Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I just need to vent.

The boys are on different sleep schedules and its driving me insane. Literally. I feel like I could go off the deep end right now.

They're teething again and that's just making everything so much worse.

B is pretty good with sleeping at night. He typically goes down between 7 - 8 pm, and sleeps until 7 am. He'll nap for an hour 1x or 2x during the day. Today he was up at 6:30 am

G on the other hand has decided he doesn't really need sleep. The last few nights we can't get him down before 10:30/11pm. Yesterday he was up at 4:45am. He doesn't nap very much during the day. By the end of the day he's soooo overtired that its nearly impossible to get him to go to sleep, no matter what we do.

We tried CIO with G and he starts hyperventilating, and never seems to catch his breath. I'm terrified when he gets like that. I don't know how to not go in to comfort him. I know that by going in I am just setting everything back, but it hurts to see/hear him like that.

DH & I just looked at each other this morning and wondered HOW parents of 1 kid complain?! Their one baby will eventually sleep. Even if their colicky. They don't have to worry what their other baby is doing, and if they might sleep at the same time.

Twins are HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know how the Triplet parents survive, I really don't!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I am sorry! Vent away I always think about how having one baby seems like a piece of cake compared to two (or more!). It's definitely not easy. I hope your boys start getting on a similar sleep schedule...for your sanity!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Hang in there. Having multiples was more than I ever bargained for. But somehow we are surviving and I am actually LOVING it!!!

Sleep training is the worst. I knew from DS the sooner I did it the better. So with the girls I started working on CIO by 4.5 months. They initially STTN on their own in the FP newborn play sleeper thing. But then at around 4 months they were having a hard time falling asleep on their back. So I moved them to the crib. Best thing I ever did.

I don't have any words of wisdom. But I am sending much needed sleepy dust your way!

Message edited 5/15/2012 8:33:12 AM.

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I have no words of wisdom or advice, just and the morale booster that you are not alone.

you are correct!!!!! This is sooooooo hard! and parents of singletons have no idea!

any tips about getting mine to sleep un swaddled?? once that happens we can move to their cribs im all ears

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I really believe feeding is at the center of setting a schedule. Are their feedings everyday at the same time? I feed both boys together at the same time everyday. Since birth.

As for sleep, routine and consistency (like everything else twin related) they know what is coming so they don't fight it! You already know my opinion on this ! and what i have done. i know you don't want to hear this but in * my * opinion, if he cries for 30min and then you pick him up, he knows what to do next time. put him in another room if you must and let him cry. he wont die ! they have established a bad habit at this point and it will take time to break it, just the same as it takes time to establish good habits/schedules.

I really wasn't a schedule type person but i really believe that is what keeps us all sane. After I started sleeping (boys were 4 months actual) I started to really enjoy the babies and not stress all the time.

You deserve sleep !!!!

Hang in there!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Vent away! I have one son who sleeps 8-5 and the other one still wakes every 3 hours . I live on coffee and I'm not even joking when I say I have contemplated smoking again (but I won't) from being so stressed!!!

Anyway, I know it is so hard. We are wimps and tried CIO also and we gave in. We did it twice and he cried so hard he threw up all over himself both times so sheets and everything needed to be changed, then I was paranoid about him choking so I just gave up. They are turning 6 months on sunday and i hear this may be the magic age he sleeps.

But I know the teething is killing him. Hang in there MoM!!!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

MoM's just understand...

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Awww hang in there!!! I did CIO but if it is not for you maybe the Ferber method is good for you? I don't know much about it but I think it allows you to go in and soothe them but I have no idea how it works.

However you decided to do it, it will get better! Yes twins can be hard, but it is the best!!!! LOVING every minute (except the fighting minutes)!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Posted by Champ

I have no words of wisdom or advice, just and the morale booster that you are not alone.

you are correct!!!!! This is sooooooo hard! and parents of singletons have no idea!

any tips about getting mine to sleep un swaddled?? once that happens we can move to their cribs im all ears

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Thank you all so much for the support and hugs. I really needed it today!

I know that I have to do whatever it takes to break these bad habits now while they're young (8 months, 6 months adjusted) because it will only get worse.

I don't feed them at the exact same time, but one right after the other so they are on a similar schedule unless someone screws it up with an extra long nap.

I guess I have to go back to waking them for feeding instead of letting them sleep as long as they want in the morning. I think that's where the whole day starts to get messed up.

