So who has got newborn (ish) twins? Roll call

jcath

I think a bunch of us have had our twins (or more) in the last couple of months - anyone up for a check in?

 How are you coping with the lack of sleep?

Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear?

What do you do with the babies when they are awake?

Do you have help? 

 

 

 

jcath

 How are you coping with the lack of sleep?  I'm doing okay but the girls have gone from sleeping 3 hour stretches to 2 and 1/2 which doesn't give me much sleep in between.  I go to bed early and DH does the late night (11 or midnight) feeding so I get a good stretch of sleep before the middle of the night hell begins :)Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear?  I'm trying to keep the girls eating every 3 hours but not super strict about it.  We are also trying to do the sleep, eat, play routineWhat do you do with the babies when they are awake?  The girls like to look at their mobiles, they also like the playmat or just to be in the crib together.Do you have help? Yes - my parents come over almost everyday and I have a night nanny 2 times a week but just for the month of Oct.  I'm really really sad that's coming to an end.

rachelle2824

How long are babies "newborns?" Do my LO's qualify?

How are you coping with the lack of sleep? Lack of sleep is actually not as bad as I thought at this point. For the first month if I got less than 4 hours sleep I made sure to get a nap in the evening when I crashed. Now that I get 6-7 hours I night (not all at once of course) I feel pretty good usually. Of course sometimes I just need an extra nap and I try not to feel guilty about it.

 Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear? We try to keep a 3 hour schedule but if one baby wakes up I let them snack before the next big feeding. No matter what I make both eat at the 3 hour "mark." If they are both awake early and ready to eat then I just feed them. Luckily, it has never been earlier than 2.5 hours so I think it's been a pretty successful schedule.

What do you do with the babies when they are awake? When the babies are awake we just try to do lots of face to face time, tummy time and talking, singing etc. Of course the babies really don't participate in anything but I still try. And of course, sometimes they sit in their swing or whatever while I frantically fold laundry or try to get things done.

Do you have help? For the first 4 weeks I was on my own as my husband worked out of town 5 days a week. Now, he is laid off and we both get to be home all the time. It may not be the best financial situation but we are LOVING it!!

I can't wait to see all the responses, this was a good idea! 

ashes1010

 How are you coping with the lack of sleep?It's actually been easier than I thought (surprisingly!). One of my twins started STTN at 2 1/2 months. The other has been sleeping until 5-6am for a while now. I'm consistently getting 7 consecutive hours of sleep.  Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear?We are sticklers for their schedule. They eat at 7am and feed every 3 hours during the day. I always feed them on schedule, give or take 15 minutes. They have their bedtime feed at 7pm and are asleep by 7:30. One STTN and the other sleeps until 5-6am, as I mentioned above. They know their schedule now and seem to thrive on it. When they get cranky, I usually know exactly why. They've fallen into the Baby Wise, "eat-play-sleep" routine. Within 1.5-2 hours of eating, they always nap (3 naps per day).  What do you do with the babies when they are awake?We get out at least 1-2x per day. We've been doing a few classes. We go to lunch, coffee, walks with other moms. In the morning after their 7am feed, they usually have mat time. They kick and roll around and have some tummy time. We have a jumperoo and a Jolly Jumper so they each have 1-2 "jumps" per day. I usually try to have some individual time with each of them. We've been going to a baby yoga class so I'll do the movements with one of them while the other is napping.Do you have help? Our former night nurse comes for 4 hours one day a week. It gives me a chance to get errands done and have a few minutes to myself. My family is in the city so they are often over helping out as well.  

AmorXAeterna

jcath:

I think a bunch of us have had our twins (or more) in the last couple of months - anyone up for a check in?

 How are you coping with the lack of sleep? coping but it's definetly hard especially trying to recover from a c section

Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear? I'm trying to keep to a schedule but it's hard when their still so young

What do you do with the babies when they are awake? hold them or try tummy time which their not really enjoying right now

Do you have help? my mil has been down for the last two weeks and is leaving tomorrow morning and I have a nanny that I can call on to help

Hunter22

Do 3 month olds count?1. I'm not lacking sleep too much now. They go down at 8:30, wake at 3 abd then at 6:30. My DH gets the 6:30 and I do the 3 am. 2. Not really on a schedule, they were when they first came home but now I just feed them when they are hungry during the day. Their schedule at night has been pretty consistently getting longer strerches in between and actually the break throigh for them tonget down to one feeding was to not wake them up together for two days in a row. 3. They have reflux and scream most of the time but I ak trying to play on the mat with them. Mostly they are in their swing or we are out for a walk. 4. Nope, no help but I have a long maternity leave. Their daycare slots start on november 1st but I don't have to go back until mid-december. I'm actually taking time to myself and getting my house together!

jamdonut

How are you coping with the lack of sleep? Amazing how your body adjusts, and the 2/3 hours in between feeding/changing during the day i try to nap even if its only for 30 minutes. I find I sleep hard and even dream. The late afternoon is the hardest for me but once DH gets home from work I get a second wind to get through the evening. Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear? We are on a flexible three hour schedule, and the boys are almost like clockwork for their next bottle. I have them staggered by about 30-45 minutes so we can have one on one time with each. What do you do with the babies when they are awake? Tummy time, listen to music and give them a bath a night. Do you have help? My mom and sister were here for a week after we came home with the boys and glad they were as my c-section opened up and needed the extra hands. DH took off a week after they left and is now working from home until our nanny starts the beginning of November and then I will go back to work after the new year.

jjcald26

How are you coping with the lack of sleep? The first few weeks were tough, but I think my body has adjusted to running on less sleep.  I may think differently when I go back to work at the end of the month

Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear? Schedule!  They eat every 3 1/2 -4 hours and when one is ready, they all get fed.  I felt bad about waking one up in the beginning, but they're used to it now so they almost always wake up to eat within 15-20 mins of each other.

What do you do with the babies when they are awake? depends... awake and cranky or awake and quiet!  The latter is very difficult - seems like one of the three is always a bit cranky!

Do you have help? DH lost his job back in July - so we've both been home with the babies and his family lives right around the corner.  they're always willing to come over to help out which has been great!

~Lynchie~

How are you coping with the lack of sleep?

It actually hasn't been that bad!  then again, I've been cosleeping so that I can nurse and sleep at the same time.

Are you on a schedule or just playing it by ear?

My guys are still pretty young (2 weeks) so right now all they do is nurse and sleep so there isnt too much to schedule.  However, I'm still waking them every 2 hours at night to eat until Asher reaches his birth weight (still has 7 oz to go..).   After that I wont wake them to eat, however if one wakes, I will wake the other one as well because I tandem nurse.

What do you do with the babies when they are awake? 

Mostly just nurse, with the occasional laying them on a blanket so they can kick around and stare at eachother and me.

Do you have help?

Besides dh?  Nope.