dreamfeeds/nightfeeds

[MamaChocoholic]

my dts wake about every 2 hours in the early part of the evening/night (on a good night). at each feed, they will drink one let down, then back to sleep. with two babies at each feed, I don't get much sleep, so spend the later part of the night (from about 1am) asleep with a baby latched on on each side and wake up with back ache.

I'm wondering whether if I could get them to drink more than one let down they might manage to sleep in longer stretches. I think sleeping latched on has got them used to small frequent night feeding.

how much do your babies drink at each night feed and how could I go about getting them to keep sucking to stimulate another let down? I've been nervous to try waking them up as dt2 in particular won't always feed to sleep, and I really want to avoid having to get up in the night to rock him.

I try to feed DD every hour before bed. We have a set routine of bath at 7 then cuddles then bed at 8. She feeds about 6ish, then straight after the bath, then while she's settling herself in the evening and fusses, I'll check her nappy then offer her a boob which she normally takes for a top up, then have her mobile on. Normally takes her till about 9.30 to properly fall asleep then she's not up till 1. We used to rock her to get back to sleep but last night just used the mobile (without music just the toys going round) and she watched it for 20 mins then was flat out I'll 4am, then 7.30!

She's 6 weeks old tomorrow and day before last was up every hour for a feed which I think was a growth spurt.

She is only 1 though I imagine it is hard work with twins!!

How old are they? Have you tried them in their own bed instead of co-sleeping? (if that's what your doing atm)

Also...if she falls asleep at the boob I try to push downwards from the top to the bottom of it to help lore milk comes out and she starts again but in her sleep, she won't dream feed otherwise.

Around 4 months ds started doing the sleeping latched on thing - by 5 months I'd had enough so stopped feeding to sleep at bedtime and limited night feeds to 4ish hourly. Generally I did a feed at bedtime 6pm-7pm, then would feed again when he woke around 10-11pm, 3am-4am and again 6am-7am. DP rocked him to sleep at bedtime and then also went to him if he woke between feed times - it took about a week and then ds only woke at feed times.

At the same time we moved him out of our bed and into his own room - otherwise it was too difficult to have DP settle him, because he wanted me. Eventually the 10-11pm feed became a bottle dreamfeed and after he was established on solids we cut the 3am feed. Around 8 months dropped the dreamfeed too and now he goes around 8pm-6am.

sorry they are 7 months. hard to rock 2 to sleep at the same time so I try and feed to sleep although that doesn't aways work. then into cots by 8. dt2 them might wake at 9 and I rock. at 10 he's normally aeake again and if not I dream feed both and back into cots and
co sleep from about 12 when dt2 wakes again. plan to try returning to cot at 12 but then
dt1 wakes and I can't settle both in cots at the same time.