4 week olds -Up at Night

Discussion in 'The First Year' started by lavollmer, Dec 28, 2007.

  1. lavollmer

    lavollmer Well-Known Member

    Hello! I am mother to twin girls, almost 4 weeks old. When I first brought them home they were on a 3 hr feeding schedule. I am BF and trying to supplement formula, per doctors orders. During the day, they are mostly on a 3 hr schedule-- sleeping most of the time. They wake from a nap, eat, and usually go back to sleep (sometimes in a comma like state!) At night it seems they want to eat every 1-2 hours and not at the same time. When I nurse them and try to put them back to bed they wake up either immediately after being put in the crib or soon after. Many nights it seems that once I get one fed and back to the crib, go lie down, the other is waking up. It also seems that they cant stand to sleep in their crib!

    It is getting more frequent when I am not getting in bed until 5a.m. and still not sleeping longer than a half hour before one wakes up again. Last night I could not get them to go to sleep soundly in their crib, so I brought them to the living room where I had them sleep in the bouncy seats. They were still up every hour or so- one and then the other. One of my girls would not sleep anywhere but with me. I finally got to sleep around 6:00 a.m. with one of my girls with me on the couch.

    I feel like I am doing something terribly wrong. Every night in the middle of the night I cry and pray to God to just let them sleep and let me get some sleep. I have had one great night of them both sleeping and eating on a 3 hour schedule since I have been home from the hospital.

    Any advice? Does the days/nights switching thing happen naturally or with much effort? How can I get them to go back to sleep at night and stay asleep in their crib...so I can sleep in my bed?

    Please help!
     
  2. andiemc

    andiemc Well-Known Member

    QUOTE(lavollmer @ Dec 28 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]549339[/snapback]
    I feel like I am doing something terribly wrong. Every night in the middle of the night I cry and pray to God to just let them sleep and let me get some sleep. I have had one great night of them both sleeping and eating on a 3 hour schedule since I have been home from the hospital.

    Any advice? Does the days/nights switching thing happen naturally or with much effort? How can I get them to go back to sleep at night and stay asleep in their crib...so I can sleep in my bed?

    Please help!

    You are doing nothing wrong. Babies do this! They have trouble sleeping and settling themselves down. There are a few things that worked for me and I would recommend:
    1. Tandem nurse
    2. At this stage, wake one when the other wakes...in the words of a fellow twin mom, Do to one what you do to the other
    3. Use swings, bouncies, whatever it takes to get them to sleep (they will eventually sleep flat on their backs in their cribs)
    4. Use white noise, swaddling and whatever it takes to get them to sleep.

    Good luck! Keep up the bfing. It is so worth it!
     
  3. fuchsiagroan

    fuchsiagroan Well-Known Member

    Hi and welcome!

    First of all, please feel free to stop by the breastfeeding forum - those ladies know everything.

    QUOTE
    During the day, they are mostly on a 3 hr schedule-- sleeping most of the time. They wake from a nap, eat, and usually go back to sleep (sometimes in a comma like state!) At night it seems they want to eat every 1-2 hours and not at the same time.


    I think the problem may be the 3 hr schedule. Here are some reasons:

    -Breastmilk is digested in 90-120 min, and their stomachs are about the size of a golf ball, AND they're trying to double their body weight, so it's legit for the babies to be hungry more often than 3 hrs. If they only get to eat every 3 hrs during the day, I'm not at all surprised that they're trying to make up for it at night!

    -Babies nurse much more effectively when you catch them in the early stages of hunger. They'll take a lot more, because they're not all freaked out and disorganized.

    -Babies actually take in more fat (essential for growth and development, and makes them feel satisfied) when they feed more frequently.

    -Also, scheduled feeding can really hurt your milk supply. BFing is all supply and demand. If you restrict the amount of milk that can be removed from your breasts, that tells your body the milk isn't needed, so make less next time. Feeding on demand is the best way to ensure successful BFing.

    Here is an article with a lot more info.

    I know it's hard when they're so little and sleepy, but I'd try nursing them at least every 2 hrs during the day. You might need to try some "mean" tricks - wake them with a diaper change, remove layers of clothing, tickle their toes/ears/cheeks, comb out cradle cap, wet washcloth to the face... But if they take in more during the day, they may let you sleep a bit more at night.

    I'd also encourage you to enlist some help from you DH at night. You can alternate feedings, or do shifts - ANYTHING that will let you get some longer chunks of sleep.

    Oh, and I forgot to add - WTG for nursing your twins! :yahoo: You are giving them such a precious gift. I wish you all the success in the wrold. Please keep us posted on how it's going! :)
     
  4. *Sully*

    *Sully* Well-Known Member

    I had this same problem in the first few weeks that we had both babies home. We have the co-sleeper in our room beside the bed and that is where they slept at night. We feed when they wake which is ever 2-3 hours, but they would wake up a lot more during that time. So sometimes DD would end up in the bed with me or DS would end up in the portable swing in the bedroom. Whatever it took to get them to sleep for more than an hour.

