Can you say ewww?

[gatorsmom]

I haven't showered since Sunday. And I slept in my clothes last night. Again. Why is it that the twins will just not stop crying between 6pm and 1am?? During the day they are getting much better at falling asleep in their crib but at night they just won't have it. I've tried everything everyone has suggested to calm them but theyh both just want to be held. And at first DH was helping with this, but for the past 2 weeks now he says, "I'm working harder so that you can have a nanny and nap during the day so you can stay up with them at night." Then he either goes back to work in his homeoffice or goes to bed (he's sleeping in the guest bedroom so that he can get his beauty sleep). The problem is that we are paying the nanny to take care of the older 2 boys- not the babies. So I can only nap when the babies nap. And if they aren't both napping ....

Yep, so, I just fed them (I can type when they are both nursing- it's pretty funny to see) and at some point while I'm nursing Greenbean will start to cry and detach. I try to give him gripe water and burp him. Sometimes then he'll settle down. About 50% of the time though (and never between 9pm and 1am) he'll continue fussing. SiSi will nurse, burp and spit up and then settle down and go to sleep (again, evenings are a challenge here). Greenbean is on Zantac and I've tried doing tummy massages, mylecon drops, bicycling their legs and eventually resort to Tylenol at night. I'm not sure if it's the Tylenol that calms them or they are just so tired from crying but eventually around 1am they settle into sleep.

What am I doing wrong?

[Ceepa]

Doesn't sound like anything wrong with them, medically. Maybe just colic? If so, I'm sorry ... DD was the champion colic baby of all time. Seriously.

I know you've heard this a thousand times by now but it will get better. Just get sleep when you can and do whatever you need to feed yourself and the babies and then let everything else go.

A quick shower sometimes perked up my mood a bit, though.

(((hugs)))

[Pennylane]

Lisa,

Hugs to you! Could maybe you go to sleep early (I mean like 7) and let your DH help with the babies until midnight or so. That way you could get a few good hours of uninterrupted sleep? My DH and I did this. He would take any feedings up until 1 and I would go to sleep about 7. Then I had after 1. It worked out good for us because he is up until midnight almost every night.

Hang in there!!

Ann

[nfowife]

Hey, wondering if the Zantac might not be enough. For a lot of babies it isn't. It didn't do a thing for my DS. We had to move on to prevacid and that made a difference! Also the zantac has to be adjusted continuously as it is weight dependent dosing so if he has gained any weight at all you might need to up the dose or move on to prevacid.
Have you tried swaddling and a swing (or 2 :) )?
hugs mama!

[gatorsmom]

I've tried the swing- sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt'. And both of them break out of their swaddles now, unfortunately. SiSi is pretty easy to understand. She gets fussy when she has to burp or has a little spit up coming. Or when she is trying to get to sleep. Of course, she has fussy time at night too, but most other times she's easy to read.

Greanbean is another story. He starts fussy usually toward the end of his feeding. I wish I could tell you there was a pattern to his fussyness but it ends there. Sometimes I burp him and he goes back to eating. Sometimes he doesn't- he just keeps on screaming. Sometimes he falls asleep when he's eating and wakes up later and starts screaming. Sometimes he squirms, sometimes he doesn't.

And it is so hard to be tired and try to remember what medicine I gave to who and when. AND when I try to write it down my 2 year old will find the piece of paper and pen and drag it off somewhere. This whole fussyness sleep thing is killing me!

I would try a softened version of CIO but I think there is something physical behind Greenbean's fussing. I guess I could do CIO (Babywise has worked great for my first 2 who are now excellent little sleepers) for SiSi since she hardly fusses now before falling asleep, but it doesn't seem fair to do one and not the other....

[SummerBaby]

Hugs to you. I went through the same thing with my second baby and DH. He couldn't understand why I couldn't just nap during the day. Ugh. Have you continued with the dairy elimination? Have you tried a miracle blanket? DD#2 could squirm out of all other swaddles but that one. She also hated the regular swing, and out of desperation I bought the Baby Papasan swing. The only way I could get her to sleep without holding her is to put her in the miracle blanket and then in the swing going side to side. Would he sleep better in his car seat? I'm just about to move my 5 month old out of her car seat and into the crib. I know that's unpopular, but she has been fine (no plagio) and I needed to sleep.

As for your DH, I would simply tell him tonight that you will be in the shower, and then just go. If the babies cry he'll have no choice but to pick them up. And you won't be able to hear them cry in the shower anyway.

Good luck!

Val
DD 7/04
DD 7/07

[niccig]

I think the PP is right. You have to divide the nights with your DH. Or try every other night. He has to help, you've got 2 babies to care for at night and despite the nanny the older two still want your attention. You need to get a stretch of longer sleep.

If he won't do it, then tell him you're getting a night nanny to help. Friends had twins and an older toddler. They had a night nanny and a day nanny for several months. The DH said they were hemorrhaging cash, but they needed the help.

[niccig]

Have you tried a miracle blanket? DD#2 could squirm out of all other swaddles but that one. She also hated the regular swing, and out of desperation I bought the Baby Papasan swing. The only way I could get her to sleep without holding her is to put her in the miracle blanket and then in the swing going side to side. Would he sleep better in his car seat? I'm just about to move my 5 month old out of her car seat and into the crib. I know that's unpopular, but she has been fine (no plagio) and I needed to sleep.


We were the same. It had to be the miracle blanket. DS had reflux and the crib wedge didn't work, I was holding DS upright in the glider chair to sleep. The ped. had us put him in the car seat - strapped in loosely so he couldn't squirm out, but not too tight. We too had no flat spot. Our ped. was closely watching for that, and we only used the seat for the car during the day. Then DS got put on Prevacid, he got older, and the reflux symptoms eased up and he was sleeping in the crib.

[bubbaray]

OK, I don't have experience with reflux nor twins. But, when you feed Greenbean, can you keep him more upright? I've done this while nursing when the girls had a cold. I use my knee and pillow to get the right angle. Not sure how I would/could do it while tandem nursing, but maybe that would help?

I've gotten the same line from my DH.... Men!

[tylersmama]

I second (third?) the miracle blanket. Only swaddle DS couldn't get out of!