any tips for encouraging a let down?

[MamaChocoholic]

normally dt2 sleeps for at most 2 hours between night feeds. he's 7mo and it's been too long since I had a decent stretch of sleep. (dt1, my "good" sleeper can go up to 3 hours)

I usually do a feed/dreamfeed for both babies around 10.30 on my way to bed, offering each one side. last night I offered dt2 both sides and he slept for an earth shattering 3 hours!!!

this would be great, except when I latched dt1 on afterwards, she stayed asleep as usual and I waited for the letdown (normally takes a minute or two) but none came. she does no sucking to stimulate a letdown, so I skipped the dreamfeed after waiting about 10 mins. she was awake by 11.30 :(

if I could give dt2 both sides and give dt1 one side, I might be able to aim for 2.5hours continuous sleep, which would be absolutely lovely. can anyone suggest how to encourage a letdown for a fast asleep dt1 once I'v fed dt2?

Nope, sorry. Don't know how you'd do that with softened boobs TBH.

Have you read 'the no cry sleep solution'? Would expressing one feed for someone else to do be an option?

This might sound silly but could you record the sound of your DTs crying or laughing and then listen to that on some headphones? I found this helped me when I was pumping. Might be worth a try?

milkjet anything is worth a try! have fancy new phone after I broke the last one... must be possible on that.

except expressing. can't stand it, have no pump, and dp wouldn't do a night feed anyway. but thanks for the suggestion japh. would try no cry, but I think he is waking with genuine hunger. he often prefers to be rocked rather than fed to sleep, so when he can't be rocked I assume it's hunger. they still tend to feed 2 hourly during the day, perhaps because they only get one side at a time, perhaps because I prefer not to feed both together so I feed before they're really really hungry. it may well be that I've set this pattern of small frequent feeds myself, but I don't see how to space the daytime feeds any more.

Mama do you thing that feeding more often during the day might help the nights a bit more?

More often than 2 hourly? I haven't but as I say anything is worth a try. Will offer dt2 at every opportunity tomorrow and see. thanks JJJ

Hadn't realised that you were feeding 2 hourly in the day sorry. Really feel for you and think you've done brilliantly Bfing twins for this long.

How are they eating as well as feeding?

MamaC- I was thinking of you on the way back from the shops and had a thought. I don't have DTs but I do have a 7mth old DD who always has to feed on both sides and I hate expressing too and I have a slow letdown, so I have some empathy . Anyway, my idea was could you stagger the bedtimes of your DTs? If the 'good' sleeper DT1 got a dreamfeed at 2145 on full boobs, you'd be giving your milk 45 mins to build back up to give DT2 the benefit of both boobs at 1030. You could make it more routinable for your DTs by ensuring that one goes down 45 mins earlier in the evening than the other. It would mean staggering the bedtime routine which may not be ideal, but it might mean you have 2hrs 15 mins of sleep from the time DT2 finishes his dream feed. Even 30 mins could do it and you'd then have 2.5 hrs possibly.
I thought it could be worth a shot.

Also for better sleep (this doesn't work for my DD has she's not a fan of being on her tummy) but my sister tried her non sleeping DC on his tummy and got a better stretch of sleep out of him (after 6mths old of course).

HTH

JJJ the less good sleeper has always had more milk than his sister (and has gained about 1kg more than her since birth) but is much less interested in food. both are sleeping worse since we started solids though :(

Mocking, I think you may well be a genius! Don't want to stagger bedtimes, but I will try tonight dreamfeeding dt1 before 10, then doing my regular nightime jobs (clean up, bathroom etc) before returning for a 2 sided dt2 dreamfeed. They do both sleep tummy down already, but the staggered feed is an inspired idea THANK YOU!

(fingers crossed)

Here's hoping. In addition, I wouldn't feed DT2 first off the boob that DT1 fed off last as you would normally from one feed to the next (or thats the perceived wisdom). I would feed DT2 off the boob not used last then it will give the second boob even longer to build back up.

yes. they each have their own side. so I will give dt2 her usual side, go potter, pop back and give dt1 his usual with a top up from dt2's. is that what you mean?

excuse me, I got my dt1s and 2s mixed up

that should have said:

they each have their own side. so I will give dt1 her usual side, go potter, pop back and give dt2 his usual with a top up from dt1's. is that what you mean?

Yes! Thats exactly what I mean!

For during the day, I understand why you'd want to feed 2 hourly, but perhaps you could space it out to get them to have a more deeper, satisfying feed iyswim. If you could space it to 4 hourly each (try the staggering thing for the day too so DT2 can have 2 boobs-this may also help his sleep). It could look something like this:

0700 feed DT1.
0745 feed DT2

0800-0900 opportunity for breakfast for them both.

play, cuddles, nap etc

1200 first feed
1245 second feed

Lunch 1330

1500 first feed
1545 second feed

1700 dinner

1830 first feed, 1900 second feed

bed

Thats basically what my day is roughly. Its not perfect by any stretch of the imagination as DD is still up for a feed at some point before midnight and then around 0430, but she can do 4-5 hours between feeds. Its so annoying as up until she was 4 mths she slept through! But she had a dysplastic hip so was in a harness which limited her movements so she was probably using less energy.