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Will I ever sleep again?

s0ulchickens0ulchicken member
in Multiples

I don't think that I have ever been this tired in my life!! My girls are 11ish weeks, and I am so exhausted I am starting to feel sick. They go to bed at 9:00, and usually don't wake to eat until 3 or so, and DH usually feeds one while I feed the other. Then I have to pump, which means I am laying back down around 4 or so, only to be up no later than 5:30 to start my day (shower, get ready for work, pump again, feed, and get my big kids ready for school) once I get the bigs on the bus, it's off to daycare for the babies, and to the office for me.

Once I get home in the evening it is time for homework, dinner, and whichever sport whichever big kid has. Sometimes they have practice on the same night, and DH and I divide and conquer. DH and I are typically falling back into bed around 11 or so. I am on the verge of calling in sick, taking the twins to daycare, and spending the day knocked out. How do you seasoned MoM's do it? Do you eventually learn to function in E, or do these sweet, sweet babies start sleeping sometime before college?

 
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Re: Will I ever sleep again?

  • shaunah816shaunah816 member

    Could you pump while you're doing the MOTN feeding? I'm assuming you're using bottles, since you mention DH feeding one. My DH and I do this, and when I was pumping I used to get hooked up and then give a baby a bottle while my husband fed the other. There was usually a few minutes of overlap when the baby finished eating but I still had some time left to pump, but by the time you factor in burping and hoping the babies are getting drowsy, I was done. That way I didn't have to stay awake after they'd gone back to bed to pump. 

    But I am so with you on the sleeping thing. I love these little beans to death, but they are tiny sleep terrorists at night. 

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  • Jen0204Jen0204 member

    Could you set your H up with a baby in each arm, and then pump while he feeds?  If you use a hands free bra (I just took an old bra and cut out spots for the pump parts) then you'll have your hands free to help if bottle fall or to burp, but then you can get pumping done while he feeds and you can both go back to sleep at the same time.

    When I went back to work I stopped pumping because my supply was already awful.  I can't imagine fitting that in AND having older kids - no wonder you're exhausted!  My girls have always been very small so we were hesitant to cut out the middle of the night feeding, but we finally did at 9.5 months and life got SO much better then.  I would think you could probably cut it out much earlier then we did (though not yet).  The girls also go to bed at 6:30-7 now, so that early bedtime helps.

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  • Ruthie04Ruthie04 member
    I'm so sorry you are struggling. Those first three months are brutal and I don't know how people can do it with an older child. You are a rock star! Ditto what PPs said...pump while you feed and earlier bed time. That's been the key for us. During the day, I hook myself up to the pump and feed them in their bouncy chairs. I just move them to my lap for burping. Honestly, they do not like it when I do a whole feed while holding them and pumping. But, in the MOTN, they were so sleepy it didn't matter. And, I don't think it is a horrible thing to drop the babies off at DC to for a "sick day" If you don't get some rest soon, it will be the real thing!
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  • Breezy8407Breezy8407 member

    I don't have older kids, so I commend you for that extra craziness in your life!

    When I went back to work it was hard. Fortunately, mine were sleeping from about 9pm to 5am at that point (with occasional wake ups but not to eat). Things actually got worst for us when they were about 4-5 months old in regards to sleep. 

    And, I still have a hard time/guilt with my decision to stop pumping, but it was killing me and causing strain on all of us when I went back to work. My work was sort of supportive, but I only had so much time to be away from my desk. My job was crazy when I got back. Not saying you should quit, but the old adage of happy mom = happy babies is what I always try to remember.  

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  • Temp123197812503460Temp123197812503460

    is there anyway you can go to bed earlier?  we dont have other kids so we went to sleep when our babies did, even if that was 7pm.  we watched no tv, didnt use the computers, basically did nothing but get ready and go to sleep once they did.  it sucks in some ways but i'm 100% convinced its the only way we survived those first 6 months. 

     what are you doing between 9 and 11?

