Should i wake one twin to feed both at the same time?

[TaraQ]

My twin boys are now 5 weeks old - born at 35 weeks. One has always been bigger with a much greater appitite. After a month of breatfeeding, both are now just on formula. During the day, both will go about 3 hours between feeds (not sure if this is good or not!). At night though, the bigger one will happily go 4 or 4 and a half hours between feeds yet the smaller one will only go 3 hours.

Since they were born, we have always woken the other to feed them together but when they were weighed last week the larger one had put on 1 lb in weight in a week and the neo-natal team implied that this was rather a lot and we discussed whether I was overfeeding him. He is bascally getting an extra feed a day becasue he is getting a feed at night that he doesn't actually need (but he will quite happily take it!). Overthe past few nights my dh and I have just fed them when they individually wake but we seem to spend all night feeding.

What do you all do? Also, do your twins wake each other? Friends of mine who have twins have said that their twins didn't wake each other but mine do!!!!! Will they grow out of this? xx

feed at same time - for your sanity as much as anything - But maybe give your bigger one just a bit less each time.

Mine didn't and still don't at 6 wake each other - but feeding each on demand is a recipe for no sleep at all for you.

Mine were 35 weekers too - and I had one small one and one larger - they still maintain the same relative sizes but are growing at the same pace. Mine are id.

My dts are 13 wks and I'm wondering when to start not to wake the 2nd dt in the night if they're still asleep after feeding the first dt. If you've got one dc you would only feed them if they woke up but it is different with dts as I'm finding out. Any tips from anyone for night feeding twins (ff btw)

mine are 4 and a half months now. I have always fed them both at night when one wakes, eben if she's still asleep after have fed the first and only groggily drinks a bit. They both sleep all night now but I am sure dt2 would have slept through earlier than dt1 but I kept waking dt2 to feed her when she probably didn't need it, it was just that dt1 wanted to be fed. I'm glad I did it like that as it kept them on the same routine during the day in tandem with each other. I reckon they do sometimes wake each other, sometimes not. More likely that because they are on exactly the same routine they probably wake up naturally around rthe same time after naps or before food.
Dion't worry about the weighing thing - they insinuated mine were putting on weight 'too quickly' but how are humans of all different shapes, sizes and needs supposed to fit neatly into graphs and always be 'normal'.
Mine are formula fed too and were born at 35 wks, id and one bigger than other (she still is too)

My bf singleton put on a pound a week more than once at this age - i wouldn't let them worry you. he has never been overweight.

if they will go through the whole night then let them sleep - but if they are going to wake up an hour or so after the other then I would wake and do both together.

35 weekers here too. We did feed both together for 3 months or so, it helped to keep us sane and also to know we were both up and kept us awake in the dark hours! We started giving water when they stopped really bothering with the milk and were just waking out of habit, then they slept through. They didn't and still don't tend to wake each other, now 5

At 5 weeks you've probably got no hope of them going through the night so I would say, yes, feed at the same time. Mine were born 6lb4oz and 3lb11oz at 38wks gest so massive difference but until very recently (they're now 6 months) I fed both at same time but with formula, it was different amounts as the larger one would always take more!

My experience of the neo-natal community team is that they like to find work for themselves and cause unnecessary stress for the families - I was told exactly the same as you've been about my larger son by a nurse- but when I saw a paediatrician he measured my son's length and head circumference and told me he was in perfect proportion and that all measurements should be considered, not just the weight in isolation.

And I'm afraid my boys wake each other - and now one sleeps in the spare room until we have a chance to put up a dividing wall in their bedroom! They spend all their waking hours together, there's no law that twins have to sleep together (imo!)

You're doing a great job so try not to worry - just do what you need to get through each day.

Thanks all. I think we are going to go back to waking them to feed them together. Last night they woke each other anyway and so we were literally feeding one efter the other rather than at the same time (my dh does one and I do the other). I hardly got any sleep last night - this is ridiculous! The larger one is completely draining his 3oz bottles. Maybe I should increase it to 4oz??.......Maybe this would make him more settled and go longer?.....

I'd give him as much as he'd take! But mine were BF to 6 months so I might have that wrong. Surely if you don't fill him up he'll just wake sooner?

yes, give them as much as they will take. Think of the extra 45 mins of sleep another 1oz could give you.....mmmm dreamy!

Mine are six weeks, born at 37 weeks weighing 5lb 11oz and 6lb 2oz - now both 10lb 1oz. We have always woken both to feed at the same time, even though the initially smaller one was and is keener on his food. They never wake each other though - one can be going spare in the cot with the other fast asleep next to him!

Finally 3oz is quite a small feed for 5 weeks. Mine are on 5oz now, and were when they were 5 weeks, so perhaps you could up the feed for the larger one. I really wouldn't worry about their size, DS1 (a singleton) was HUGE as a baby, so fat you wouldn't believe, but now, at 5, he is perfectly slim - the only member of the family with a proper six-pack tummy!

Good luck with it.

I've got 4 year old ID boys and we always woke them up together for feeds. This really helped us to establish a routine - if they will sleep for 3 hours that is fab, and allows you to plan your day around their feeds and sleep times. There's nothing like an hour or two to yourself with two babies sleeping sweetly at the same time!

We took turns feeding them at night to give each other a proper chunk of sleep. I found the best way to tandem feed was to sit with my legs spread with the babies in between, one head resting on each thigh while I held the bottles for them.

As for formula feeding, have you got some of those compartment thingies that allow you to measure out the exact amount of powder beforehand? They sell them in Mothercare and they are great for night feeds as well as when you're out. We used to make up the bottles with boiled water in the evenings and for nighttime feeds just add the powder from the measuring thingy and shake it up- the water would be just about the right temperature, or you can top up with some hot (boiled) water from a thermos if you want the milk warm - saves a lot of time messing around in the kitchen at night and warming up bottles.

Tara, the babies should have their formula feeds based on their weight

150ml x the weight in KGs = daily intake over a 24 hour period

I hope that makes sense

Maybe the bigger baby should be having more milk purely because he is bigger.

When i have worked with twins, I generally try to get both babies feeding at the same time so that they can both get into the same pattern and that way, you can (hopefully) try to get some sleep in between.