Waking every hour

[Kaxford]

Please mummies I’m desperate for help! I have twins that will be six months old at the end of the week they have been sleeping badly for the past few weeks but the last two nights have been unbearable. The smaller twin has been waking every hour from 10.30pm on and I’m at the end of my teather. He has been waking roaring like he’s in pain but he’s never suffered with colic or trapped wind, they are both very farty! If it was just him I’d probably cope but I have the other lad waking to be fed a couple of times in the night too. I’m trying to get to them quickly because of my husband getting up for work. Taking care of them during the day is impossible with no sleep

Sounds like you're doing an amazing job.

Can you get any help during the day while your DH is at work eg from family, friends? Is a night nanny an option?

Are they on 3 meals a day ( possibly 4) ? Milk will not keep their tummies full at 6 months they also need sufficient iron and vitamin D.

I have twins and remember exactly this at a similar age. For me they would take it in turns to wake up every hour so I basically didn't sleep at all! I remember feeling so tired the bedroom walls literally looked like they were closing in on me.

Because they were breast fed I was advised to either give a formula bottle before bed ( didn't work as they never took to bottles ) or start upping the solids. Unfortunately that didn't help either.

In the end I co slept with them in a little side bed thingy. When they woke up I just had to move over and feed them. Not everyone will be happy about that but it meant I got some sleep and didn't have to keep getting out of bed.

Sorry I don't have any good advice for you op but hopefully it's just a growth spurt they are having and it will get better soon.

A positive is that my dtwins are 7 now and they sleep more than me. So there is hope.

Also agree that you are doing an amazing job!

It’s good to k ow it’s not just me! Totally feel like I’m making a mess of things especially with the wailing 🙈 it’s horrible because I have zero patience sometimes with so little sleep 😢 we’ve no family around us and I feel like I can’t ask friends for help, I’m the only one with babies and they all have to work, looking after one baby for a couple of hours is one thing, two is a different story as you well know😂

I really feel for you @Kaxford

Just wondering if you e found the Multiples Section yet to see if the wise MNers in there have any advice?

Oh no I didn’t yet I’ll have a look and see!!

I have no advice on twins, that sounds really tough and like you’re doing amazingly. But just wanted to say my little one recently started asking hourly and I was at my wits end when suddenly he started doing longer stretches again (still wakes several times a night but not hourly!). I didn’t change anything, he did just get himself out of it. So hopefully that will happen to you too!

Other suggestions - make everything as easy as you can for yourself in the day. Forgot all but the absolute essential of housework (or stretch to a cleaner if you can), stock up on food that you can eat on the go, quick and easy evening meals so that you can eat and then get straight to bed. Do whatever it takes to survive, basically imagine yourself back in that newborn period and be kind to yourself like you no doubt were then, don’t have any expectations on the day ahead.

Also it may be worth speaking to a health visitor, I know many of them are useless but I have had good advice from them on sleep sometimes and it also always seems to feel a bit better just talking it aloud!

Good luck!

It’s good to hear your little one stopped it xx it’s only the last three nights, they both woke at 10.30 for feed, put them back to the cot thought they were asleep when the wee man started roaring and thrashing around again 🙈 got him up used the calgel, changed his nappy back to sleep and ten minutes later he was roaring again 😫 I just gave up and put him in with us we all just needed sleep including him and his brother! Thinking on it last night Monday and Tuesday afternoon he had a net dummy thing with frozen bananas in it and I’m wondering if it’s upset his tummy? He didn’t have one yesterday and I’ll not give it to him today either and see how we get on xx

Will they take a bottle? If so can your husband do the 10 30 wake and you sleep elsewhere? If you then try and get to bed as soon as you can after the little one's bedtime you may get a 3 or 4 hour block of sleep. I know it doesn't sound like much but it made a big difference to me when our little one was waking hourly. I think what helped us was moving her to her own room...she seemed to sleep for longer than when in our bedroom. It is awful but you will get through it, you're doing amazing! At nearly 12 months our little one still wakes at night but generally only once or twice which is manageable

I’m slow to move them while they are waking so much at least if they wake they are only two feet away rather than in the next room, but you think your lady slept better?

She did weirdly....I suppose it could have been a coincidence. I did have to put an armchair in the nursery for night feeds, but it was so much better as I started to get longer stretches of quality sleep. Good luck, just try different things and you will find something that helps....or just time itself will help! Wishing you more rest tonight x

We are doing slightly better tonight, I had to put him in with us for a couple of hours, just put him back in the cot with his brother (2.18am 😴) I’ve put one of the very thin pillows from our bed under him in the vain hope he won’t realise I’ve moved him 🙈

Got no clue about twins but the age they are would suggest a growth spurt so hopefully it won't last too long for you. My little one was an awful sleeper from day one and he's almost 1 now and it's still a fight. Hope it goes well for you tonight 🙂

Well mummies for whatever reason last night was so much better! The small lad woke at 9.30 for a bit of a bottle and I thought ‘oh here we go he’s getting earlier’ but he went straight back into the cot and straight back to sleep! And they only woke twice more each after that! Now they both ended up in with us 😂 little lad was awake having a sing song at 5.30 so I put him in with us and he went back to sleep and the bigger lad did the same at 6, put him in the bed too (which meant I was sleeping on about 4 and a half inches of bed 🤦‍♀️) but I got until 7am out of them!!!! Feel like a new woman!!!

Out of interest a friend said to me her mum had said not to give her little one fruit after lunch because it can upset the acid in their tummies….I’d given them the fruit dummie things with frozen banana purée in to help with their teeth and the heat about 3pm Monday and Tuesday. Do you think there any truth in the fruit after lunch thing? I didn’t give them and banana since and didn’t do fruit after lunch since

How are you getting on @Kaxford? The fruit thing makes sense....I tried it and no help for us unfortunately 😞

No love it didn’t make any difference here either I don’t think 🙈 I’ve taken to bringing Kieran into the bed with us and he does sleep so at least we’re getting a few hours. How long is it going to go on for 🙈