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Help! 2 fussy babies!
Ladies! I need your help! What do you you do when you're all alone and have 2 fussy babies?? The only thing that calms them down is being held, but I can't hold them both! They're 2 weeks old. We already switched their formula to soy formula due to reflux. Can they have reflux from this new formula?
How'd you and DH split up baby responsibilities? Right now, we take shifts and DH is sleeping but this is only going to last a few more days before he goes to work.
How soon is too soon to try and put them on some type of schedule? How'd you do it? And what is that schedule?? Thanks!
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Re: Help! 2 fussy babies!
First, take a deep breath and relax. I know it's hard, but you'll get through it. This stage is rough. I honestly don't remember much about it because it was all about survival! If they don't have reflux from the new formula, it could be colic. My boys started fussing for hours on end around 3 weeks old for no reason (no reflux and nothing else was wrong) and our pedi said it was probably colic. It lasted until they were a little more than 3 months old. If it is colic, you can try any number of things--white noise, vacuum, car rides, etc. You just have to hit on what works for your LOs. Unfortunately, nothing worked for Ben, so he would just have to fuss sometimes because Eli had to eat too!
DH and I took a number of approaches. While I was still on maternity leave, I would sleep from 8pm-1am, then he would sleep from 1am-6am. During that time we were in charge of both babies. Once I went back to work, we each took one baby and that was our baby for the night, regardless of how much they were awake (I usually ended up being awake no matter what--mommy stuff I guess).
As far as a schedule, we really try to be as flexible as possible and let them dictate things. I know a lot of people would disagree with that, but it's just too hard to try to force a rigid schedule on 2 babies. They've actually worked themselves into a pretty standard routine. In the morning, they're up between 5 and 6am, have breakfast, get dressed, and go to daycare. In the evenings, we pick them up around 5pm, go home and have dinner, play, do bathtime, have bedtime bottles, and down between 8 and 9pm. At daycare, they nap as they please and eat every 2-3 hours. Now that they're big enough, they play a lot more than they sleep.
My advice is to really try to enjoy this time, even though it's stressful. My boys are 6 months old now and I'm already having trouble remembering what they were like at 2 weeks, 2 months, etc. It goes so fast and you get consumed by the sheer amount of things you need to do that you lose sight of the enjoyment of having 2 LOs. Hang in there. I promise it gets easier.
Oye. Big hugs. This is probably the roughest part. It does get easier.
At two weeks, we had a routine more than a schedule, and it was centered around their feedings. The boys ate on the 3's round the clock from the time they were in the hospital. (3, 6, 9, 12...) between feedings was mostly sleeping - though I would try to keep them up a little during the day. When they were both fussy, I would hold them both in the big rocking chair and just rock until they passed out. It gets easier to pick them up together the more you practice.
At night, because they ate at the same time, DH and I could not split shift. We both got up, gave a bottle, and put our baby to sleep. Now I do them both, but they only get up once each. The boys started stretching out their night sleep at about 4 weeks when they could eat a little more. I always made their night bottle about an ounce more than they would typically eat to try and fill then up and help them sleep a little longer.
Hang in there!