We Were Making Such Progress....

We definitely don't have it as tough as some of the others on here, but life is still very hard for us.

Up till last Monday, I had one of the twins, Samara, completely mellowed out. She was on a great sleep schedule and was napping regularly.

THEN... we wen to the pediatrician.

She shot my girls up with 4 injections and 1 oral and they haven't been the same since. They lost their minds when we brought them home from the pedi and then Sam got a cold (which she still has and is miserable). Their sleep schedules are totally off. Sam, who was sleeping like a champ before, can barely fall asleep now.

Leila can stay awake the whole day - she fights sleep with the will of a samurai warrior.

It wears on our soul knowing how tired and miserable they must be. We feel the vaccinations were too intense for their little bodies - has anyone else experience these side effects where your children change after their 2-month visit?

When will it get better? We heard 8 weeks - no, it isn't better yet. Sam still cries regularly even after being fed, diapered, soothed, etc. She has about 5 minutes where she'll be OK and then she can't bear being alive. I used to put her to sleep then (which worked) but now it takes her hours to calm down.

HELP!

 

Bad news bear here...I was told 12 weeks. We hit 12 weeks and it wasn't better. My girls both had reflux and suffered from gas and colic so believe me when I tell you I know what you are going through. :hug99: For me, I started breathing a sigh of relief when they started sleeping through around 4.5 months.

eta: Do you think she might have reflux?

 

The next few days after our 2 month check up were complete ****. Both girls were running fevers and on tylenol around the clock (which helped tremendously) and you couldn't move Char without her screaming bloody murder. But this last week they have completely turned a corner. All of a sudden they are eating and napping like champs and sleeping up to 8 hours at night! So hang in there. We still have our rough moments but it has gotten a LOT better. Good luck!

 

Right there with you on the sleep fighters. I agree with pp that it was about 5 months before mine stopped fussing all the darned time. They are still fussy sensitive babies. Well, one is fussy and the other is sensitive (cries when I sneeze, fuss at the dog, grind coffee beans, windy days and bright sunlight and has BREAKDOWNS when strangers come near her). They both cry whenever I leave the room. I have to be right there with them at all times =) They don't seem to understand that Mommys don't wear diapers and sometimes I just have to go and pee for goodness sakes!

We worked HARD on sleep training and even had to let them cry some at night. But now, 9 times out of 10 we can do our little routine (SAME night routine that we have done since they were 8 weeks old ... every night) and lay them down awake and they go to sleep on their own and they wake once each to nurse. Same with naps. For naps, they don't sleep for very long ... 45 minutes generally, every now and then I get an hour or so and TWICE in their whole lives, they have slept for 2 hours for a nap. I think ROUTINE ROUTINE ROUTINE is the key! Just keep doing things the same way and they will "get it." Now they can be kicking like crazy and giggling up a storm, then the MINUTE they are out of the bath they are rubbing their eyes to go to sleep. They have learned that is the way it is.

For naps we just gradually went from only napping while held, to rocking them to a dead sleep and then ever so gently putting them in the side to side cradle swings, rocking and putting down asleep in the carseats (not buckled in, on the floor of the nursery ... I think they had some reflux b/c they slept much better sitting up), to rocking asleep and putting in the cribs, then we tried to wean the swaddle forever and they would wake every 30 minutes all night (even after I would nurse them to sleep) and would always end up back in the swaddle at like 3 AM. So, that is when we just cold turkey put them in sleep sacks and let them cry it out. SO SO SO hard but so worth it. Then we rocked them to ALMOST asleep and laid them in the cribs. Now we are finally where we rock them for a few minutes just because we like to and lay them in the cribs awake and they go to sleep on their own. It was a slow and difficult transistion and it seemed like they would never learn ... but each time they did well with less "help" from us, we would lessen it even more.

Good luck, I know it is frustrating!

 

We had the same problems as Michelle with reflux, so it was definitely more 4 months for us. But many people on here have said about 3 months for them. So keep the faith. :hug99: Shots at the pedis are rough on them.

 

Both of ours had colic and it didn't even develop until about 2 months. The ped said that sometimes will happen with preemies..so we had colic from months 2-4 and it nearly killed us all! I remember it like it was yesterday. I think I'm scarred for life..but it does get better. (If they aren't breastfed)We tried a new formula, Similac Alimentum, and they were considerably less fussy starting after their first feeding of it! Sounds too easy, but it was true! Then we switched to Dr. Brown's bottle and it was like we were given 2 brand new babies, it was wonderful. I think it was then that we began to really enjoy them...I'll be thinking and praying for you!

 

Ours had a VERY hard time with the 2 month vaccination. I was totally unprepared for it too. One was so sick from it that I called the ped at 10 pm. Apparently, it's normal, but it scared the living daylights out of me. We have been thrown off of our nap schedule recently due to a stomach flu in our house and it's been a big challenge to get it worked out. Best wishes!

 

I am sorry that you are having such a hard time! I hope that everyone feels better soon!

What did your ped say about their reaction to their shots?

I know ours fight daytime sleep like someone fighting the torture chamber. For some reason, they hate daytime naps, always have since a couple of weeks old.

Let us know how you are continuing to make out!

Good luck!

 

I gave mine Tylenol before the 2 month shot and they did great. So for the 4 month shot I didn't think I needed to drug them. I was WRONG! Give them the meds BEFORE the shots and life is so much better. Hang in there. My toughest time was 6-12 weeks (adjusted age). It got a lot better around 4 months (actual age). Hugs to you!