Feeding time

OK I think I got the feeding thing down. I do feed both at the same time using a bottle of breast milk. I have been pumping like you wouldn't believe and I don't have to give any formula now. Anyway I want to know that after you all fed the babies did you just put the babies down and did they fall right to sleep without being held or rocked? Mine seem to want to be held to go to sleep and sometimes rocked a little bit. I tried not to start that but sometimes rocking seems to be the only thing that will put them to sleep. It you did just put them down did they cry and did you just let them cry until they fell asleep? I know I have tons of questions but right now I think this twin thing by yourself is pretty hard. I know it will get easier all in time but right now I'm strugling.

 

At that age I would put them down awake and swaddled with a binky.

 

First of all, congrats on your babies, and double congrats on surviving the first month! There's truly no right answer to your question, everyone does something different. For me, at a month old, I did whatever it took to get my girls to sleep. If that meant holding them or rocking them, I did that. If they wanted to nap on the floor or in their papasan chairs, I let them. Your babies are much too young to self-soothe, so letting them cry isn't really possible. They'll just cry and cry and cry. Right now they need you to soothe them, so if that means hold them or rock them, I say go ahead!

By about two months I saw a bit of a pattern emerge and was able to put them down drowsy. Sometimes they'd moan or sort of cry for a minute or two, but if it was much longer than that, it was obvious they weren't ready to sleep and I'd pick them back up and we'd play for a few minutes before trying again. By four months, we had a routine and schedule and they napped in their cribs and would go to sleep just fine if I put them down drowsy.

It sounds like you're already doing a great job... it does get easier. You're right in the difficult part now, but hang on for another month or so and things do start to get easier.

 

Mine are about exactly the same age...and they do not go right to sleep after eating, sometimes not at all before eating next. Mine do sleep really well through the night, though, so that may be why (someone said something about how mine do not have the days and nights mixed up...which I'm SO thankful for!). I too would not let them just cry...they are bit young for that yet. They do not start making habits until 3 or 4 months, or something like that, so you can hold them and rock them as much as you want right now, without having that spoil them. Mine have been super fussy after eating, so many times, they are crying when held anyways...only starting yesterday has it started getting a little better, and I can sometimes set them down after eating, and they'll be happy. What about trying a swing or something, if they like that movement to go to sleep??

 

At that age I did whatever was necessary for them to sleep. I usually swaddled and layed them down on my chest for awhile and then layed them down in the pnp.

 

How did everyone handle holding 2 crying babies?

 

It seems many times, mine do not cry at the same time...they like to take turns..

But when they do, and they do often too, many times they are soothed with a pacifier, so if I'm holding one, the other one will soothe with it, or I'll pick up the more distressed one (my Hannah works herself up real good, real quick), and soothe the other with the pacifier. Or when they are both just really crying and neither will be soothed, I'll pick them both up and hold them to my chest...that usually works.

 

Thanks everyone for all your replies.

 

Oh..I remember those days. I was asking the same question "How do I hold two crying babies?" I think my question was "How do I comfort two babies when they are both crying???" I was in a panic!!
First, as the pp have said - Congratulations, girl!!! You are doing a great job making it through the first month!!! You should be proud of yourself. Being alone with young twins is the hardest job in the world.

During the day, when I was alone, I would hold the little one that was crying the worst, soothe them, give them a paci until they were calmer, put them down in their swing and pick up the other little one and soothe him or her. Sometimes, it took two or three rotations of this until one or both fell asleep. Whatever needed to be done to get them to sleep. The BIG thing that I could NOT have lived without was swings. I put them in their swings right from the start. One little one would be swinging and the other one would be in my arms. That would seem to help soothe them at the beginning. Typically, the little one in my arms would fall asleep faster. I would put him/her in one swing, pick up the other little one, if he/she wasn't asleep at that point. Round and round it would go Gotta have those two swings!! This age is REALLY hard as they cry a lot and cannot soothe themselves just yet. So..don't let them cry themselves to sleep at this point. But, on the other hand, a bit of crying is NOT going to hurt them. If both are crying, you can only do so much. Soothe one and then soothe the other little one. And once they are both asleep, take some time to soothe yourself Have a cup of tea or coffee and put your feet up. Everything else can wait. You are doing a great job and you will all make it through this!!!!

And don't worry about holding them until they fall asleep at this point. I was worried about that at the beginning as I didn't want to start a pattern. I would begin to transition into putting them down when they are drowsy sometime in the end of the 2nd month or beginning of the 3rd month as they will begin to be able to fall asleep on their own much easier. My little ones went to sleep just fine when I put them down awake from about 4 months old and they were held A LOT during the first couple months as they went to sleep.

As for crying at the same time, sometimes, I would put both on either side of me in their boppies on the couch. I would sit down between them and ease each one into my arms. That worked pretty well. Or, I would put one in the swing, sit down next to the swing with the other little one in my arms. Then, I could soothe the little on in the swing and have the other twin in my arms. You will start to get creative with two crying babies!

Take care!!

 

usually after feeding mine they will fall asleep in my arms and then I will try to put them down if they start waking up I just pat them back to sleep and maybe give them their pacies...seems to do the trick and if not then I just assume they aren't ready to go to sleep