Feedings - Chicago,IL

H.,

Congrats on the triplets! It sounds like you're doing a great job. My twins just turned one year old. Both of my babies were breastfed, so I always wondered if they were eating enough. Right around eight months was when I started increasing their solid foods. I added a third meal a day and made sure they had cereal twice a day. Try adding another meal to their day (I know, easier said than done when feedings take forever times three!). If you cut out a night time bottle, just watch their hunger cues during the day. As long as they're gaining weight, which it looks like they are, then you're doing a great job! If their doctor isn't worried then you shouldn't be either.

My preemie never ate much at one sitting either. I believe the night thing is something some of us endure with our preemies ;) Exhausting isn't it!?

Hi H. Your triplets peditrican advice is the best one. In time they'll be eating more. So if they're gaining weight, they must be getting enough. Maybe if it's okay with their doctor, to give them cereal with their bottle right before bedtime. This make help them sleep longer.

I don' tknow much about your particular situation, but my son never ate more than 24 ounces of formula per day, and that was a stretch some days.

H.,
I have twin girls that are now 11 months, but I kind of went through a similar situation... I don't know your girls history so I don't want to overstep here. I was wondering if you have tried to increase their oz. of formula during the day, this way you will eliminate the night feedings or a night feeding. My girls took an 8oz bottle when they woke up in the morning, an 6oz bottle before nap at 11am, and usually 6oz in the afternoon and 8oz before bedtime and 8 oz bottles at night. Just a side note my ped. yelled at me when i told her this at their 9 month apt. she said I was feeding them way too much, they should only be on about 20.oz a day AND they should be sleeping through the night. At that point I was getting up once or twice a night. We then weaned them off the night time feedings, dropping an oz a night until we were at 0, and then just rocking them back to sleep...then not going in the room at all. They now sleep throught the night every night!

Other than increasing formula I would increase their food intake. My ped. suggested yogurt for lunch which my girls love (yo baby is their fav.) You may also want to introduce the gerber fruit/veggie puffs that are shaped like stars..they melt in the babies mouths and it helps develop fine motor skills too!

best of luck to you and hope all goes well and you soon will be sleeping through the night.

Hi H.,

My triplet girls are 9.5 months old. My girls were born on December 22nd at 35w 3d and were 6.3, 5.10 and 4.13 (scheduled c-section). They only take in 3 8oz bottles a day and eat 3 full meals with us.

The girls recently started sleeping through the night. Honestly it was a matter of conditioning not that they were hungry. If your girls are not completing a bottle overnight stop giving them one. Try to let them soothe themselves without food. During the day give them bottles at 3.5 hour intervals if you can. They should be tanked up enough to make it through the night.

Feel free to email me at ____@____.com anytime. I would love to talk to another triplet girl Mom.

D.
Mom to triplet girls, 9mos and a 3 3/4 year old BOY!

You don't say how premature your girls were or how much they currently weigh. Are they finishing off a 4oz bottle, or are you making 5oz bottles and they are only drinking 4oz? Are they waking up for the night feeding, or are you waking them up?

While each baby is different, here's what I do with my 9 mo. old twins (boy/girl) who have slept through the night since 4 months (!). It's extremely rare that one of them will wake up during the night (usually the boy). Changing a diaper seems to work and then back to bed. We slowly started with cereal (6mos.), then cereal with fruit (morning per doctor) and then cereal with vegetable (late afternoon).

10 oz. bottle each (I figure after a long night of nothing - give them a major bottle) - around 6:30-7am

cereal (mixed with 4 oz. each of formula) (cereal - shake out of box to count of 6) plus 1 jar of fruit - ceral and fruit is shared by twins. Then I give the remainder of their bottles (4 oz. each) - around 9:30-10:30am

8 oz. bottle each - around 12:30pm-1:30pm

cereal (as before) with 1 jar of vegetable - water with cup (maybe 1 oz.- they're practicing with cup!) -4:30pm

The remaining oz. from bottle used for cereal (4-5 oz each), I give to them when I lay them down around 7pm. They don't really start stiring until 6am (my son usually before - I let him play in the crib till 6am.

total oz. each: 26-27 oz.

This is a pattern I've been able to work out.

J. - good luck!

A little about me: I'm an "older" single mother of twins who works at home with computer for a technology company.