when did they sleep 'through the night'?

my boys are about 7 weeks old and we're still waking up every 3 hours or so to feed them at night. sometimes, it's not that they're hungry at 3 hours, but they're fussy with gas before they eat, so we're awake anyway.

when did your twins sleep more at night? how did you get them to sleep longer? we're trying to feed them at least every 3 hours during the day whether they're hungry or not, they're eating about 4 ounces each feeding. every day i 'wake up' it feels like the last day i'm going to be able to do it....my dh is back at work so it's just me now during the day.

would love some advice on how to cope! or at least an idea of when it gets better?!

 

Oh man, you are asking at 7 weeks, LOL!!! I did read some women being able to accomplish it that early...I was so jealous My guys didn't sleep successfully until 5 months, but even then every couple of weeks sleep seemed to get interrupted because of a cold, teething, or most recently the chicken pox. When they got done with one of those things then they were back to sleeping through the night 12 hrs. With all my kids I did use the basic concept of Babywise, but it just didn't work as well with the twins, because they would wake each other up.

Do your twins share a crib? A room? At about 5 months we finally split the boys up to achieve the 12hr sleep. One slept in the living room in a Pack n' Play, the other in our room. Now at 8.5 months they are both back in their/our bedroom.

I'm not sure this helped. I hope they will start sleeping longer than you. It sounds like you are doing a good thing with their feedings.

 

I know how hard it is, but there really isn't anything you can do. They will sttn when they're ready but until then they're waking up because they're hungry (or gassy.) Those first few months were a blur and I was a zombie for most of it. It gets easier, though, and they will sleep more (I promise! ) Does your dh help during the night? Maybe if you took shifts or turns or you each had one baby. My boys generally woke every 2-3 hours to eat. They ate and went right back to sleep (thankfully) but they didn't sleep through the night until about 8 months and that was because we did CIO. It's hard having twins, but you'll get through it!! Good luck!!

 

We were still up every 3 hours at that point. Emma slept through around 3 months, Jake at 6 months. Hang in there. :hug:

 

By about 4 months our girls were only waking once, maybe twice, to feed overnight. Hang in there!!

 

They started sleeping from 7pm to 6am at 7 months here. They skipped the 10pm feeding around 4 months.

 

We were lucky - both our girls were sleeping 12 hours by 12 weeks. At about 8 weeks they started to go 5-6 hours, and they rapidly went longer and longer during the next few weeks. But I think I am in the minority. Like a pp said, maybe you and DH can take shifts? GL!

 

QUOTE(Natalochka @ Feb 6 2009, 01:20 PM) [snapback]1178774[/snapback]
We were lucky - both our girls were sleeping 12 hours by 12 weeks. At about 8 weeks they started to go 5-6 hours, and they rapidly went longer and longer during the next few weeks. But I think I am in the minority. Like a pp said, maybe you and DH can take shifts? GL!

Was there anything specific that you did? That's just amazing! Did they breastfeed or formula feed? You were one of the girls I was jealous of.

 

My twins were born at 33.4 wks and are 10 weeks old today. Adjusted age of 3 weeks. They still eat every 3 hours during the day. Starting this past week I feed them at 9pm, put them down to sleep in their pack n play in my room at 10 and they sleep till 3am, wake to eat, back to bed at 4:00am and sleep till 9am, wake to eat and we are up for the day. At 7 weeks my LO's were still waking every 3 hrs. Eating at 9pm down to sleep at 10 and they would wake to eat at 12am, 3am, 6am and up for the day. At 7 weeks they were still sleeping mostly all day.

Now during the day they are awake for atleast an hour and half after each feeding and then go back to sleep for a couple hours before waking to eat again.

Your LO's will start sleeping more soon. I know how you feel being at the point when you feel you cant take it anymore, getting up so many times during the night and being sleep deprived. It was hard on me too. I totally understand. I work full-time and my DH works out of town 4 hrs away and is only home on weekends. I care for our 4 yr old and twins alone. It will get easier, just when you feel like you cant do anymore and are so tired they will start sleeping more and you wont even be able to remember how hard it was.

Do you used any kind of white noise in the background while they sleep? I have a floor fan going and they sleep so much better with the noise.

Hang in the momma, you are doing a great job! It will get easier I promise!

 

Our daughters started sleeping for 5-7 hours at night starting at about 8 weeks. The first night it happened my DH awoke scared since we hadn't heard the girls make a peep all night. We immediately ran in to check on them. We look back and laugh now.

They are still sleeping anywhere from 5-8 hours today at night. Sometimes they have an "off" night or two where they'll awake after 3-4 hours but we find those usually coincide with growth spurts.

We are looking forward to when they start sleeping even more at night but not quite sure when that will be.

Good luck! I bet they'll start sleeping more real soon for you.

 

I'm right there with ya. Some nights we can get through 5 hours w/o a feed, but it's not too bad for us, even on the bad nights, as we split the night up. I go to bed with Owen at 8, and Steffen stays up through the 1am feed, and goes to bed, then I get up at 3 or four and he sleeps through til 8. Maybe try that! It works great for us-we're really not that tired at all.

