Twins...help. can't cope.

[candypanda283]

I am so desperate. My 5 month old twins keep waking at 3am/4am happy but shouty wanting to play and take 2 to 3 hours to get back to sleep. It's killing me. They wake at 5am. Nap at 7am for 30 mins. Nap at 9.30 for 30 mins. Nap at 1 for 30 mins. Nap at 4.30 for 30 mins. They go to sleep at night by 7pm and I dream feed at 10pm. They wake for a feed at 1am. Then they wake at 3am. They're bottle fed and feed 4oz 3 hourly and I have just started weaning them onto puree.
I have pnd and can't take anymore. I am so tired. What can I do?

Speak to your health visitor, this sounds so hard. Ours have special help for twins. Are you seeing GP about PND? The pills really are magic at helping you feel like you can cope

Getting them to nap for longer at a time seems key here, there is advice online for this, I found giving them a gentle nudge just before due to wake up helped them nearly wake up then fall into another sleep cycle. Worth a try?

Are they keeping each other awake?

Divide and conquer may be the way forward.

Actually they don't disturb each other at all! They seem to just be exactly the same. I am under the mental health team now and on antidepressants. They've really helped actually as my patience isnt thin...I am just tired. I try so hard to get them to nap longer but they wake up so awake! Also my 18 month old is very loud...

18 month old and 5 month old twins!! You are doing so well!!! Can you pay for any help to have a break? E.g round us there are nannies who work part time so on a Friday are free for a few hours' work and would take them all out while you nap.

Hi Candy
Are they identical?
I split my twins up in the night at 5 months? I didn't think my boy was disturbing my girl but we knew she slept a little better than him. My husband just decided she's going in her own room, DH went in his own room and dealt with her if she woke. I slept in a room with son. She slept A LOT better in her own room with nothing to disturb her (I know it's not advised to sleep in a room alone at 5 months but we HAD to do something). My son carried on being terrible and I dealt with him, he would be up for hours at a time until 7 months but at least my daughter was sleeping ok which was something. Could you try it?

Now at 9.5 months they are still in own rooms and it's so much better.

With regards napping - mine at this age would sleep way longer in the buggy. I was like a crazy lady walking round and round the garden to get them to sleep but it worked for some reason and they would stay asleep for at least an hour whereas after 30 mins they would be awake in a cot. Where do they nap?

Ultimately at 7.5 months we did sleep training. It was hard. However I don't know how I would have coped if we hadn't decided around 5 months to sleep train when they got to 7.5 months. I was literally counting down the weeks and then days until we could do this. I sound horrible but honestly it was the only thing that kept me going.

Note- with the nap in garden. I would time from the time each went to sleep and then re-walk at the time they would usually stir (and then wake). In between I would leave them (right by big patio doors and I would sit on the sofa right on the inside, sitting up so I couldn't accidentally fall asleep but at least resting!)