You know, for those of you who have been, er, losing sleep over this.
First of all, different people have different definitions of the phrase 'sleeping through the night.' Some people see it as 8 hours, some view it as 12, and all the sleep books I've read say it's 5-6 hours. {I do not agree with them--a night is NOT five hours long. But a few weeks ago I would have gladly taken that.} Technically the girls slept through the night from about 6 weeks--meaning they didn't have their days and nights mixed up and we didn't have to rock them to sleep. We'd get them ready for bed, Paul would play the guitar, and they would fall asleep. When they did wake up it was only to nurse and they usually wouldn't wake up all the way. But they wanted to nurse a lot and we were coming from the mindset of feeding on demand to get their weight up which turned into a bad habit for all involved.
Secondly, each baby (and their sleep pattern) is different. Everyone knows that, I know. But it is glaringly obvious when you are trying to get two babies on a somewhat synced schedule. Especially when one seems happy to nap anytime and the other is a little night owl/non-napper.
After a lot of great advice from some wonderful mamas, this is where we are:
-We've made their bedtime earlier. Which stinks for Paul since he misses bedtime a few times a week but it's been a lifesaver for me. We miss their fussy time and they seem to sleep better.
-They've finally gotten on somewhat of a nap schedule. The morning nap is the most consistent and is easier to get them down around the same time without any fussing. After that, Lam-lam has her own ideas about napping but we're working on it. C-bug on the other hand is happy to nap at almost any time.
-Sadly, now that Logan is rolling all over the place and trying to crawl, we need to set up the other crib. I'll watch Logan on the monitor as she wiggles her way over to Charleigh, looks at her for a few seconds, and then carefully takes her pacifier out of her mouth or her lovey from under her arm. Too bad C notices every time. Poor thing.
-We've started a very modified version of 'crying it out' to reduce the number of feedings in the night. I hate hearing them cry but they really don't need to nurse every two hours anymore. I put their paci in and pat them on the back every five minutes and I haven't had to let them cry for very long at all. Last night Logan only woke up once and Charleigh woke up twice. This is progress, my friends.
First of all, different people have different definitions of the phrase 'sleeping through the night.' Some people see it as 8 hours, some view it as 12, and all the sleep books I've read say it's 5-6 hours. {I do not agree with them--a night is NOT five hours long. But a few weeks ago I would have gladly taken that.} Technically the girls slept through the night from about 6 weeks--meaning they didn't have their days and nights mixed up and we didn't have to rock them to sleep. We'd get them ready for bed, Paul would play the guitar, and they would fall asleep. When they did wake up it was only to nurse and they usually wouldn't wake up all the way. But they wanted to nurse a lot and we were coming from the mindset of feeding on demand to get their weight up which turned into a bad habit for all involved.
Secondly, each baby (and their sleep pattern) is different. Everyone knows that, I know. But it is glaringly obvious when you are trying to get two babies on a somewhat synced schedule. Especially when one seems happy to nap anytime and the other is a little night owl/non-napper.
After a lot of great advice from some wonderful mamas, this is where we are:
-We've made their bedtime earlier. Which stinks for Paul since he misses bedtime a few times a week but it's been a lifesaver for me. We miss their fussy time and they seem to sleep better.
-They've finally gotten on somewhat of a nap schedule. The morning nap is the most consistent and is easier to get them down around the same time without any fussing. After that, Lam-lam has her own ideas about napping but we're working on it. C-bug on the other hand is happy to nap at almost any time.
-Sadly, now that Logan is rolling all over the place and trying to crawl, we need to set up the other crib. I'll watch Logan on the monitor as she wiggles her way over to Charleigh, looks at her for a few seconds, and then carefully takes her pacifier out of her mouth or her lovey from under her arm. Too bad C notices every time. Poor thing.
-We've started a very modified version of 'crying it out' to reduce the number of feedings in the night. I hate hearing them cry but they really don't need to nurse every two hours anymore. I put their paci in and pat them on the back every five minutes and I haven't had to let them cry for very long at all. Last night Logan only woke up once and Charleigh woke up twice. This is progress, my friends.
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