I'm such a wimp when it comes to CIO. I'm working on getting G to go down awake for naps. He did good with that today, I'm proud of him!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I have to say I am so lucky bc after reading and hearing about everyone's kids my kids were a walk in the park.....They were all on the same schedule from day ONE...they all STTN at 4 months and to this day they are still on the same sleep and nap schedule give or take 30 min.....

Vent away that is what we are here for

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

take it one day at a time mamma!!! vent all you want and yes my DH and I say the same thing all the time... why do parents of 1 complain?! but people can only see their own situation. You play the hand that you are dealt.

Im not sure if this will help at all but this is kinda what i went through.
Jojo was a good sleeper all together. she like and needs her sleep. Ali on the other hand was more of a cat napper. She napped her and there for 20 min while her sis slept for over and hour. she wasn't always ready to go down at nght the same time her sister was either.

During the day when her sis was napping i put her in her crib too.. and let her do whatever. Sometimes she slept sometimes she just sat there and played and sometimes she would just lay there and whine or whatever.
I did the same thing at nights. after about a week of doing that she actually started sleeping during her naps and it took about 15 min but after she played a bit she started sleeping at night too.
Now they both sleep at the same time. Ali tends to wake up sooner than Jojo but she gets good 45min-1 hr stretches.
Sleep brings on more sleep!!! I never believed it until i saw it. Once she started taking her naps she was going to sleep much easier at nights too.

I know it sounds nuts but I love being a mom of twins. Its HARD. Im not going to lie but it is SO rewarding. I love watching them play together and laugh together. they make me smile even when I'm in the sh*tties of moods.

Hang in there!! it will get easier in some ways and harder in others but every second is worth it!!!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Just want to wish you good luck & sleepy vibes!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

I feel your pain. We are going through the same exact thing, because of teething. I actually started putting them in the car and driving around for an hour, because my DD will not take a nap at all and gets so overtired we have no idea what to do for her or ourselves. It's hard, bu today I saw a twin mom in the mall and she said I know it's hard now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It gets better. Her twins were almost 3, so I have a while.

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Thank you all so much for your support, commiserating with me at one of my hardest moments as a mom of twins so far. I definitely think the sleepy dust worked, because its been going well.

We ended up letting him CIO on Tuesday night. He cried for about an hour and a half total and eventually rolled over and went to sleep. It was soooooooooooo hard for me, I'm such a wimp!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke him on Wednesday at 8:20 (instead of letting him sleep as late as he wanted - could be 10:30 some days!), and let him CIO for 2 naps in his crib. The first nap at 10 he didn't protest at all, he just rolled over and went to sleep. The second nap he cried. I couldn't take it so I took a shower then. When I got out he was sleeping.

We put him down by 9 that night. He cried for a few minutes and slept through until 8am. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today he woke at 8:00 on his own. He went down easy for his morning nap, but I had to cut that short because we had PT to get to. His afternoon nap was delayed because we were out (he catnapped in the car a bit), so it was harder to get him down for it. He played in his crib for about a half hour, cried for about a half hour, and napped for about 45 minutes. I had to rock him to sleep for about 5 minutes at 8:30, and so far so good.

Whewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

Posted by PreshusSmurf

Thank you all so much for your support, commiserating with me at one of my hardest moments as a mom of twins so far. I definitely think the sleepy dust worked, because its been going well.

We ended up letting him CIO on Tuesday night. He cried for about an hour and a half total and eventually rolled over and went to sleep. It was soooooooooooo hard for me, I'm such a wimp!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke him on Wednesday at 8:20 (instead of letting him sleep as late as he wanted - could be 10:30 some days!), and let him CIO for 2 naps in his crib. The first nap at 10 he didn't protest at all, he just rolled over and went to sleep. The second nap he cried. I couldn't take it so I took a shower then. When I got out he was sleeping.

We put him down by 9 that night. He cried for a few minutes and slept through until 8am. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today he woke at 8:00 on his own. He went down easy for his morning nap, but I had to cut that short because we had PT to get to. His afternoon nap was delayed because we were out (he catnapped in the car a bit), so it was harder to get him down for it. He played in his crib for about a half hour, cried for about a half hour, and napped for about 45 minutes. I had to rock him to sleep for about 5 minutes at 8:30, and so far so good.

Whewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Ugh, I'm having one of those days ... (A MoM Vent)

sounds like it all worked out!! GOOD for you!!!

I was such a wimp with DS, I have no clue how I will let two cry come this fall!!

you girls are all super mommies!!!!