    Then we figured out that if we either cluster feed or feed for longer in the evening they would sleep longer at night. That is what is working for us. My babies just won't eat more throughout the day. Their appetites pick up around 5ish until midnight. If you can figure out when your babies are most hungry and feed them more then, I think you'll find that things can improve. Also, try to enlist some help... are you willing to pump some and get DH to help with some of the feedings? I don't know how I would have survived without that relief.

    You are doing great!
     
  5. cohlee

    cohlee Well-Known Member

    You have probably already heard this but make sure to keep things dark and quiet at night (I dont even talk to them or make eye contact with them) and light and noisier during the day to help with the day/night confusion.
    I will turn the tv on with no sound for light at night in the bedroom if I need to change their diaper. I also only change their diapers every other feeding unless they poop of course, and I will do it before feeding them. And I also do not leave the bedroom so that they know its sleep time not playtime.
    I agree with previous posts that feeding them more frequently during the day will help them to sleep better at night. My girls are 10wks and I feed them every 2hrs during the day and they just started sleeping 6-7hr stretch at night within the past couple weeks. :banana:

    Good luck!!
     
  6. Kimkessenich

    Kimkessenich Well-Known Member

    I had this same problem and still kind of do, but it has gotten better. I decided to create a bedtime routine for them and do some things specifically to make sure there was a definate difference between night and day for them. I have not been able to get them to sleep in their crib so mine do sleep in their bouncy seats. They sleep in their room, the lights are low and I play the sound of rain all night to act as a sort of white noise for them. I also give them a bath about every other day right before bed and change their clothes and put lotion on them right before bed too. I don't know what has helped but I do feel like it has gotten at least a little better.

    From the advice I've gotten I've heard that it will just naturally get better with time.

    You are not alone! I feel the same way and just pray that we get through this time. I have times of total exhaustion and feel like I just can't take it any more. All you can do is do your best for right now.
     
  7. jenniej

    jenniej Well-Known Member

    WTG on BFing....it is SO hard where you are at but at 3 months I am SO gald I stuck with it. I still have issues (I think that is normal with one - let alone two that each have their own issues).

    PP had great advice about nursing more often. My only advice (which I need to listen to more consistently) is to expect the unexpected and that they just need to get older.

    Mine are 3 months now. We stopped doctor's req'd suppliments at 2 weeks, the next 2 weeks were rough with slow weight gain but I followed the advice of the ladies on the BF forum and now I am exclusive BF and only have "doubts" once a week or so. We started Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child at 6 weeks from their due date - too early I think maybe. ONce DD started smiling things in the sleep area really improved. It has been great for DD (now sleeps 4 and 5 hour blocks so we stopped waking her) but our DS is a total pain when it comes to sleep. He still is up every 2-3 hours unless he is in his carseat which I don't feel very comfortable with. My DH and I desided to just deal with it. Every day at 3 or 4 AM I want to scream and give a bottle but somehow 7 AM comes and things are better.

    At one month we were dead to the world but it really did start getting better.....hate to tell you though as soon as it gets better they seem to change!
     
  8. gina_leigh

    gina_leigh Well-Known Member

    I just wanted to say that I'm dealing with the same thing. We are doing EBM and formula. Mine like to wake up and scream from midnight to 5am or so. And I swear sometimes it feels like they are taking turns in screaming! Just when I get one settled, the other will start in. DH and I try to laugh about it, but sometimes I just end up crying right along with them.

    I hear one day it will get easier...and I figure they'll go to college at some point if not....


    Hang in there!
     
  9. Stephanie1074

    Stephanie1074 Well-Known Member

    I think that the first issue is the 3 hour schedule. I know when you leave the hospital they will tell you to feed every 3 hours... Which is true, but you may need to feed more frequently also. Since you are nursing (GOOD FOR YOU BTW!), it is much harder to follow a "schedule" than if they were using formula. Why? Because breastmilk metabolizes in their system very quickly... Which is why you may notice they poop at just about every feeding...

    Anyway, here are some things that worked for me:
    1. Contact a lactation consultant ASAP... See if they will do a home visit. If they do have them come immediately if not sooner! ;) They will give you practical information that you can use immediately.

    2. Get the EZ 2 Nurse Twins Pillow either on this site or at doublebessings.com

    3. Feed when you see any signs of hunger. Cues can be finger/hand sucking or even touching mouth. Mouth movements that look like they are getting ready to suck. Remember, they need to eat 8-12 times per day the more feedings you do during the daytime hours the more they will sleep at night. If they are no longer on a wake every 3 hour schedule at night let them sleep until they wake, but not longer than 5 hours.

    4. Check out your local hospital for a Breastfeeding support group. I have been going and they are real sanity savers. Aside from getting good info you meet other new moms! Even though I have breastfed for 2+ years before the twins I still go and learn every time... not to mention it gets you out of the house!
     
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