sleep at night

hi
I just gave birth to twins on april 2. questions on sleep.... Why is it so opposite during day verses night?
they do good all day and at night are up from 8 until next feeding and so on....i got all together about 3 1/2 hrs.
are you waking them during the day every 3 hrs? that is what my pedi told me to do.. is this a good idea.
I am very confused.. its really hard I am feeling overwelmed .. I have a 3 1/ 2 yr old at home. Who is bored all the time and I ahve limited time and try to get someone to come over and play with her but everyone is working at times
can you put in the bounce seat at this age? or are they too little? I cry alot as well. My husband is getting frustrated at the night schedule. I am just trying to take care of everybody but myself at this point. I am torn between my daughter my husband and the twins.. I feel like If I dont hold it together no one will. my husband is usually supportive but is not right now. I am just so overtired and have not fully recovered from the delivery yet as well. I just feel like my back is against the wall..
any advice would be great!
thanks
Maria ( nicolina)

 

Yes, during the day I woke them to eat. I didn't however wake them at night to eat... I let them try to get most of their sleeping in at night, so they would get use to sleeping at night. I tried to do as much stimulating as I could during the day. Of course at that age I was lucky to get them to stay awake, LOL

 

Hi Maria,
Wow...you have your hands full! I've got twins boys who just turned three months and remember the day vs. night thing VERY well. I woke them up at regular intervals (every three hours) to eat. One thing that helped me was to open the curtains/blinds during the day and have music on etc, so they knew it was "awake time." Then, at night, I'd dim the lights, talk to them in a quiet voice, play very soft music etc. Eventually, they got the hang of it.
Hang in there...it will get better. I was overwhelmed and completely exhausted, too. If you have any offers from anyone for help, TAKE IT! And, hang in there with your husband. He needs to realize you need his help and support, too!!

 

QUOTE(KYsweetheart @ Apr 11 2007, 08:11 PM) [snapback]215250[/snapback]
Yes, during the day I woke them to eat. I didn't however wake them at night to eat... I let them try to get most of their sleeping in at night, so they would get use to sleeping at night. I tried to do as much stimulating as I could during the day. Of course at that age I was lucky to get them to stay awake, LOL

thank you that helps.. I do keep them in the same room from day and night . of course the day is busier here then the night and my 3 yr old is loud during the day. thanks for your support and qucik response
Maria

 

Maria, I posted to your birth story in Expecting. I just wanted to see if you found your way here yet, to get the advice and support that you need. Glad you found the FY forum. Hang in there and again... :hug99:

 

Hi Maria!

Congratulations on your babies!! Yes on waking them to eat every 3 hours or so. Save the longer stretches...if there are any...for nighttime! I am sorry your husband is not being more supportive, you really need it at this point, and for the first 3 months, it's difficult. :hug99: You can definately put them in a bouncy or a swing, whatever works right now! Do you have any family that can take your 3yo off of your hands for a bit, so she can get out and do something fun, and so you can have a break...sleep when the babies sleep for once? Hang in there hon, talk to your husband, tell him what you need. :hug99:

 

Hi Maria,
Congratulations! Hang in there, it will get easier but that's really hard to see when you are so sleep deprived! DH is probably feeling a bit overwhelmed too. We fed/woke ours every 3 hours at the start morning and night until they were about 6 weeks, then we kept up with the day 3 hrly and left them sleeping until 1 woke up at night. The other then got woken up and fed as well. We were having a few BF issues to start with which is why we kept them on the 3 hr schedule. They soon sorted out night and went for longer stretches. I think by 3 months we were down to 1 feed/night and 5 months sleeping through.
I used the bouncy chairs all the time. I also have a 3 year old and that gave us a little time to spend together, even if it was just reading a book. With the warmer weather, try the babies in the stroller, park them in the yard and have some time with your daughter.
As for the tears - it's totally normal! Your body is still flooded with hormones, you can't get any sleep, and 2 babies are a challenge! :hug99: You're doing great and it will get easier!

