Monday, May 26, 2008

Looking after twins alone

Looking after twins without help is very challenging. We had another one of those nights where you dont get much sleep and the boys want food often..... We would like them to feed 4th hourly overnight. We fed them at 9:30pm and so we were hoping for feeds at 1:30am, 5:30am and 9:30am and we would probably get up some time just before the 9:30am feed and prepare their food and stuff..... well, this is what actually happened. . . . . . .
The night started well. We fed them at 9:30pm, then they woke at 1:15am for another feed (not too bad). Then again at 3:45 for another feed. Then again at 7:15 for another feed. Then again at 9:45 for another feed. They managed to squeeze an extra feed into our plan for that 12 hours!! I guess they're having a growth sprut or something.
Anyway, my point is that due to these extra feeds, we are very tired and were not impressed when Benji started screamin again for the 9:45 feed. Sal decided to take him out to the living room and feed him and leave Tracie and Ethan to sleep..... Well, Ethan wasn't a fan of that idea and started to scream too!!! Sal thought she'd attempt to feed and change and settle them by her self (as this is something we need to learn to do - when Sal goes back to work Tracie will need to look after them alone).

The mission started with stereo screaming; while Sal prepared the food both boys cried. Ethan cried in his usual hyperventilating panting sort of way when he is hungry and Benji cried in his LOUD high pitch, head-splitting way. Once the food was prepared (pour 90mls of previously expressed breast milk into each bottle and put them into a mug of hot water to heat them up) it was a matter of positioning them both on the couch to feed them both. We have got a system of feeding them in the bedroom that involves lots of pillows, but Tracie was asleep in there, so a new system had to be invented. . . . .

We own one vibrating rocker, so one baby sat in that, and the other on Sal's lap. It works well for about 3-5 mins..... then it is time to pull their bottles out of their mouth and burp them! That is where it gets more challenging as you already have a baby on your lap, so picking up the other one out of the rocker is tricky!! It is risky to take them off your lap and laying them on the couch as this makes them lay flat on their backs and much more likely to throw up!! Once you have juggled them and burped both of them (usually making at least one of them cry because he's not the one getting attention or being fed) you have to get them back into position and get bottles back into their mouth for round two! This pausing for burps thing happens about 3-4 times per 20-30min feed.

Next it's time to change the dirty bottoms. This also usually results in atleast one or both children crying.... either because you're stripping him half naked and making him cold, or because you're paying attention to one child and ignoring the other. We need a double wide change-table for twins (someone should invent that)!! - I must admit that this particular change both boys were very good and didn't cry much.

Next it's time to wrap them and put them to bed. This can be easy or very very challenging depending on how tired they are. It is only easy if they're just slightly tired. Too tired and they scream, and too awake and they scream. Both boys were pretty alert after this feed, and were not too keen to go to sleep. It is now 11:30am and Benji is asleep with his head turned towards his brother. Ethan is awake, with his head also turned towards his brother and he's looking at him..... so cute!! I have been playing them music to help them sleep (a CD called 'The Mozart Effect - Music for Babies') and the CD just ended. Within a minute Ethan started to cry.... I guess we have to listen to it again. . . . . I put it on, and now he's quiet. But still awake.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That was so hysterical to read!! I still have not mastered how to feed my twins alone yet and scares me to death! You did a GREAT JOB and love the photos!! You are both great mommies!!
Jody - Mom of twins USA- FL