I'm not waking up

My hubby and I decided long ago that I'd be the one doing night feeds since I became a sahm. He helps me with them when he gets home from work and helps me day and night on weekends when he doesn't need to get up the next morning. I am COMPLETELY okay with this since I can take naps anytime they are sleeping where as he can't do that at work. I'm pretty sure the Navy wouldn't like him sleeping on the job lol.

The problem is I have gotten horrible with waking up since I got pregnant. During the pregnancy I struggled to get out of bed cause I was so darn tired. Now it's the same darn thing. I'm even sleeping through alarms, some how managing to turn them off and go right back to sleep without even remembering it. Then time will go past when my boys will eat and they will start crying loudly if you leave them long enough. I hardly ever wake up to them crying, it's always my hubby who hears them and has to wake me up. I really want their night feeds to be more of an on demand deal. That way I can slowly get them to start sleeping through the night, but I can't even wake up to their cries! If I continue with the set feeding times most of the time I can wake them up to eat (if they aren't already awake on their own), but how will I ever get to drop night feedings if I always wake them up? I've tried a few times to let them go ahead and sleep but about 30 minutes after their normal time they're ready to eat.

Am I the only one that can sleep through their babies crying? My hubby is not a happy camper if he's woken up and I completely understand this but I am struggling with even waking up with alarms (can't set too many or I'll wake him up anyways), let alone to them crying.

 

You're definitely not the only one that doesn't always wake up! I do that a lot with my boys, then when I finally do wake up I wonder how long they were crying for! If you are worried about it I would try to get more rest during the day. I know, easier said than done, but I wake up easier when I am well rested!

 

no i've slept through alarms and crys before too, especially in the beginning. DH would roll over and start pushing me to wake up so that i could tend to the boys. eventually i would hear them and wake up but i've slept through many alarms in my day.

if you are trying to drop a night feed during the night just let them sleep and wait until they wake up to feed them. eventually they will start sleeping longer and stop waking you up to eat at 3am. you are feeding them every 3 hours right?

with my boys they stopped wanting their 2am feed around 2-1/2 months and started to sleep through the night. at first around 2 months i stopped setting my alarm and would let them sleep until they woke up, sometimes this wouldn't be until 3,4,5 or sometimes 6am. after a few nights of consecutively making it to 6am without waking up we had babies that STTN and it was great. what we did also was if they cried in the middle of the night we would try giving them a pacifier to see if they would just fall back a sleep and this worked 90% of the time.

good luck!

 

Although being really tired is normal since you are getting up all the time, but it might be worth a call to the Dr. to see if maybe you should get your thyroid checked.

 

You had talked about possible anxiety in another post in FY the other day. A lot of times anxiety and depression go hand in hand, and I know with me, I have a harder time getting up when I am depressed. Have you called the doctor?

As far as dropping feedings, it sounds like your ped put your babies on an around the clock feeding schedule? If so, I would be sure to check with them before thinking about dropping night feedings, as they are still so young, and may need those nighttime calories, whether they wake up on their own or not.

:hug:

 

Wow--last night was the 2nd time i'd not woken up at all until dh was already up changing one's diaper [i was sleeping and nursing one in bed].....looking fwd to everyone's advice--but i'm thinking i know my body NEEDED sleep and that is why i was so out of it....so, most likely, imo, you are 1-low on iron or 2-just low on sleep....

 

I agree with Becky. I would check with your ped before dropping feedings since, technically, they are still so young. I also second having your thyroid checked, when mine was off I was exhausted all the time. It might also be a good idea to have your iron levels checked, it's quite common to be somewhat anemic after giving birth. Being tired is normal when you have infant twins, but sometimes it's more than that. :hug:

 

I agree, get those thyroids checked out.
I do wake up no matter how tired I am or how little I get to sleep.

 

I'm going to add a third vote to the thyroid and/or iron levels, get those checked first just to rule out anything that can be fixed with meds.

 

I haven't called the doctor for myself yet :unsure: I have to find someone that can watch these two while I go to the doctors cause they have a policy of no children and my hubby can't just take off time when he wants.




I will definitely have to get my thyroid checked when I make an appointment, but as far as the iron goes, I am already anemic. I was borderline for a long time prior to this pregnancy, then the pregnancy did me and got worse after I gave birth. I take iron on a daily basis though.

I'm not too concerned about dropping the night feedings at this exact moment, it was more for future reference. I can't really let them just keep sleeping until they wake up on their own because I'll end up sleeping through their cries and it'll wake my husband up which is what I want to avoid!

 

Oh, am I wrong, but with thyroid problems, isn't there usually a weight gain? I'm not gaining weight and I weigh a few pounds less than I did before I got pregnant.

 

I am a heavy sleeper and I have always had a problem sleeping through alarms. When the twins were in our room I woke up to feed them every 2-3 hours but when DD started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches and DS didn't I separated them and put her in the crib. That happened about 6 weeks. Then about 2 months, DS started sleeping longer stretches and we moved him into the crib too. Ever since they have been in the nursery I have had multiple times where I woke up to DH standing above me with a fussing baby wanting to eat! The one thing that helped was putting the baby monitor right next to my bed with the vibration turned on so that if they cried loud enough I woke up.

I wouldn't anticipate your babies wanting to drop a feed until about 6-8 weeks corrected and then it will likely be the first nighttime feed. We would put ours to bed between 8 and 9 at that age and when they started sleeping longer they would wake at 2-3 to feed, then back down till morning.

 

There are two kinds of thyroid problems, one tends to make you gain, the other lose weight. Are you seeing a military dr? I've always brought my kids. Actually, I don't think I've ever been to my dr. w/out them. All thanks to the military and my DH not being able to watch them. The dentist is the only place I can't bring them. I would stress that you need to see someone and that you have to bring your newborns with you. Something is definately off. I take a medication that makes me drowsy at night PLUS sometimes a Nyquil or Tylenol PM and I still wake at the slightest cough or cry. Do you have a baby monitor? Maybe a guest bedroom may be an option for you to sleep in so DH can get some sleep.

 

I agree with everyone. I definately think you need to go to the doctor. I was pumping in the begining and was only getting 2 hours of sleep a night and I still woke up everytime they cried and I am a deep sleep that sleep through alarms and everything, but the second they cry I wake right up. i would either put an air mattress on the floor in their room or put the monitor next to you and sleep in the living room until you are able to get to the doctor. what about your b-12 levels. It is also very important espeically down the road when they are mobile and they wake up for something serious like they fell out of the crib or got a limb stuck, you want to make sure you can hear them. I always sleep with their monitors right by my head on my nightstand.

 

I always wake up to the babies now but by the time they get older I seem to be able to tell their upset cries from their "talking" cries in my sleep and that's when my hubby wakes up vs me lol oops.

I would also get yourself checked out and if it were me I would definitely switch docs so I could bring my babes with, it's not always possible to get a sitter and your health needs to not be put on hold for that.

 

I am shocked that ANY dr would have a no children policy--GOOD GRIEF!! that isnot an option, imo--my newborns are with me always--that is how we are designed--i completely understand older children being 'banned' because of certain privacy issues and exams and possibly because the office is so tired of loud obnoxious and destructive children, but i personnally would present it as a no-brainer--these babies are extensions of ME right now and until they go more than 2hrs between feedings, there is NO other option [although taking someone with me for help while i'm in the office for my 6wk check-up may be helpful ]