happiest baby on the block..my a$$

we just had a two hour melt down with the twins - to the point where my hubby took Becca out to go around the block and she finally went to sleep.

They were both screaming, with both acting hungry despite having eating three times in the last 3 hours...
I tried the most of the "s's" and nothing worked....

any thoughts? sympathy? anyone want to adopt?

Miriam

 

we just had a two hour melt down with the twins - to the point where my hubby took Becca out to go around the block and she finally went to sleep.

They were both screaming, with both acting hungry despite having eating three times in the last 3 hours...
I tried the most of the "s's" and nothing worked....

any thoughts? sympathy? anyone want to adopt?

Miriam

 

Oh sweetie, you are smack dab in the middle of the first 3 months. That is THE hardest time with twins! (Well, at least until you have toddlers so I've heard, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms!)

A thought: have you tried putting them in a bouncer next to the dryer while it's running, or vaccuumed, or have a fan on? The same things that soothe a colicy baby will soothe crabby babies.

Some sympathy: Sean had colic (or darn close to it). He would cry loudly and uncontrollably from about 4 pm to 8-9pm. Nonstop. I can understand your frustration!

Adoption: Sure, but I think you would miss them!

 

Even the sainted Dr. Karp (author of HBB) doesn't have all the answers. Sometimes they just cry. It s*cks! FWIW, my parents (who didn't have the benefit of HBB) often took me driving and they swear that was sometimes the only thing that worked. Hang in there -- they will grow out of this!

 

I have lots of sympathy for you!! I can definitely remember those nights. I thought I was going to lose it. What worked one night would not work the next. Ours were born early, so they were still in the hospital at 3 weeks, but when we brought them home - right before their due date - it was just like we'd brought home newborns. The first week wasn't that bad, but after that it was torture for several weeks. I'm sorry I don't have much advice, but I would suggest buying a book on sleep habits (I use Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - by Weissbluth). I wish I'd gotten it sooner than I did. Hang in there. Just when you think you can't do it another day, it gets a little better.

 

I know how you feel - When Emma got worked up none of the Happiest Baby stuff worked.

Here are some of the things that worked for us...
1. Bouncing on an exercise ball - it sounds stupid but there is something about it that works - I still use it every day to get them down for naps.

2. Going upstairs - holding her real tight and playing the Finding Nemo CD fairly loud and singing. I am pretty sure that my DH would cringe when he came home and heard that stupid CD playing!

3. Driving in the car and playing Destiny's Chlid. I know - awful but I think that they like the bass.

Good luck - you will soon find something that works...and before you know it things will get better. For us it was like someone flipped a switch one day and everything got 10 times better.

 

I'm sorry, but your subject line was pretty fun. I totally understand and it was all we could do some nights to try to keep our sanity over the screaming. We've already started indoctrinating our 3 year olds with that fact before the new baby arrives and they repeat it to us all the time.

One thing we found that calmed the girls just a little bit was loud talk radio. There's no accounting for taste...

 

quote:
1. Bouncing on an exercise ball - it sounds stupid but there is something about it that works - I still use it every day to get them down for naps.


this worked wonders for ours too - especially if i put one in a sling to do it. in fact carrying either in a sling or pouch was really calming for them and they'd usually fall asleep. it was probably the thing that worked best for us (we could even eat a meal if we put them in a sling first) ...

my other memory from this period is my 70 year old mother (who was visiting for 2 weeks) walking up and down our living room with maia in her arms for hours and hours and hours ...

for maia a bouncy chair worked well (they responded well to the fisher price aquarium music) as we later discovered she had reflux and lying was very uncomfortable for her.

our turning point was week 7 (and then HBB started working as well). hang in there!
lisa

 

Well first of all your not alone that's for sure.Our twin boys were 10 months old and still were'nt sleeping now they are a month away from being the big one and my husband and I are finally getting some sleep.I was reading the other suggestions and the one about vacumming dose work and the whole fan thing also works!!Don't worry everything will work out for you and your family.I know you could do it as well the storm will soon be over!!!!!

 

Yours aren't even a month old, so that is really tough. One thing, if you are bottle/formula feeding, don't feed just because they cry--at that age you can't tell the difference between their cried--and in a month or so you will!--it could be that they are overtired, over stimulated, or something else. At one month, it is pure guesswork, no matter what anyone says. Just do what works at the moment, and it will get better!

One thing that really helped us, was that we fed the boys at regular intervals during the day, waking to feed if it was time--4 hours elapsed since they last ate--and then at night we let them wake us. We did this from the very beginning. Good luck!

 

I know you are having issues with them wanting to breastfeed all the time. You are in a very difficult stage. The evenings seem like the worst! They are jus so seldom happy at that stage. I know I fed mine more frequently at that time of the day. (Cluster feeding) I hope this stage passes soon for you.

