There are times when from about 8:00 when Dave leaves until 5:30 when he comes back that I've had about 45 minutes to myself. The twins are doing really well; we don't have a lot of crying. But sometimes, one is awake and needs attention until s/he goes to sleep and then the other wakes up and needs to eat and have some Mommy time.
Right now, they are both asleep. BTW, those of you who are SAHM, feel free to pass on advice on naps, etc. It seems like the afternoon nap is becoming clear. They are both sleeping for a good period in the afternoon and acting quite happy and smilely afterwards. (We appear, at 15 weeks chronological and 9 weeks adjusted to be clearly past the colicky stage). The morning naps are a bit more sketchy. My friends who have been SAHM during this time told me that the morning naps would be the first that are clearly established, but I'm not seeing it. Bridget usually goes to sleep first and naps for a couple of hours. Christopher is more on and off and I can't tell when his morning nap is truly happening.
As for night, well, Oh Joy. Last night was a bit rough but for the last week or so, Bridget usually goes to sleep about 9 pm, wakes up at 3 and 6 for a quick snack and then sleeps until 8 am or so. Christopher goes to sleep between 9:30 and 10 (we've had some horrible later times, but usually then) and then wakes up about, oh, 7:30 or so for his snack. Others might think Bridget waking up at 3 and 6 is rough, but I think it's easy. I bring her into bed, she eats and we're done.
Also, I'm finding that having both babies in bed at the same time is not that difficult. I can't move, but it's not that difficult. Heat seeking missiles that they are, it does not matter where I lie them down initially, soon enough they have scooted across the bed and are glued to my side. I can lie on my back with both babies nestled in my pits or I can be on one side snuggling one while the other spoons me (or spoons my shoulder) from behind. I used to worry that I'd roll on the baby behind me, but as I said, I don't move. If I have to get up, I do a sideways sit up and there you go.
What about Dave? How is he sleeping with the twins in bed? Well, the correct question is how about Dave and Conor. We have a bit of a bed shuffle going on around here. When Dave and I go to bed, all the children are snuggled up tight in their beds. Sometime around 2, Conor comes up and gets Dave and they go downstairs to sleep in the guest room. (We decided 5 in the bed is too crowded). Around 3, Bridget comes to bed. Around 6 (sometimes), Christopher comes to bed. Around 7, Conor comes back up to our bed and he and I snuggle while Dave makes us breakfast. Sometimes, I must admit, I try to encourage Conor not to snuggle with So Much Love for the twins and me, especially if I or one of the babies has just gotten back to sleep. I feel incredibly guilty, but Conor is still a 5 year old boy and although he's a gentle, loving 5 year old boy, he's still a LOVING 5 year old boy. The command "gentle!!" is used a bit more and probably in a less gentle voice by me than it should be.
So as far as sleep goes, I can't complain. But sometimes I do. Life's been good to me, so faaaaaaaar.
Ahem, yeah, well, still I can't explain why I am still so pooped all the time. They are great twins and I am getting decent sleep. I can count on them sleeping at least until 3. But still, I'm pooped. I'm thinking the double dose of hormones I have from breastfeeding has got to have something to do with it. There's no reason I should feel this tired all the time!
5 comments:
Good heavens, Anita! There's every reason in the world why you should be feeling wiped out. First of all, your body is still recovering from all those months of being tripled. Second, Wonder Woman though you may be, parenting twins plus a five year old, and doing whatever all you might need to do around the house (assuming you don't have the likes of a Laundry Fairy) is exhausting. Uninterrupted sleep until 3Am is hardly the norm for most fully functioning people, and lying there afterwards in snuggle mode with your extra senses tuned to not turning over isn't "real" sleep either. You will eventually be getting enough sleep again, but it's not happening right now.
And, no apologies for infrequent posting, Kiddo. Under the circumstances, I'm pretty astonished to see anything pop up here at all!
Really glad to hear that overall things are going so well for you.
Don't worry about the morning naps. They are the hardest and by the time you get any sort of routine going, they drop the naps! I always concentrated on the afternoon naps because this is the one they keep for a few years. Try to always be home and have them nap in their cribs. For us, morning naps were always in the car running errands or in the stroller while out for a walk. Congrats - sounds like everyone is doing great!
Anon--Thanks!! just the advice I've been looking for!!
Gosh, I have no freakin' idea how you manage it at all; being tired seems pretty understandable to me!
I'm currently only 4 months pregnant, and I'm so tired most of the time (doing absolutely NOTHING) that I've been known to pass out in the middle of dinner! I can't even imagine how I'd function with two babies... I'm still wondering how I'll manage with one.
Fortunately, your stories of twins (plus one) give me faith I might be able to handle my singular newborn. Maybe... :)
I can think of a whole bunch of reasons why you're tired. You might consider napping whenever they're both asleep. Carter and I would both sleep during "his" morning nap. Then I would walk him in his stroller for his entire (2+ hours) afternoon nap.
Also, pay attention to getting all the food, water, and nutrients (iron, calcium, etc.) that you need for your current physically demanding role.
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