be ok with a nurse.  Remember, you getting sleep is one of the best things you can do for your babies.

DEP

If you can afford a night nanny, then that is what I would do!  You can then sleep, or get up to just check, change a diaper, and then go back to bed!

 I've done the night feedings by myself, in fact all feedings for 3 days (my mom did chip in at times).  I place both in a bouncy seat, and when one has to burp, I prop the bottle for the other with a blanket while i am burping and vic versa.  It works like a charm, and is a total time saver, both durin gthe day and at night.

Good luck!

MNheidi

SInce I was pumping, dh and I got up for each feeding and it was rough but eventually, we were able to do it solo.  I'd sit on the floor and put each baby in a boppy.  I made a prop out of stuffed animal and used it when I needed to burp a baby. 

it is tough but it can be done and once they start sleeping for longer stints, mommy & daddy will feel more normal too.

Kim&Jim

We have the space saver high chairs and I used those for night feedings.  DH needs his sleep and since I'm staying at home with them, I was able to nap during the day.

I just put the high chairs on the floor in the infant setting (reclined) and held the bottles for them.  I would sit on the floor facing them.  It worked like a charm!!  It made me a little sad to not feed them while holding them, but we had plenty of other time for that.

macchiatto

I would start sleeping in shifts with your husband. You both getting up every time they wake up is much harder on you. Yes, both babies might be crying at once, but isn't one of you handling them during the day by yourself? It is tough but completely doable for one of you to handle them at a time. That way you each can get 4-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night! That will make a world of difference in your ability to take care of them the rest of the time.

I do think the night nurse sounds like a good idea. At your babies' age, they are too young for stranger anxiety or separation anxiety. As long as someone trustworthy and caring is there to take care of them, they'll be OK.

keg

If you can do it, definitely hire a night nanny.  We had one when the girls were little and it definitely saved what little sanity I had left.  It's amazing what a difference having a somewhat uninterruped night of sleep can do for you!  Our nanny absolutely adored the girls and since they were her only responsibility, she was able to cuddle them and such which for those of us trying to take care of them and still get some sleep didn't always happen as much.  Even though DDs were only 3 months when we stopped using her, they would get excited to hear the nanny's voice when she called to check on them as they got older.  And oh yeah, yours are young enough that they gnerally don't care who is taking care of them, just as long as they are fed and comfy. 

Probably around that age, I got pretty good at feeding them together by myself.  I would have two boppies on the floor or bed facing me and then hold a bottle with each hand.    

ETA:  Hang in there!  I can remember one of the most exciting things was when DDs started holding their own bottles.  It definitely makes life soooo much easier!   

 

MrsSweetpeaMagee

When the boys were little we split them up and one would sleep downstairs with DH and one would sleep upstairs with me... when it became summer time and we moved to camp, we would feed them at the same time on the couch in boppies...

when DH went away I did whatever I could to get them to sleep, one slept in the PNP and the other slept in the swing for most of the night... I slept on the couch in our living room... I stayed  up a lot later than I usually do so I could watch him sleeping in the swing and then switched him into the PNP with his brother.... thankfully those nights they slept really well...  and I didn't have to work the next day.

groovygrl

That is rough, sorry

Ditto the others on shift sleeping- I have miraculously not felt sleep deprived in 3 months b/c we do this & each get 4-5 hrs of uninterrupted sleep, plus whatever we can get during our 'shift'. We don't sleep in teh same bedroom though.

I'd get whatever help you can when he is away. I don't simul=feed my twins ever- I have tried so many times but it is just easier for me to space them apart about 20-30 min so that they're not both wanting to eat at the same time. even though it takes me longer, it saves my sanity a bit. I would also try bottle propping if you feed them at the same time, esp if you have one that is a better feeder & could do better w/ a prop.

GL!!! 

jlh123

thanks everyone for the advice.