It's been about eight weeks since we "Ferberized" the twins. I can honestly say, this is one of the best decision I have made as a mom so far. Teagan and Owen are able to soothe themselves and go right to sleep in their cribs. They also put themselves back to sleep when they wake up during the night. I can't remember the last time I had to go into their room. We have a great bedtime routine and the twins know what to expect. They don't fight getting into their cribs and they wake up happy.
Sleep training has been a great experience for my family. It might not be right for everyone, but it was definitely right for us.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Sleep Training Twins: Nights 4 and 5.
Thankfully this will be a much shorter post as things got much easier after the first three nights.
Night #4 (and Day 2 of naps): Naps on day two were pretty similar to the first day. Owen and Teagan went down a little easier at each nap time. About five minutes of fussing, but no true crying. The duration of the naps was still off though. They both took three naps during the day, but none longer than 45 minutes. Once again, we had very tired babies at bedtime. We laid them down in their cribs at 7:30 and they were asleep in less than 3 minutes. There was no crying, just some babbling and rolling around. It was so nice to just sit down and relax after bedtime and not stress about my babies crying.
Night #5 (and Day 3 of naps): Grandma was watching the twins on this day and she was very nervous about getting them to nap in their cribs. Thankfully, they did great for her. She reported that both babies settled right down in the cribs and they napped for a little over an hour. The late afternoon nap lasted about 35 minutes, which is pretty typical. Bedtime was another success with Owen and Teagan settling down easily and sleeping through the night
See, I told you this was going to be shorter!
Night #4 (and Day 2 of naps): Naps on day two were pretty similar to the first day. Owen and Teagan went down a little easier at each nap time. About five minutes of fussing, but no true crying. The duration of the naps was still off though. They both took three naps during the day, but none longer than 45 minutes. Once again, we had very tired babies at bedtime. We laid them down in their cribs at 7:30 and they were asleep in less than 3 minutes. There was no crying, just some babbling and rolling around. It was so nice to just sit down and relax after bedtime and not stress about my babies crying.
Night #5 (and Day 3 of naps): Grandma was watching the twins on this day and she was very nervous about getting them to nap in their cribs. Thankfully, they did great for her. She reported that both babies settled right down in the cribs and they napped for a little over an hour. The late afternoon nap lasted about 35 minutes, which is pretty typical. Bedtime was another success with Owen and Teagan settling down easily and sleeping through the night
See, I told you this was going to be shorter!
Friday, February 20, 2015
Sleep Training Twins; Nights 1-3
We started sleeping training on a Friday night. I'm lucky enough to have Mondays off from work, so we had three nights to get the ball rolling and hopefully have the twins sleeping well before I had to get up for work on Tuesday morning.
Night #1 Wait times 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes:
Dr. Ferber suggests putting the babies down to bed a little later than their typical bedtime so they will be tired and ready to fall asleep. Normal bedtime for us is 7:30, so we were shooting for 8 PM the first night. The twins had solid foods at 6:15 and then we played until 7:15. It was then time for baths and warm PJ's. We read two bedtime stories and then gave the twins their final bottle of the day. Remember, we had been doing a 10 PM dream feed so this was our first time completely eliminating that feeding. The twins were very sleepy while drinking their bottles, but we made sure they stayed awake. At 8 PM, we carried the babies to their cribs and laid them down. We said "good night, sleep well, we love you" and left the room.
There was a few minutes of quiet as the babies both rolled around in their cribs. It seemed as though they didn't believe we were serious. After about three minutes, Owen started to cry and Teagan, very surprisingly, was cooing. She has always fought her sleep, so this was not the reaction I was expecting. At the 3 minute mark of crying, I went in and comforted Owen briefly, but did not pick him up or give him his pacifier. Naturally, it did not stop his crying. After another 5 minutes Owen was still crying, but it was slowing down and Teagan was still cooing and babbling. I went in again, comforted Owen briefly and left the room. After 10 minutes of consistent crying Owen calmed down and fussed on and off for another few minutes. He fell asleep 15 minutes after being put down for the night. Teagan fell asleep 20 minutes after being put in her crib and never cried once. It was hard listening to little Owen cry, but overall we though this was a great start.
