Seeking Advice of Mom's of Twins

Updated on December 21, 2009
A.D. asks from Burleson, TX
6 answers

I have twin 6 week old girls. I am having issues with getting them to sleep. I know at this age of course they are not going to sleep through the night, but I can't get them to sleep in their beds. It feels like they always want to be held and it is just impossible to hold both of them. My husband is a big help but he has to work and needs his sleep also. I have one that has reflux really bad so she will scream in the middle of a sound sleep and the other one I feel like just wants to be held. I have tried letting them cry it out, but they keep going and I feel so bad for them. They constantly want me to put the pacifier back in their mouth so I am not getting any sleep in between their feedings. They are going about 4 hours between their bottles, but they are not sleeping because they are crying to be held. I am only getting an average of 2 hours per night and I am not really sure how long my body is going to be able to handle that. Did any of the mom's of multiples have help for a certain amount of time? Is their anything that I can do to help them sleep at night in between feedings? I know that sleep deprivation goes along with having an infant, but I just wanted to see if anybody had any suggestions to make it a little easier on me and my girls! Thanks in advance!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from Dallas on

Our twin girls are now 4. I remember those early days. I didn't read everyone's responses so hope I'm not repeating. We had one who slept soundly and the other didn't. We swaddled them both and we put one in a cradle in the living room with my husband (the sound sleeper) and one in the pack n play in our bedroom with me. That worked for a while. Then they began crying when we would lay them down to sleep so we let them sleep in their car seats. It worked wonders. Keep the lights very low so they don't fully wake up when you feed them and try using a fan for white noise. We still use one in the girls' room.

Congratulations on your baby girls. It is tough for the first 3 months or so but it gets easier. This too shall pass.
Blessings to you and your family!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Dallas on

our twins are 5 months. we swaddle and b/c of reflux they sleep in their car seats. also we have a cd of white noise. they still eat every 3-4hr sometimes a 5 hr stretch but they go right back to sleep on their own. they do wake up alot with intestinal gas so i'm right there with you on the sleep deprivation. i think that it will get better. you should really try letting them to fall asleep on their own. put them down when they are sleepy but not asleep as often as you can.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.A.

answers from Dallas on

I'm a twin mom (girls also) and we had this problem too. I gave up trying the paci because they were constantly spitting it out, and it was just not worth it. Swaddlers were a big life saver. Also, their ped recommened shortening the time between feedings in the afternoon, so they ate more frequently...thus being more full at night. That helped too. My twins could not sleep in the same crib. They were always waking each other up.

Our night routine was feeding, swaddling, rocking to sleep, then we placed them in their crib. When they woke at night, I nursed them and coslept till morning. Slowly they slept longer and longer in their bed. Eventually they were sleeping all night in their cribs.

Some said let them sleep in their swing. One friend put a heating pad in the crib until bedtime...then removed it when the baby went to bed (so the crib was nice and warm). I'm all for what works! A multiple mom needs her sleep, and your household will be so much better if you can find what works.

I did try crying it out, but never longer than 30 minutes. The first night we did 5 min. The next night we did 10, then 15, etc. When we reached 30 minutes, I'd get them if they were still crying.

Good luck. You WILL sleep again, I promise! Every day gets a little better.

B.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I'm a mom of triplets. You have to get over the guilt of letting them cry it out. It seems harsh, but you really do need to get some sleep! You may want to try letting the "reflux baby" sleep in a car seat. This will keep her elevated, and maybe help with the reflux. You can also try Reglan or a non-lethal dose of antibiotic to help with the reflux--ask your pediatrician. In addition to those things, we did finally hire help (two babies were on monitors and one had a 24-hour feeding pump). The helpers arrived at 10pm and left at 6am. It was a blessing to be able to get a little sleep each night.

good luck! multiples are awesome!!!

www.thosecrazybeans.blogspot.com

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.K.

answers from Dallas on

I HIGHLY recommend Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD by Dr. Karp)......the swaddling is great...make sure they are snug and I used two blankets with my girls. You have been given great suggestions, but I am not an advocate of the CIO....they are TOO young to have them crying it out.....I hope you find a solution and rhythm that works.....congrats on your precious girls.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.S.

answers from Dallas on

I second letting the little one with reflux sleep in her car seat. It helped my twins reflux/sleep issues immensely. If you have a nightlight in the room you might also try removing that. We found once we did that our two slept much better. I also rocked mine to sleep at night. My husband was home in the evenings so I would first rock one while he watched the other. Then I would rock the other. We did that probably until about the 6 or 7 month mark. It was what worked for us. It will get better.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions