Hi to all,

I, two weeks ago, gave birth to two beautiful twin boys. Dylan Jay (5lbs 11oz) and Regan Ben (7lbs 11oz).

They are absolutely delightful and though I was psyched up for a busy time, I find that it isn't as busy as I thought it was going to be.

I just do everything twice.

The only thing I am struggling with is the lack of sleep. They are hungry boys and as is normal with little babies, we are up every two to three hours for feeds.

Some days I try to get some sleep and I feel better but other days the time just gets away from me and I am irritable and feeling quite low.

I am being hard on myself, I know, but I wish I could smile and remain cheerful even though I am exhausted. I just don't think of myself as being very "tough".

What does everyone else think about this part of the baby process.

Looking for reassurance,

Sue
Twin Mum
Queensland

Hi Sue,
I think you will get a lot more support from the girls in the Multiples forum. I'll ask Leanne, the mod of this forum if she can move this post there for you.
To answer your question, I know how sleep deprived I was with one baby at a time, let alone two.
Is it possible to express so that every couple of nights you could get your hubby to do one of the feeds for you?
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Lean on your family and friends, this is the hardest time.
Sleep when those babies sleep, don't try to keep a clean house as well, you need to make milk and rest is essential.

Hi Sue,

Whilst I don't have twins, I really struggled with the lack of sleep thing in the beginning as well.I started my family fairly late in life so was very used to lots and lots of sleep with fairly late nights and big sleep in's (I'm a shift worker).In the beginning it was the hardest because I was breast feeding so Dh couldn't help much with the overnight feeding etc.

I really thought my daughter would be an only child but now 8 months down the track we're trying for number 2 :-0.The 2nd/3rd hourly feeding doesn't last that long and to be honest I can hardly remember it, maybe because my brain wasn't exactly working to well at the time.Amelia was a shocker and used to take me hours to settle overnight and now she sleeps through from 1830-0630.Plus I've just weaned her and Dh and I take turns getting up in the morning and sleeping in and the person sleeping in does the "night duty" as we call it if she does wake in the night.

If you're not B/F(a very hard job with twins I'd imagine) get your partner to take over for a night or a morning.Anyway as everyone told me "it does get better" and I actually look forward to going into her at 0630 and seeing her standing up in her cot with the biggest smile you've ever seen.

shelly (35)
DH (29)

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I didn't enjoy my baby much the first couple of weeks. We had a stressful birth and hard time establishing feeding which is what I blamed but I think a "normal" birth would be almost as bad. I guess we have this idea we will spend the time in hospital gazing at our babies and not doing much else so the reality is a bit of a shock! Congrats on the birth of your babies, I'm sure you'll be enjoying them in no time!

Tracy (32)
DH Andrew (29)
DS Elijah (1) emerg c/s
DCat Cleo (11)
ttc#2 soon

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Hi I know how you are feeling in terms of not being as busy as you thought. Just really try and get rest when they do. Before you know it they will be 6weeks and want to spend more waking time. Then it gets really busy because you want to goo and gaa at them but you are tired and you have a house to run.

Talk to the girls in the Multiples forum, you can also PM me anytime if you want to chat

Good luck and congrats on your new dynamic duo!

Letitia 34
Dan 34
Georgia 6
Hamish 4
Xander 19mths
Noah 19mths
(plus angels Jesse, Dale and Matilda)

Hi Sue Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful boys
I just had to reply as I am sitting here bleary eyed after not much sleep....however that was due to my almost 4 yr old :mad: and belongs in a whole new thread (possibly vents!!) lol...
Anyway sorry to get off track...Yes the lack of sleep in those first few weeks is almost unbearable at times (My first bub didn't sleep thru at all in the first yr or so)...and that is only speaking as a parent to one bub at a time (can only imagine how much feeding 2 bubs takes out of you!!) After birth you are tired and emotional anyway, coupled with no sleep and it is totally normal to feel a bit down and not so "tough"
Important thing to remember is to really try and enjoy these early days as much as possible (they really grow sooo fast) by focusing just on your needs (ie food,rest & sleep) and your bubs needs of food, warmth & love...Don't be concerned about the house or shopping - try to delegate these tasks...and if ever you get the chance to sit/lay down DO IT!!
Congratulations again and wishing you heaps of *sleepy vibes* for the coming weeks

Soph ~28
DH ~ 34
Megan ~03/08/99
Zachary ~21/06/01
Ethan ~29/11/04


This message was edited by cazgem on Saturday, 23 April 2005 @ 7:55 AM

Hey Sue I will pop this post over in the twins forum for you

I can so relate to having twins and no sleep. I never had more than 2 hours for the first 6 months of my twins lives. I also had 3 other children at the time. So I had 5 under 6 years and 10 months!!!! It was a very very busy time.


[color=purple] Proud mum to Courtney, Rhyan, Jarryd, Elliott, Harrison, Grayson, and our beautiful baby boy Sebastian born 11th march '05

Hi there Sue

I know how you feel and yes it is hard. the lack of sleep for the first few weeks is hard but after a while to children settle into a pattern and you can get some sleep time in the day
I recommond sleeping when they sleep if possible because I found this was the only time I got and forget the house if possible and get others the help with the housework .
Most of all enjoy your boys and if you need help tell someone or talk to us here as most of us have been through it or are going through it .
Bye Rosie


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My girls are now 2.5 now & I struggle to remember the tiredness. I breastfed & they woke about every 4 hours.

Just 2 weeks ago we had some major sleeping issues with one of mine & I can relate to how exhausted you get.

Try to sleep when they do, I couldn't manage to do this. Also maybe someone could help with meals, so that's one less thing you have to be worrying about.

Trust me, the time will fly & you will look back & wonder where it went. It's only a small amount of time that it's really hard like it is now. Easy for me to say now. Do they settle well after feeds? If not, maybe you could get onto your CHN for some tips (I did this & found them to be helpful). I found that routine was the only way that I could cope.

Ask away if you have any questions.

Belinda

[color=Teal]Sue, there's no doubt that sleep deprivation is a form of torture! But, after saying that, I have to tell you that chances are things will only get better. Our boys started to sleep through the night from 9 weeks, and we've never looked back. Just the odd bad night here and there with illness etc, but overall I can honestly say that since they started sleeping through, I started to cope a lot better.

In the meantime, try to grab as many naps during the day as you can. Try to get someone else to do the washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning etc so that you can get some rest.

Take care, Vanessa

I found the sleep deprivation the hardest thing to cope with. I was so happy when my boys started sleeping through the night and my mood picked up immediately. I found I could cope with just about anything if I'd got a pretty good sleep the night before. Don't feel bad- it gets better. Just look after yourself and don't feel bad about sleeping when there's other stuff to do. A happy mummy makes for happy babies- so if you need a sleep then forget the housework etc. I think I kind of developed tunnel vision for a while and for the first two-three months I just focussed on my babies, myself and my husband. I remember reading in a Kaz Cooke book that people kept asking her is she'd like to have a little nap... and she felt like yelling at them "no I want to SLEEP!". That made me laugh as that's how I felt!
Take care,
Maycee

Maycee (35)
DH (33)
Twin boys (4/12/01)
DD (7/10/03)

Sorry to hear about your tough times, I hope things look up for you real soon.. Best of luck and tale care of yourself..

My twins have just turned 4 and I struggle sometimes remembering how it was when they were babies. But I do remember that overwhelming feeling of tiredness. I also had a 22 mth old when they were born, so when they were asleep during the day, he wasn't, so my hopes of sleeping when they were asleep didn't work. But I was lucky in that my little ones started sleeping through around 3 mths, so half decent nights sleeps started around then.

Just try and catch some zzzz's when they are settled, try not to overdo the housework, get some help from your partner or family/friends. I know it used to peeve me when people said this to me ... but it does get better.

Hang in there and I wish you all the best.

Maryanne

my three angels
Ryan 5 1/2, Nicole & Kyle 4

Hi Sue - Glad you found this site! It will save your sanity and you will get reassurance by the truckload here!
Hayden and Brooklen are 5 weeks today and we are just getting to 4-5-6 hours of uninterupted sleep at night. It is bliss, but I know anything can throw it out so I am enjoying it while it lasts.
I have had my DH home since they were born and he has been a godsend. Do you have support at home?
I gave up sleeping during the day as there was so much to do and I felt worse after 1 hours sleep, so I just go to bed with them at night, they wake me for the last feed and then we are all off to sleep until the morning (fingers crossed) Last night Hayden slept from 10:30pm to 7am this morning!
I found that relaxing - not sleeping during the days works more...on the couch with a good book or movie and a cuppa, its jut time out.
We also have access through the CHN to use the red cross volunteers for 6 hours a week - perhaps look into that, while they are helping you could sleep.

Although I am new too - It gets easier week by week i promise! Please pm me if you like! - just know we are here for you and we do understand...

Haylie & Phillip
DSD ~ Ebony
Hayden Phillip ~ 21.3.2005
Brooklen Lily ~ 21.3.2005
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Hi. congrats on the bubs. The sleep thing lasts a while but your body does start to adjust.... I couldn't sleep much during the day it made me feel worse. but helped if I went to sleep after their 9.30pm feed. Back up at 1.30 then 5ish etc..

Amber slept through from around 7+ months. Olivia on the other hand has only just started sleeping through in the last 2 weeks.(they will be 2 on Mothers day) she has a few tummy troubles but we've finally worked out what that is and here's to a little more rest. My body went into shock when she started sleeping through I couldn't get to sleep until well after midnight as I just wasn't used to it.

Just dont expect them to drop feeds early on and start sleeping through. Enjoy your time with them(they are alot easier before they can move!!).

Best of luck. Time flies with twins.
Rebecca

Sue,
I am sending your boys big sleepy vibes for you...
I'm with Haylie - a relative newbie to this but it does get better!! In the beginning, I would have at least one 'pyjama day' a week where I wouldn't get out of my PJs all day and I slept whenever I put the babies to bed. That helped a lot (I just made sure no visitors dropped in that day!). My girls are 8 weeks now and sleeping about 8 hours a night. Total bliss!

Lisa
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