At 10:30 Teagan woke up for the first time and decided to make up for her initially tolerant reaction to sleep training. She started crying hard right away. Sean went in at 3 minutes and this only intensified her crying. Owen woke up when he heard Sean in the room and was fussing a bit. After another 5 minutes I went in to let them both know we were still here and we loved them. Once again, Teagan wailed when I left the room. Dr. Ferber wrote that this is to be expected because they are not getting want they want (i.e their pacifiers and being picked up). Owen fell asleep before the 10 minute wait time. Teagan was still crying pretty consistently, so I went in for another quick comforting. As we approached the next 10 minute mark, Teagan was finally starting to slow down. She would cry for a minute, start to fall asleep, but then startle hersef and cry again. I did not go in the room when the 10 minute alarm went off because our visits only seemed to wake her up. After a total of 35 minutes, Teagan was truly asleep. It was just after 11 PM and we didn't hear either one of them for the rest of the night.
Night #2 Wait times 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes:
We didn't do naps in the crib on Saturday, mostly because we had plans to go to the aquarium with friends in the afternoon. Teagan and Owen were exhausted by the early evening after having so much fun on our outing. We did our new nightly routine and by 7:30 the twins could hardly keep their eyes open. However, they knew what was happening and began to cry as soon as we put them in their cribs. At both the 5 and 10 minute wait times (so 15 minutes total) Teagan and Owen were crying consistently. We went in after each wait time, but it certainly did not settle them down. I really started to doubt our plan at this point and wanted to go pick up my babies and soothe them. I managed to stay strong and distracted myself by preparing dinner with Sean. After about 20 minutes, Owen started to quiet down and would fall asleep for a minute before waking up and fussing again. Teagan had not yet settled, so I went in for the final time after the first 12 minute wait (27 minutes total). Owen fell asleep just a few minutes later, 30 minutes after being put to bed. Teagan cried on and off for a little longer, finally falling asleep for good 37 minutes after being put to bed. Owen woke up for a few minutes at 10 PM and Teagan at 10:30 PM, but they both fell back to sleep on their own.
Night #3 (and Day #1 of naps) Wait times 10 minutes, 12 minutes 15 minutes:
Sunday was night #3 and during the day was the first time we tried doing naps in the crib. I tried putting the twins down for a nap 9 AM (they were up for the day at 6:30) and Owen fell asleep in after 5 minutes of fussing and Teagan after 10 minutes. They napped for less than an hour. The second nap of the day was later in the afternoon and was much of the same. They were asleep in under 10 minutes, but napped for less than an hour. This made for two tired and cranky babies at bedtime. Owen was asleep just 8 minutes after being put in his crib! Teagan fussed a little longer (there was no full blown crying from either baby) and was out 13 minutes after being put to bed. Since she was settling herself down pretty well, we did not go in at the 10 minute wait time because we didn't want to agitate her. This was a huge improvement and a clear sign that sleep training was working.
Night #1 Wait times 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes:
Dr. Ferber suggests putting the babies down to bed a little later than their typical bedtime so they will be tired and ready to fall asleep. Normal bedtime for us is 7:30, so we were shooting for 8 PM the first night. The twins had solid foods at 6:15 and then we played until 7:15. It was then time for baths and warm PJ's. We read two bedtime stories and then gave the twins their final bottle of the day. Remember, we had been doing a 10 PM dream feed so this was our first time completely eliminating that feeding. The twins were very sleepy while drinking their bottles, but we made sure they stayed awake. At 8 PM, we carried the babies to their cribs and laid them down. We said "good night, sleep well, we love you" and left the room.
