Sleep training has been really difficult on both the girls, and me and Alan. Because of their reflux they don't intake the required amount of milk a day to actually begin the training. Although we add rice cereal to their milk (thus making them fuller on less to limit the amount of vomiting) they still may only take 2.5-3 oz at a feeding. Here's what it was looking like for a day:
7am: wake and feed, girls usually take 4-5oz.
11am: feed, girls average around 2.5-3oz.
3pm: feed, girls average 2.5-3oz
7pm: feed, girls average 4-5oz.
8-9pm: girls cry cry cry and usually take another 1-2oz.
They really are only averaging between 14-18oz a day, although they get a lot of rice cereal, I am just not convinced they are ready for the sleep training. The book says you need to feed them every 4 hours and to stretch them if they want to eat at say 3 hours. I am fine to stretch and distract if my baby seems a little hungry, but what if she's truly starving??? And ours are... frequently.
So, I think all in all, we're are implementing some principals of the sleep training, but won't actually begin Baby Boot Camp for another few weeks to give our girlies stomachs some more time to develop and we'll see where we go from there! A big lesson I am learning is to read books and take in advice, but to not let that replace motherly (or fatherly) instincts. We know our babies and what is best for them.
On a super fun note- Stella smiled her first big I-am-so-happy-to-see-my-mommy smile yesterday... it was amazing. Pretty sure my heart leapt from my chest.
Ok, gotta go get ready. Today we venture into the real world and are taking the girls to church in the DR for the first time!
Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. My mom told me--'just remember, the baby didn't read the book'. Blink your eyes and they will be 8 years old and you won't remember most of this time. Enjoy your sweet babies. Wish we were neighbors.
ReplyDeleteJackie....our daughter, Audra, wanted to eat every 2-3 hours....and would not slepp much in between. The first 3 months were really really hard....but it will get better. As soon as you can...try to establish a bath routine at night before they go to bed...this helped us a lot. Audra really started getting better at 3 1/2 months old.....and since then she has been sleeping from 10 pm to 7 am....and now we are at 9pm-7am.
ReplyDeleteJackie, I totally agree that you know what is best for your gals! Praying for you that the sleep training will work when you do begin it full on- having babies who sleep through the night is such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteJust warning you it is a hard process, but totally worth it! We had to revert right after begining our training because everyone got sick but pressing on (when we were all healthy again) has been the single best decision we have made as parents so far. Our whole lives are different at this point because our babies were taught and able to sleep through the night. Even if you need to wait a few weeks or one step takes a bit longer, don't be discouraged- press on my friend. You will be so glad you did a few months from now!
PS. our sleep training journal, in case you need a bit of encouragement can be found here - http://thecitycradlefamily.com/?s=sleep+series+-
Jackie and Alan, enjoy every moment. Especially the night feedings! There is nothing more special than sitting in a dimly lit room holding your baby and focusing only on her. (Even when your eyes can't stay focused; your heart does.) Sleep whenever you can. Take people up on their offers to sit with the girls and give you a break to do whatever it is that you want to do - fix dinner for Alan, take a nap, go to the store, ... God gave babies a clock that is unique to them. Their little bellies know when they are hungry or when they just need some mommy or daddy time. Time really does pass too quickly. The little girl we help in the middle of the night is getting married in a blink of an eye. There will be time to set schedules and build in discipline but go with the instincts, the strong desires that God put into your heart. You'll know what is "right" (and as someone else said, there is no 1 right way to go about this). Hold them, love them, take it all in. Blessings! Denise
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I'm against most book reading about babies. Every baby is so different and I found that when I started reading a book that gave advice on how to do this or that, I felt pressured when my baby didn't do this or that. So after Rick and all the books people suggested with him, I threw it all away and just listened to the baby for cues and direction, and followed my own instincts. That's why when people ask with such amazement "How'd you know Kai was allergic to gluten??" I just paid attention to her own cues, behaviors, and just knew something wasn't right. Let them tell you what their sleep and eating patterns will be and then you'll be better able to tell if something isn't right. Also, keep in mind that eventhough there's cereal in there, breastfed babies usually do eat every 2-3 hours for months. Especially when we're talking smaller twin babies with reflux.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for you all =)
Wow thanks you guys for all the encouragement and advice! The time is definitely passing too quickly and i hope we can soak in each of the moments with our girls... even on mornings like today where I could really use an IV drip for my coffee it is such blessed times.
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