 

Honey - I am in the boat with you!!! I feel your pain!

 

I am still there with ya and we are over 6 months old. Sometimes they are just criers. Its awful I know and honestly I don't remember getting through that first 4 months of their lives

I does get easier. I just wish there was less crying, and more sleeping

 

I feel your pain we've been there. there were times my son would screem for two hours and we would try everything TWICE. There were days when i could swaddle him turn off the lights and talk into his ear softly and when he calmed down a bit he would take the bottle. other times we would put the static channel on the tv and turn up the volume, some nights it was only his swings that would let us sleep. of course there were many night i would call my hubby at work (he works third shift) and just cry with a screeming baby in my arms. In my case i am lucky to say that it was only my son (thank god)
All i can say is hang in there IT DOES GET BETTER

 

Not that it will help you right now, but I can already tell they're improving ... they'll be 8 weeks tomorrow, so hang in there, and if they cry, they cry for a little bit, just breath ... it will get better. Fussiness peaks at 6 weeks of age (or 6 weeks after the due date) ...

 

I find sometimes you have to try all FIVE of the 5S's at once! Only twice have I had the meltdown where the 5S's didn't seem to work - I resolved one time by putting Ashley in the swing (still swaddled, sucking a pacifier and shushing) and the other time I gave her to my husband who's quite nifty with the 5S's and he shut her up (with me trying not to take it personally.....) Overall I'm delighted to know about the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques from his DVD...

 

mine had reflux and would sometimes overfeed because their tummies were hurting. Evenings were always the worst. We fed them every 3 and didn't offer the bottle in between. We swaddled (tight) and put them in the swings and let them sleep there. We also had to find the right formula (which took nearly 3 months) and got their meds for their reflux straight and things settled down. It takes a while, right now it is whatever works and pure survival. But I promise...it does get better! We're all there with you. prayers and hugs, Laura

 

I forgot to say that I wish I hadn't been so dead set on not starting bad habits, like putting them in the car (which calmed them down so well) and holding them more (I didn't want to spoil them.) Honestly... do whatever works. I don't know how everyone else feels about that.

 

The beginning - yes very tough. My neighbor (who also has twins) likened it to boot camp! I just remember thinking - get through the first 3 months (then it was 6!). I honestly think the first six months are very very tough (not to get you down). I highly recommend the HSHHC book but that doesn't really start working until 5-6 months b/c there is a lot of key brain development going on through the first six months. According to his theories, it is hard to get a baby on schedule prior to that b/c of the development (I can't recall if he said after 3 months or 6 months). For us, we didn't get on a full out schedule until 7 months (later than my son who was got on at 5 months) - and then it was amazing - 1 hr nap in morning, 2 hr nap in afternoon and bed between 6:15-6:45pm!!!!!!!!

 

The only way some days to get through it was to sling them.. I carry them in a sling and walk back and forth or do... no kidding Dance Dance Revolution. I did it on Friday and my over stimulated, fussy, crying for an hour babies went right to sleep after twenty minutes.

 

Lots of hugs and sympathy from me!!
The first three months were very difficult. I found that the s's would just annoy our babies more!! Everything took a turn for the better when I started focusing on them getting enough naps during the day. Maybe they aren't sleeping enough during the day? Reflux was also one reason why Iris would cry so much so once we straightened that out she was happier.
Make sure you find a minute during the day to do something for yourself even if it is something really simple like a favorite tea, or spraying some perfume on you. Get a break whenever you can.
Keep reminding yourself that this too will pass and it does indeed get so much better soon.

 

We had very colicky preemies too. I think I wore them both in the slings (2 at a time, Rambo style) for the first 2 months straight.

It was incredibly stressful...but you will survive.

Wearing them in the slings (tightly swaddled & with pacifiers) was how I survived. I paced the house for HOURS like that until they were about 3 months old.

DH & I often considered how profitable selling adorable, identical twins on the black market would be.

 

Oh,....I don't miss those days! That was the hardest thing I have ever done! Remember that babies cry and often for no reason than just to cry,. You can't always soothe them. Sometimes you'll need to put them in a crib and go out-of-ear-shot for a while. The babies will be fine. Oh...it won't get better soon but each day is closer to a better day!

 

thanks for all the replies, every day is a new day....at least that's what i tell myself!

 

Believe me mine get to that point where nothing makes them happy and I just feel like screaming. Good Luck!!!

 

I feel for you there is days i have had like that too and you just want to join in. I always put them in the car if they start to scream and cant be consoled. Even if they dont sleep at least they are quiet. It works for me. Just keep reminding yourself it does get better! It does honestly! x