We're Soo Close!

...but so far the boys are skipping their 10pm feeding and not their 2am one!!! We feed them at 6pm (a big bottle, as much as they will take) and put them down somewhere between 7 and 8pm. Most nights the past week and a half we have not been waking them up to feed at 10pm, and this results in them sleeping solidly from 7-8pm when we put them down, to 1 and sometimes even 2am! This is a GREAT chunk of sleep for 14 w/o preemies who are 7 weeks adjusted, but we would prefer it if they skipped the 2am feeding and ate well at 10pm instead so we do not have to get up in the middle of the night.

Of course, beggars can't be choosers, but the few times we tried waking them up to feed at 10pm, they did not eat well (we bottle feed) and then woke up again 4 hours later at 2am just like normal!!! Should we just settle with the current skipped 10pm feeding that they seem to have put themselves on, or keep trying to wake them up and get them to hopefully feed better at 10pm?? Our hope is that they would sleep for maybe 6 hours after the 10pm feeding and DH and I would both be happy as clams with that result!!!

 

Yay for more sleep! I'm thinking-for the time being... Feed them at 6pm and then aim for 7ish for bed. Then you and dh go to bed around then-and you can get a big chunk of sleep that way. Not ideal, as you don't get down time or "you time," but it's temporary. I think it's great they are skipping that feeding, especially at that young age! That's awesome!

When they wake at 2-what time do they wake again? Is there any way you and dh could rotate who wakes? So if you woke Monday with them at 2am, he woke Tuesday? That way you are both getting sleep. And if that was the case, and time allowed, and you did the 2am feed, he could do the following feed while you slept a little bit more before starting the day. It's only temporary I promise! DH and I rotated a lot, and then once they were consistent in their sleep, I took over.

 

Ours were doing the same, so we decided to try waking them before we went to bed around 11pm and see if they slept the rest of the night and not wake at 2 or 3 any more. They DID!! YAY!! A couple of times, they have still woken up around 4 or 5, but most of the time we have been getting 11:30pm - 6, 7, or 8AM!! I would try it for a few days and see if it works for you. It did for us!!

 

Well, we WERE so close, and now the past three nights they have not skipped the 10pm feeding....or rather they HAVE, but then they get up at midnight to eat, and then 5ish, etc....this is even after two of the nights we woke them up at 10 to eat!!! Exasperating!!!!! And exhausting

Could this be because they might be working on milestones...??? I have heard about that theory on here before. They are both getting more and more vocally expressive the past few days, and my one DS has really started to smile and interact via eye contact with people he "knows". Would like to think this is the reason for the madness!!!

Oh and Meg, DH is a high school teacher and HS boys soccer coach, and this is the busiest time of the work year for him. When his parents are in town (away this week) they ahve been taking turns helping me out with night duty, so DH can try to get some sleep - has to be at work from 7:30am - 6 and sometimes 9:30pm wiht soccer. This week DH and i are on duty together, but I don't think in our situation it would work for one person to do an entire night alone and then switch off. Wish it would though!!