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  • s0ulchickens0ulchicken member
    imagesomewhereincali:
    is there anyway you can go to bed earlier?nbsp; we dont have other kids so we went to sleep when our babies did, even if that was 7pm.nbsp; we watched no tv, didnt use the computers, basically did nothing but get ready and go to sleep once they did.nbsp; it sucks in some ways but i'm 100 convinced its the only way we survived those first 6 months.nbsp; nbsp;what are you doing between 9 and 11?


    My big kids go to bed at 9:00, and then I am making lunches for the next day for all 4 of us, washing bottles, mixing bm with milk fortifier, folding and putting laundry away, just the general things that have to be done. :
     
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  • kolabola29kolabola29 member

    images0ulchicken:
    imagesomewhereincali:
    is there anyway you can go to bed earlier?nbsp; we dont have other kids so we went to sleep when our babies did, even if that was 7pm.nbsp; we watched no tv, didnt use the computers, basically did nothing but get ready and go to sleep once they did.nbsp; it sucks in some ways but i'm 100 convinced its the only way we survived those first 6 months.nbsp; nbsp;what are you doing between 9 and 11?
    My big kids go to bed at 9:00, and then I am making lunches for the next day for all 4 of us, washing bottles, mixing bm with milk fortifier, folding and putting laundry away, just the general things that have to be done. :

     

    Does DH help with this stuff?  Is he pulling his weight?  Can you ask him to help out more? 

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  • s0ulchickens0ulchicken member
    imagekolabola29:

    images0ulchicken:
    imagesomewhereincali:
    is there anyway you can go to bed earlier?nbsp; we dont have other kids so we went to sleep when our babies did, even if that was 7pm.nbsp; we watched no tv, didnt use the computers, basically did nothing but get ready and go to sleep once they did.nbsp; it sucks in some ways but i'm 100 convinced its the only way we survived those first 6 months.nbsp; nbsp;what are you doing between 9 and 11?


    My big kids go to bed at 9:00, and then I am making lunches for the next day for all 4 of us, washing bottles, mixing bm with milk fortifier, folding and putting laundry away, just the general things that have to be done. :

     

    Does DH help with this stuff?  Is he pulling his weight?  Can you ask him to help out more? 



    He does. He is especially helpful with household stuff. I don' t think our floors would ever get vacuumed, swept, or mopped if it weren't for him!
     
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  • mirnbmirnb member
    Hang in there it will get better!! Once you drop that MOTN feed you will feel like a new woman! Just try and do as little as possible outside of the necessary at home (hard when you have other kids I'm sure) is there any family or a mothers helper you could have help out with the older ones in the evening taking them to sports etc so everyone an get to bed by 9? Take a sick day if you need it!
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  • Temp123197812503460Temp123197812503460
    images0ulchicken:
    imagekolabola29:

    images0ulchicken:
    imagesomewhereincali:
    is there anyway you can go to bed earlier?nbsp; we dont have other kids so we went to sleep when our babies did, even if that was 7pm.nbsp; we watched no tv, didnt use the computers, basically did nothing but get ready and go to sleep once they did.nbsp; it sucks in some ways but i'm 100 convinced its the only way we survived those first 6 months.nbsp; nbsp;what are you doing between 9 and 11?
    My big kids go to bed at 9:00, and then I am making lunches for the next day for all 4 of us, washing bottles, mixing bm with milk fortifier, folding and putting laundry away, just the general things that have to be done. :

     

    Does DH help with this stuff?  Is he pulling his weight?  Can you ask him to help out more? 

    He does. He is especially helpful with household stuff. I don' t think our floors would ever get vacuumed, swept, or mopped if it weren't for him!

    That is rough, if there is any way you can get your big kids to help out with this stuff (or with the babies) before they go to bed, the suggestion of a mothers helper, say a teenager or preteen in the neighborhood you could pay to come over for an hour or two and do some of this stuff while you are getting everyone to bed? and otherwise let some of it slide for a few months (laundry that stays in a basket and gets used from there?).  Its so hard to manage without sleep.

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