 

Sounds about right. At 7 weeks we were up all throughout the night.

Then, at about 10 weeks, all of a sudden they started going from 10 p.m. to about 4-5 a.m.
It was amazing!
We thought that was the best sleep ever, since we had been getting up every 2 - 2 1/2 hours (no joke!)

Then, at about 12 weeks they would go to bed anywhere from 9-10 and sleep anywhere
from 6-7:30! It was awesome!

Then, at about 4-4 1/2 months, they dropped that 10 feeding and went to bed around 8 p.m.
and slept until 6 or 7.

They are still on that schedule at 7 months. Every once in a while one will wake up at 5 and once in a while
one will sleep until 8! We will take it!!!!!!! Usually it's 8-8:30 p.m. to 6:30-7 a.m.

HANG IN THERE! I thought I was seriously going to go crazy! I was getting to the point of barely functioning. Then,
out of nowhere, they started sleeping. Like, BAM.

You will be all good.

 

add on to my previous post...

forgot to give some "tips". we really didn't do much as far as a routine.
my thought was, when they are ready to sleep they'll sleep (i know a million people disagree here)

we do lower the lights and get the tv to a nice quiet volume. we talk softly and sing to them as they
are taking their bottle (yes, they do go to sleep taking their last bottle--another hit on me )

they have a noise maker in the room. that's about it.

 

I posted this in another topic, but this is how my twins progressed to sttn. They are 5.5 months and just started sleeping thru the night (at least what i consider sttn...8p-6/8a). But it looks like you might just need a 5 hour stretch, which happened for us at 3.5 months...

I started a night time routine at 2.5 months. That was setting a "bedtime". It was 11pm because this was their longest stretch. They would go from 11pm to 3am. Then they dropped the 11pm bottle completely by themselves around 3.5 months. Then bedtime was at 8pm and they usually woke up around 1am to eat. Around 4 - 4.5 months they started lasting from 8am - 3am. They were stuck on this until a week ago. The past week both had slept from 8pm until 7am on two different nights, so my husband and I decided it was time to let them "fuss a bit". They now sleep 8pm until 6am-8am. It is great. They are slowly falling into a nap schedule as well. They are eating more solids, are happier, not needing to be swaddled, rolling over, sleeping on their bellies in their cribs, not napping in swings,..the list is endless. Month 5 was full of milestones for us. Naps are usually at 9 or 10am then 1 or 2pm depending on how early they wake. Then they may take another short catnap before the bedtime bottle around 5pm. It all seemed to happen at once. I love it...it REALLY DOES get easier.

 

QUOTE(pamallhoney @ Feb 6 2009, 12:00 PM) [snapback]1178734[/snapback]
Oh man, you are asking at 7 weeks, LOL!!! I did read some women being able to accomplish it that early...I was so jealous My guys didn't sleep successfully until 5 months, but even then every couple of weeks sleep seemed to get interrupted because of a cold, teething, or most recently the chicken pox....


That's my first though, too.

Ok, not to be the downer here, but mine will be 8 months on the 13th. Neither one has ever slept through the night. In the first 3 months they were religious 3 hour boys. They generally woke up every 3 hours to eat. Around 4 months I got some 4 hour stretches. Then it's only been in the past few weeks we get one 5 hour block followed by a 4 hour block, and then a 2-3 hour block, and the last 2 nights they slept two 5 hour blocks.

All those things people tell you about feeding them solids, formula, breastmilk, rice in a bottle, yada, yada, yada. They are all myths.

I do recommend the shift schedule. We've done that for 7 months, and I wouldn't have survived without it. I also think the best thing is to alter how you feed them at night, so they can get back to sleep easily.

 

I remember 7 weeks, I was delerious from lack of sleep. I wanted to run away and get a hotel room for a night just to get a solid 8. But we got past it.

Like pp said, lowering lights and making nighttime boring helps. Also getting the babies out in the sunshine and fresh air during the day helps them regulate day and night, too. It helps mom alot, too.

It got alot better at 4 mos when we decided to start CIO.

Mine still don't sttn, but we all get a solid 4-5 hours each night and I'm surviving on that and lots of coffee. I'm waiting patiently for 6 months, bc that's when I'm going to drop one night feeding so maybe I can start getting 6-7 hours out of them. Hang in there, you'll make it.

 

My girls have been sleeping through the night since 12 1/2 weeks. Before that they would wake up for a 3:00 a.m. bottle and one night we just decided to not do it, we just put their pacifiers back in their mouths and they went to sleep. It was easy for us. At 12 1/2 weeks they were sleeping anywhere from 7 to 10 hours I believe. They now sleep anywhere from 10 to 12 hours. You'll get there but at 7 weeks I will still in survival mode as most of us were. Unless the girls are sick, they always go down by 7:00 p.m.

Hang in there.....(((HUGS)))....you are doing great! It gets better and better!

 

I know how you feel! Our girls are 7 1/2 weeks now and just this week have decided to let Mommy get a little bit of rest at night. Of course they have been more demanding during the day! During the day they have been eating 4 oz every 2.5-3 hours. The past 3 nights they have gone to bed after their 9 pm bottles and don't wake up until around 2:30 - 3 am. Then they wake up around 6 am. It is amazing how much more rested I feel in the mornings now. The extra rest has also done wonders for my milk supply (not that I was having issues...now I have to dump the bottles and start over during pumping!) Good luck! I know we will get through this!

