Need help with sleep / feeding schedule

We want to start decreasing the frequency of feeds and increasing the amout but we don't know how to go about doing this. To begin with, our babies are only 12 weeks old although they were born nearly 2 months premie. They currently weigh almost 10 lbs each. They are currently taking about 3 oz every 3 hours and we've been stuck at the 3 hour interval since the day they were born. Occasionally, it seems like they MIGHT be able to sleep a little longer, but we're always afraid to throw off the schedule for just one baby and then be stuck feeding a baby at all times.

One twin sometimes only wants to take 2 oz, so it's hard for us to consider increasing his feeding amount. Sometimes we feel like we're holding the other one back to acommodate him. On the other hand, we've tried increasing the other's by a half oz or so and he didn't seem to comfortable with that so we backed it down again.

We're stuck. Perhaps they're just not ready and people keep saying to looke for cues but we have no idea what we're looking for or if we'll even notice them when they occur.

 

With the boys, we knew they were ready to eat more at a feeding when they were constantly still hungry after the initial amount. We are still eating every 3-4 hours except at night , they go from 6:30-4:30 (which is a bit early!)

 

At what age did this start? And how much are they getting at the 3-4 hour intervals during the day?

 

So they are 4 weeks, adjusted? IMHO unless they finish their bottles and don't act satisfied, forcing them to eat more to sleep longer is not a good idea. It can mess with their sense of hungry and fullness which is thought to correlate to the obesity epidemic. Baby twins are so, so hard. If sleep is the concern, it's time to bring in reinforcements at night to help out a little.

 

At that age, feelings every 3 hrs is about right. I would just let them be in charge of how many oz they intake/time. If they are not satisfied after finish their bottles then increase 1/5-1 oz. I would keep 3 hr feeding schedule in the day. At night, let them sleep. If they wake up for bottles, them feed them. Gl!

Don't force feed. It will cause lot of health problems later on in ther lives. Gl!

 

At that age, feelings every 3 hrs is about right. I would just let them be in charge of how many oz they intake/time. If they are not satisfied after finish their bottles then increase 1/5-1 oz. I would keep 3 hr feeding schedule in the day. At night, let them sleep. If they wake up for bottles, them feed them. Gl!

Don't force feed. It will cause lot of health problems later on in ther lives. Gl!

 

I hate to tell you this, but they are going to eat every 3 hrs for a very very very long time None of my kids EVER went 4 hours, until they started sleeping through the night. But the every 2.5-3 hrs stayed consistent through the day, the amounts (and what we fed them) just changed according to their stage.

I also would not even consider forcing them to eat more. If they are finishing their bottles and fussing for more, then yes, it's time to bump it up. But if they are full and content, and go 3 hrs before wanting their next feed, then I think they are doing just fine.

Some babies won't sleep through the night until halfway through their first year, and some even as late as the 1 yr mark (and some later than that). Forcing them to eat more won't force them to sleep better, it may backfire and end up with some upset tummies or gas issues.

:hugs: the first few weeks of twins is crazy, the first few months is insane, the first 6 months is stressful....but i promise it gets better. Not easier, but better :hug: Hang in there mama! :youcandoit:

 

Heck my kids are a year and they STILL eat something every 3 hours through the day! :80:

As babies, we fed every three hours and let them determined the amount. My take on it was.. they need x amount of nutrients. they can get them during the day or they can get them at night, so we kept day feeds at every 3 hours for a looong time.

We stopped waking them at night once we knew they would cry for food. When one woke up, we woke the other and fed them both. At some point they should start stretching the night time feedings out but you have to let them determine that.
I think.. our LOs started stretching night time feedings, around one month adjusted age. In the beginning it was just an extra hour between night feeding.

Our day time feedings stayed at every three hours almost to the minute for a long time. We knew we could stretch the time a little when they started drinking very inconsistent (one feeding drinking very little and the next drinking a lot). then we moved to every 3.5 or 4 hours (woopie).

I wouldn't push them to eat more than they want. They will make these changes when they are ready. Follow their lead. Their little bodies are pretty good at knowing what is good for them.

Sorry.. wish i had better news for you.
Hang in there.

 

Rather than mess with their schedules, I agree it's time to call in the troops. Dedicate one parent to feeding every night and let the other parent get some sleep. Or have a relative/night nurse/someone trusted come over and take over the first couple feedings of the night so you can get through. It will change, I promise! But in the meantime max out your resources to get through this stage.

As for changing things, you could always wait for the first one to cry at night and then always feed both so you're not up with the second one an hour later. That way both kids are on the same schedule but you might be able to get longer stretches every now and again.

 

Dh and I slept in shifts in those early weeks. Honestly, we were always looking for ways to improve sleep, life in general in those early months!

I pumped for the boys for five months. So when we were doing shifts, dh would stay up with the boys(or doze off). My sleeping shift was technically from 8p-2a. I would pump, go to sleep, then dh would wake me up, and I would pump before tending to a baby. Generally, they were needing to be fed shortly after I woke. And this did work pretty well.

And I remember one night that one twin wasn't awake. And I didn't want to wake him. So I let him sleep. And then I kept that up. It wasn't too bad.

But they are now 5, so things can be a little foggy. :laughing:

See-you will eventually forget about the sleepless nights. I promise! Hang in there. I wouldn't up the amounts either. Babies have a funny way of letting us know when they are hungry. Call in the troops for some sleep help if you need it, or sleep in shifts if you can. It will be a distant memory.

And glad to see you posting.

 

It's really hard with the whole adjusted age thing. You see other parents with kids who are technically the same age as yours but your kids are way behind. I remember waiting and waiting for my twins to start smiling and it wasn't until they were like 12 weeks old, which was really only 8 weeks adjusted, which is pretty much on to.e. All that to say, they sound perfect for their adjusts age. Hang in there!