 

QUOTE(SharonH @ Apr 11 2007, 09:23 PM) [snapback]215396[/snapback]
Hi Maria,
Congratulations! Hang in there, it will get easier but that's really hard to see when you are so sleep deprived! DH is probably feeling a bit overwhelmed too. We fed/woke ours every 3 hours at the start morning and night until they were about 6 weeks, then we kept up with the day 3 hrly and left them sleeping until 1 woke up at night. The other then got woken up and fed as well. We were having a few BF issues to start with which is why we kept them on the 3 hr schedule. They soon sorted out night and went for longer stretches. I think by 3 months we were down to 1 feed/night and 5 months sleeping through.
I used the bouncy chairs all the time. I also have a 3 year old and that gave us a little time to spend together, even if it was just reading a book. With the warmer weather, try the babies in the stroller, park them in the yard and have some time with your daughter.
As for the tears - it's totally normal! Your body is still flooded with hormones, you can't get any sleep, and 2 babies are a challenge! :hug99: You're doing great and it will get easier!

thank you so much for your support.. it really helps knowing that you been there done that and it gets easier.. words of encouragement are always good to here.
thanks

 

Maria,

Congratulations on the birth of your twins!!! You are going through the roughest part right now, it will get better, I promise. We did a 3 hour schedule during the day, and then let them wake us at night. For all of the nighttime feedings we kept the lights as low as possible, we didn't talk to them or make eye contact, we just fed them. It sounds a little cruel, but they never cared, and it helped them distinguish day from night pretty quickly.

I don't think we put the girls in the bouncies right away, but I don't think there would be a problem with that. We used boppies, and IMO they rock!

I was also extremely emotional those first few weeks. I would cry over just about anything happy or sad. That is supposed to go away after a few weeks, but mine didn't and I ended up with PPD and on meds. No big deal to me (once I got on the meds--before that I felt like a basket case), and now I have weaned off the meds and feel pretty good. I would definately talk to your doctor if your feelings persist, or if you start to feel desperate I would call immediately.

I hope that you start to feel better really soon, I just remember the first 6 weeks were horrible for me but then everything started to get better day by day. It's still work some days, but I love being a mommy to twins, and I find that more and more of my days are really great ones.

:hug99: ,
Cindy

 

QUOTE(Cindy123 @ Apr 11 2007, 10:35 PM) [snapback]215486[/snapback]
Maria,

Congratulations on the birth of your twins!!! You are going through the roughest part right now, it will get better, I promise. We did a 3 hour schedule during the day, and then let them wake us at night. For all of the nighttime feedings we kept the lights as low as possible, we didn't talk to them or make eye contact, we just fed them. It sounds a little cruel, but they never cared, and it helped them distinguish day from night pretty quickly.

I don't think we put the girls in the bouncies right away, but I don't think there would be a problem with that. We used boppies, and IMO they rock!

I was also extremely emotional those first few weeks. I would cry over just about anything happy or sad. That is supposed to go away after a few weeks, but mine didn't and I ended up with PPD and on meds. No big deal to me (once I got on the meds--before that I felt like a basket case), and now I have weaned off the meds and feel pretty good. I would definately talk to your doctor if your feelings persist, or if you start to feel desperate I would call immediately.

I hope that you start to feel better really soon, I just remember the first 6 weeks were horrible for me but then everything started to get better day by day. It's still work some days, but I love being a mommy to twins, and I find that more and more of my days are really great ones.

:hug99: ,
Cindy

Cindy,
thanks for taking the time to write to me .. I am glad it gets better . i need that light at the end of tunnel. I did not get this way with my first child I had alot of happy tears was feeling so much in love with motherhood that people were like is something wrong with you. i nursed her and felt that relaxed both of us. i opted not to nurse this time due to taking too much time away from my daughter and really feeling overwelmed even more if I chose to nurse.
so thanks for the support..
Maria