 

At 7 weeks, I think every 3 hours is great. Keep up the good work! They will eventually go for longer and longer stretches as they mature.

 

Mine are 8 weeks and they have just started sleeping 8 hours then waking up to eati and then sleeping another 4 hours. In the begining I was waking them up to eat every 3 hours during the day and then my MIL told me that I was teaching them to eat every three hourse. She said just let them sleep as long as they want then when they wake up they will eat more and learn to go longer streches in between. She said then just keep them awake during the day as long as possible and at night right back to bed. During the day they nap in the living room with lights and sound and at night in the bedroom and when they do get up we put on only a tiny light so they do not wake competely up and we keep it very quite. Also sleeping with whtie noise has helped a lot like air purifier, static, recording of a vacuum etc helps them sleep really sound. as well as being swaddled really tight. At first they resisted the swaddle, but in combination with white noise and a passifer they really like it (was mentioned in the happiest baby on the block). They are eating 4-5oz bottles 5 times a day and during the day they stay awake for 1.5 - 2 hour for3 of their 5 feedings. I worked a lot on keeping them up during the day, even in the begining if it was only for a few minutes so they would learn the difference between night and day. Also at night we always have the same routine either a bath/ or sponge bath, lotion them up and put on their p.j.'s I am sure they will go throught times where they will regress or go throught a growth spurt, but for now they seem to be doing good. I can't wait till they go from 8hrs till 12. Also try giving them an extra oz at night and when they wake up to eat see if they will take a passifier. Good luck, hope this helps.

 

My girls were born at 32w3d and starting sleeping through the night (12 hours) at 14 1/2 weeks actual age, 7 weeks adjusted age. We followed a modified version of babywise. They were up every 3 hours to eat until the night they BOTH slept through the night. We use a white noise machine, a small nightlight, and miracle blankets. They go right to sleep with no issues.

 

7 months old here

 

My girls are just 11 weeks and are on a pretty good routine... during the day we practice the E.A.S.Y. method (eat, activity, sleep, you) and they nurse every 3-4 hours or so. During the evening they nurse more frequently to tank up for the night and I put them to bed (swaddled with white noise machine - during naps too) at 9:30 and they have been sleeping until 4:30 or 5. It's great!! It's also a pretty recent thing, maybe for the past 2 weeks or so. Sometimes they still wake up and fuss, and I offer the paci and they usually go right back to sleep, occasionally I'll nurse one at 11 or 12, but that's not very often.
I used to assume that every time they woke up crying they were ready to eat, but one night while changing dd I gave her a pacifier to soothe her and she fell back to sleep. Sometimes they just want to suck, but they'll let you know if not.
Good Luck!

 

I think ours were at about 10 weeks when they started sleeping through the night. They're at 14 weeks now, and sleep six hours, then feed, and back to sleep for another four hours.

 

Just wanted to post that I am in the same boat as you! 7 weeks (today omg!) and are still up every 3 hours and that is on good nights! I acutally switched formulas a few weeks back because they were so gassy and were grunting up a storm every night for hours! They were on ENFAMIL Lipil and Now they are on similac sensitive (its broken down a little more for their little bellies) It gave us (or me I should say!) another hour and less grunting and gas. You may check that out but they do sleep 3 hours ritually. Sometimes though they have a growth spurt and eat 2 hours. I make sure i wake the other one up if he doesnt when his brother eats so that I am not up hourly (found that out by mistake!!) I am praying for 4 hours soon! to think that would be a blessing is funny! big hugs to you! we will get through it and they will b e running around in no time!!

 

Oh you poor thing! I dont miss those days much
I want to say around 8 weeks they made me only get up 2x a night....then when I went back to work at 12 I would say it was once a night most of the time, sometimes 2x a night...
Probably around 4.5 months they started sleeping 6:30pm-5am with a twice a week getting up in the middle of the night for a feeding (just my dd).
Around 6 months id say it started becoming more consistent. We've even tried making their bedtime later so we can spend more time with them after work but nope, its gotta be 6:45pm or sooner otherwise its bad news.
Now that they are 8 months we can bank on it but every once in awhile someone wakes up fussy around 9pm or something, but we dont get the 2am wake up calls like we used to!

We do not do shifts, we assign each parent a baby (just take turns) and that works out great...Not one person would get screwed two nights in a row, too often. Otherwise as for tips, we just tried sticking to the early bedtime, and eventually they just stopped waking up...its heaven. You will get through it, I was at the end of my rope around that time...I thought by 8 wks things would start getting better and they were only getting worse!

 

My guys will be 14 weeks on Wednesday and they're still not sleeping all night AND I went back to work today. Keegan will sleep for 6 hours or so IF, and only IF, I put him in a swing. Connor can only do 4 hours at a time- no matter what. I'm DYING from a lack of sleep. I swear I am!!! My daughter was sleeping 7 or 8 hours by now. Ugh.