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Multiples
MADforever2009
member
babywise peeps...come in
MADforever2009
member
in Multiples
Since the boys came home from the nicu, they are doing really well on a 3 hour feeding schedule...they wake up on their own and everything. im getting thru babywise and trying to implement the waketime. (because they really just eat and go back to sleep after about 45 mins (25 of feeding and 10-15 of waketime/diaper changing) How long is/was your waketime for newborns? Should mine be less since they are preemies?
Also, since I have attempted the waketime, they are not eating as well at night. (too tired) should i try to have them sleep longer?
One last Q- diaper changing... do you guys always change before AND after feedings? My boys will usually have a poo before hand (not always) but normally poo 10-15 mins after feeding...so for the night feedings i feel bad putting them right back to bed knowing they are about to sit in poo for 2-3 more hours.
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Re: babywise peeps...come in
don't worry about the play time that early on- esp with preemies.... just use that few minutes after they eat to talk to them, sing to them- and then they will fall asleep shorting after eating that early on.... eventually that time extends on it's own.
my boys always pooped after eating- while being burped so i always changed them after they pooped... not before eating unless there was a poop in the diaper already.
I didn't get any more wake time than you describe at that age. Mine were 35weekers and it took about a month to get decent wake times.
At night are you waking them to feed or letting them wake naturally? They should wake on their own. I tried to keep mine awake during night feedings to make sure they took a full feeding (or close to it) but otherwise I didn't keep them awake.
When they pooped I changed their diaper. Yah sometimes that meant changing it 2x in an hour but I didn't want them to get diaper rashes. It won't be long before they poop less so you won't have to change them as often
I used Baby Wise, but wasn't strict about the wakeful time b/c it was hard keeping them awake. I actually would let them nap after feedings & their wake time would be before feedings. I was more concerned about getting them on the same feeding schedule & eating every 3-4 hours. But I didnt' start mine till they were 2 months (b/c I wasn't informed about the book till then) & mine weren't preemies. Like she said above at this age & being preemies I wouldn't worry to much about the wakeful times yet.
Also I changed them before feedings especially at night so after their bottles they wouldn't get woken up w/ the daiper changes.
letting them wake up on their own, but setting alarm to make sure they dont go more than 4 hours without a feeding (since they are preemies) and every time they wake up before the alarm, about 3 1/2 hours.
Thanks ladies. Makes sense with the waketime... it seems like i fight to keep them up for 10 minutes and they cant keep their eyes open but the second i put them down for their nap they are super alert. Then i feel bad cause i want some bonding time with them and i feel like im ignoring them.
my own sister made a comment to my other sister yesterday that she was concerned i wasnt "holding" my babies enough. I take it lightly because her 2 year old RUNS her household but i also dont want to be that mom...
Any thoughts on that?
it's hard with twins - you can never hold them enough b/c there are 2... and you have other things to do!
every couple days i'd take a nap with them both on me... i used to let Griffin nap on me a LOT b/c i felt so miserable when he napped it wasn't like i was doing much - so we had a LOT of snuggle time. I felt guilty that the twins didn't get that so much from me b/c there were 2 of them, and i felt great after having them - so was busier... but getting a nap in here and there with a baby or two on your chest is nice... do it now and then while you can.
today i had both of the twins on me for about 10 minutes - i was in HEAVEN b/c it was the first time i've had both snuggle on me at the same time since they were infants.... they fight now if they are on my lap together - but i snagged a rare moment and cherished it
Gotcha. That's great you get 3.5 hrs!
To anyone who says that, I say that they are more than welcome to come over at 2:30 in the morning when there is a screamfest because of overtired, miserable babies that have had people in their faces all day and have been passed around like a side dish and just can't settle down. I have been called the Baby Nazi (in a loving way) by my mom because when my babies are down to sleep, they are left to sleep and we don't wake sleeping babies just to hold them because we feel like it. This has made me very unpopular with my MIL, who says we "let them sleep too much" but until she's the one dealing with babies who are off their routine, she can just get over it.
Point is, you have to do what is best for you and your family. Twins are a whole different ballgame and it's just not possible to hold them as much as a singleton, and you will need them to be more independent in general, because there are always going to be two of them and just one of you. It sounds like your boys are being given the best of care, so don't let anyone who's not a MoM try to make you question your parenting.
Like others have said...don't worry about waketime so much right now. Singing, talking to them, etc. for about 10 minutes was all mine could take. My girls were 36 weekers, but based on their behavior, our doctors told us they behaved more like preemies.
My girls had trouble gaining weight (like preemies), so I had to feed them every three hours, even at night. I had to set an alarm too....(oh god, your post just brought back memories!!!). I would change their diaper to wake them up (also used the damp washcloth thing on their face). Sometimes I had to change them after they ate too...but I only did it if they pooped.
Remember at night to be "all business"- darkness (not even TV in a dark room), no talking to them, whispers only to DH, etc. I was a psycho about it, but my girls figured out night/day pretty quickly.
The alarm clock thing doesn't last long! I remember a couple of times around Week 5 we did a couple nights where we let them go longer b/c we NEEDED to. One night we got 6 hours between feedings!!!! By Week 7 we were totally done waking them every 3 hours and they did great. They were sleeping in pretty decent stretches after their 10 pm bottle.