Nighttime is becoming a nightmare!

Ok, so my GG twins are just over 7 months by birth, & almost 5 months adjusted age. We had pretty good nights with them until a couple weeks ago, and now its just getting worse & worse by each passing day. I am a total zombie anymore now from lack of sleep. :crazy: I physically can't keep working if they keep this up, but yet financially I can't stop working so I NEED to fix this nightime bonaza. By 5 months shouldn't most babies be sleeping at least longer than 3 hours at a time at night???

First of all I can't get them to go to sleep. Then once they do they are up every 2-3 hours for feedings... like 1 or 2 oz feedings.... I've tried to just not give them a feeding but then they just scream bloody murder until I give in.

Also is it okay to prop up their bottle at night? I'm so tired from one baby after another eating I tried just propping the bottles last night & it worked okay but I feel bad for not getting up & holding them.

 

Are they teething? I know when my babies are teething they are up a few times a night and the only thing that will calm them down is a bottle. Though, it doesn't usually go on for more than a week. Are they getting enough food through out the day, maybe they really are hungry?

 

i am in a similar situation. My boys are just over 7 months old and for some reason their night sleep is getting terrible. i think one of them is teething... the other one was teething. one of them - the first time he gets up, i just give him a 6 ounce bottle and let him eat what he wants. he is less likely to wake again if i just give him a good size bottle. the other one doesn't seem to want to eat, I just sit in my bed and let him fall asleep on me - then i try and put him back down. i'm just riding this out and hoping it gets better soon.

 

Do you put them down at first sign of tiredness? What time are you putting them down at night? If they've been fed, they are dry, comfortable in their room, and it's not teething(and if it is-you've maybe given motrin/tylenol, etc), then I may be inclined to CIO. Modifed-but you might need to try it. Like I said in your other post, I would really really try to get more food into them. Are they on solids as well? I would take note of how much formula/bm they get during the day, as well as solids if that's the case. And keep track of how much they eat at night, and see if there is any correlation.

Good luck! Can your dh help at night? Does he? DH and I slept in shifts when they were infants. And then we switched to certain days he got up with them, or I got up with them. Is that a possibility?

 

whenever i see one of these posts and see that the age we're talking about (in this case adjusted) is 5 months, i immediately think of the 5 month sleep regression. you're just getting used to a few more hours of sleep and WHAM they start waking up again. the theory with the 5 month sleep regression is that the brain is changing and processing more milestones and this results in disrupted sleep patterns. the good news is that it only lasts a couple of weeks and it should start to settle down again.

i personally wouldn't prop a bottle, but there are many people who have and do and could probably offer some advice.

as far as initially getting them to sleep, try moving their bedtime earlier rather than keeping them up and waiting for them to give you tired signs. i read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and found it really helpful. there's a twin edition but i didn't find it useful so i would recommend the standard edition. it gave some really good information about how to recognize tired signs before they're overtired. sometimes by the time babies show you they're tired they're so far past exhaustion that they can't sleep. and if they're overtired they'll actually sleep less and wake up more often.

 

You know....we are not CIO people. We don't like the concept and we never did it. BUT....I think in your situation, we would have. This nibbling at night thing can't go on when you and your future DH need to go to work.

BTW, our IUGR baby still needed a night feeding much longer than our non-IUGR baby. But, he got ONE feeding and ate it--he wasn't snacking all night long. Just keep in mind you probably want to schedule a middle of night feed for your baby who had NEC even if you do CIO for the rest of the night.

And if you CIO, try to do it when both of you have the day off the next day. Cause I have heard it is exhausting.

:grouphug:

 

I am not a CIO person either but would not discourage you from trying the CIO method. I tried it but just found that it was not right for me and my babies. There are other methods available for helping your children to develop good sleeping habits (I used Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution") so I would advise you to do a little reading up on the subject - understanding that of course you are sleep deprived yourself so just skim read!!

It really sounds like they are waking up to feed out of habit and snacking instead of actually needing to eat. They should physically be able to STTN at this age. When they wake up you could try using a variety of soothing methods (but not feeding them) to help them get back to sleep - paci, back rub, lullabies, rocking, etc. I know that some moms have given watered down bottles so as to discourage snacking throughout the night so you could try that if all else fails. If it is in fact teething then you might want to offer them some relief in the form of a cold, wet washcloth to suck on or something similar. Mine love to suck on frozen slices of peach and pineapple through a mesh baby feeding bag.

I hope you get some relief soon and let us know how things go!

 

Sorry to hear it's so rough right now. It does get better!! We used a British book by Gina Ford (The Contented Little Baby Book) and it was a lifesaver! One of our boys had big issues around the same age, but with the help of her schedule and sleep concepts, it all worked out in the end. Hope you'll get through this phase quickly!
Best
Rachel

 

I completely agree with the previous poster who recommended "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. (I also agree that the twin book isn't nearly as good as the standard book.) This was my bible when my first son was born almost seven years ago and I dug it out again for my new boys (4 months, 2.5 months adjusted). He gives some options for CIO and it may only take a few nights. One thing I learned that will help sleeping through the night is to make sure the babies are taking full feedings during the day. Don't let them get by with snacking all day!

Sounds like they have a habit developed and while it might be painful to break it, there really isn't a choice. Not only are YOU not getting any sleep, but probably more importantly, THEY are not getting any sleep. This first year is crucial for brain development and that development happens during sleep! If they aren't getting consolidated sleep at night, that's not good. If you try CIO, remember that you are the parent and you are doing what is best for them. Sure, they may complain about because it's not what they're used to, but it isn't hurting them and actually will help them in the long run.

To give you some encouragement, I have followed the Healthy Sleep Habits book from the time my boys were 10 weeks old and they've been sleeping through the night (as in 10-12 hours!!) without even getting up to feed. They also take naps every two hours throughout the day. Some say I'm lucky, but I give all the credit to Healthy Sleep Habits!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide to try!