I'm thinking that someone snuck in and swapped twins with me...

[poorbuthappy]

Seriously...

They are now 21 weeks, up until this weekend always went to bed really well. Past few nights refused to go into cots awake and needed to be cwtched to sleep. Really got to me tonight as each time i got 1 calmed down the other 1 would start etc etc.

Also they have stopped taking bottles before bed? They manage 2 or 3 sucks, then arch their backs like they have really bad wind (we keep them upright and pat backs to get any wind up), and then scream the place down. If we are really lucky then you can get the bottle in at a lull in the screaming but at the most only 2 ounces goes in. They then wake up usually before 12 to have another bottle cos they aren't taking enough before bed!

So, when they were really little, about 5/6lb they only woke up once at night and went to bed lovely.
Now they are older and heavier they won't go to bed and wake twice/ 3 times a night!

Has anyone experienced this?

sigh...

both just woke up - gwen took some of a bottle and went back to bed, Nia took half an hour of calming down before I could any bottle in her...

starting to feel slightly desperate here!

They may be teething.

Also they may be 'reading' you and know that your feeling apprehensive so they kick off, could you move bedtime forward a little in case they are getting tired earlier?

PBH sounds like they are overtired. Mine are also 21 weeks and I have to be careful in the evenings not to stimulate them too much after bath. If they get too tired they dont feed well and bed time is a crying hell.
They were okay until last couple of weeks (being prems they slept well even if they fed often). As a rule I try to start the feed with in 45 mins to an hr from when they wake up from their late afternoon nap. They are in the cots by 1.5 hrs after the last wake time. Keep things quite. Darken the room a bit and set the mood. Hope this helps.

Just to give an idea.

4-4.45ish nap
5.15-5.30ish bath/massage
5.45-6ish bottle
6.15-6.30ish tucked in the cot
15 mins later asleep.

This is an ideal day...today

Weekend was...ugh...was (past)

On a similar note to anjlix they may be too tired to feed?? I'm so sorry if this sounds like an unlikely and irritating suggestion. My twins' habits changed significantly around 20 weeks and I realised they were getting too tired to feed properly at bedtime, they would cry and straighten their backs as if it was wind or pain, drift off to a troubled sleep then wake up earlier tahn normal to feed. Then their sleep pattern changed and they have gone back to feeding and sleeping well. Good luck
Jenny

Don't know if this will help as it is only a general point you may already know, but I found with my twins and my older singleton.....
that with sleeps it gets better generally as they older but does go backwards sometimes occaisonally. trick is not to panic and know you are overall gonna get better and better. My friend called it "the two steps forward then one back" ! my oldest did this till 3 when she used to do 7 to 7 every night reliably.

In more detail, other suggestions:

1. teething - usually only bad for few days- eating lots of grainy toast no butter helps with this,

2. a cold or bug or about to start one, can disturb sleep at first as discomfort, feel ill, blocked nose but always found slept brill for few days after any illness past its worst.

3. growth spurt even though refusing milk at night. as it can make them more aware more fussing unsettled. May need more feeds during day ? Too tired to have a big one late. This is a good sign as come 6/7 months you want them to have a meal earlier than bedtime that will last them all night. Like older kids that eat 1 hr or more before bed.

4. change in sleep/ naps time needed.
   Just when everything in a calm phase I used to find mine used to to just start needing a bit less sleep, ie cut back naps, possibly last one of day is too long for their age now ??

5. could be as others said, over tiredness. Weirdly this happens a lot, even anytime between newborn to my 5 year old !!
   If we are late starting bedtime routine, they seem to get a second wind and wake up more even thought logically they SHOULD be more tired and easyto put down. I have got better at spotting this now, its a knack but mine did it a lot between 6 mth and 1 year.

They act tiny bit manic, not obviously tired and not happy content at all. When happened to me around 6 mth I used to just put them in cot even though crying then leave the room. even though it sounded like they would carry on crying forever they would stop in under 2 mins and fall fast asleep instantly. Worth trying once at least, IF u can stomach it as when it works you then know you can spot it- they were overtired.

Sorry bit of a lon one, but really wanted to help as I remember how stressfull it was !!

Thanks ladies - appreciate the responses! I ended up being up again at 2am and then up for the day at 5am. Couldn't really do a lot with them. Unfortunately had to go to shopping today with them (pre-arranged for specific reason).

But, noticed that yes, they are definitely over tired. And also they must be BLOODY HUNGRY! Neither of them have had more than 10 ounces today, and that is appalling isn't it?

So I found myself trying to "gently" persuade them to take the bedtime bottle which they haven't taken for I don't know how long! And we managed 2 ounces each with the help of the vaccum cleaner on in the background - which obviously confirms the over tired thing yes?

So the upshot is:
Staying in the house until the weekend to get my girls back on track. They are also teething because we can see the teeth ridges just underneath the gum (whereas we couldn't last week) so have given a little bit of calpol (not even 2.5ml) just to help ease the discomfort a bit.

Anyway...will keep you up to date (hell I'll write a book about it if I come through this still married ) and thanks again...

PBH mine are having a bit of growth spurt right now. They upped consumption by 8oz or so. I think you can watch carefully for signs of tiredness before they get overtired (screaming, getting stiff). Mine usually have no steam left and sit/lay limply whereever they are. They yawn more than usual. I put them in their cots and all is okay. If I wait for 5-10mins longer, screaming begins!