There was a few minutes of quiet as the babies both rolled around in their cribs. It seemed as though they didn't believe we were serious. After about three minutes, Owen started to cry and Teagan, very surprisingly, was cooing. She has always fought her sleep, so this was not the reaction I was expecting. At the 3 minute mark of crying, I went in and comforted Owen briefly, but did not pick him up or give him his pacifier. Naturally, it did not stop his crying. After another 5 minutes Owen was still crying, but it was slowing down and Teagan was still cooing and babbling. I went in again, comforted Owen briefly and left the room. After 10 minutes of consistent crying Owen calmed down and fussed on and off for another few minutes. He fell asleep 15 minutes after being put down for the night. Teagan fell asleep 20 minutes after being put in her crib and never cried once. It was hard listening to little Owen cry, but overall we though this was a great start.
At 10:30 Teagan woke up for the first time and decided to make up for her initially tolerant reaction to sleep training. She started crying hard right away. Sean went in at 3 minutes and this only intensified her crying. Owen woke up when he heard Sean in the room and was fussing a bit. After another 5 minutes I went in to let them both know we were still here and we loved them. Once again, Teagan wailed when I left the room. Dr. Ferber wrote that this is to be expected because they are not getting want they want (i.e their pacifiers and being picked up). Owen fell asleep before the 10 minute wait time. Teagan was still crying pretty consistently, so I went in for another quick comforting. As we approached the next 10 minute mark, Teagan was finally starting to slow down. She would cry for a minute, start to fall asleep, but then startle hersef and cry again. I did not go in the room when the 10 minute alarm went off because our visits only seemed to wake her up. After a total of 35 minutes, Teagan was truly asleep. It was just after 11 PM and we didn't hear either one of them for the rest of the night.
Night #2 Wait times 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes:
We didn't do naps in the crib on Saturday, mostly because we had plans to go to the aquarium with friends in the afternoon. Teagan and Owen were exhausted by the early evening after having so much fun on our outing. We did our new nightly routine and by 7:30 the twins could hardly keep their eyes open. However, they knew what was happening and began to cry as soon as we put them in their cribs. At both the 5 and 10 minute wait times (so 15 minutes total) Teagan and Owen were crying consistently. We went in after each wait time, but it certainly did not settle them down. I really started to doubt our plan at this point and wanted to go pick up my babies and soothe them. I managed to stay strong and distracted myself by preparing dinner with Sean. After about 20 minutes, Owen started to quiet down and would fall asleep for a minute before waking up and fussing again. Teagan had not yet settled, so I went in for the final time after the first 12 minute wait (27 minutes total). Owen fell asleep just a few minutes later, 30 minutes after being put to bed. Teagan cried on and off for a little longer, finally falling asleep for good 37 minutes after being put to bed. Owen woke up for a few minutes at 10 PM and Teagan at 10:30 PM, but they both fell back to sleep on their own.
Night #3 (and Day #1 of naps) Wait times 10 minutes, 12 minutes 15 minutes:
Sunday was night #3 and during the day was the first time we tried doing naps in the crib. I tried putting the twins down for a nap 9 AM (they were up for the day at 6:30) and Owen fell asleep in after 5 minutes of fussing and Teagan after 10 minutes. They napped for less than an hour. The second nap of the day was later in the afternoon and was much of the same. They were asleep in under 10 minutes, but napped for less than an hour. This made for two tired and cranky babies at bedtime. Owen was asleep just 8 minutes after being put in his crib! Teagan fussed a little longer (there was no full blown crying from either baby) and was out 13 minutes after being put to bed. Since she was settling herself down pretty well, we did not go in at the 10 minute wait time because we didn't want to agitate her. This was a huge improvement and a clear sign that sleep training was working.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Sleep Training 6 Month Old Twins; Prologue
I'll start by saying that the decision to sleep train is personal one. There is a lot of controversy around the subject and what works for one family does not necessarily work for another. Sean and I talked about sleep training for a month before we decided to bite the bullet and give it a try.
We chose the Progressive-Waiting Approach and I read Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber in preparation. If you are planning on sleep training using this method, read the book first. This is so important. It was helpful to learn the specifics about infant (and toddler) sleep cycles and it gives all the information you need to help determine why your child is not sleeping through the night.
After reading the book, I realized that we had created negative sleep associations for Teagan and Owen. They were falling asleep on their own at night, but not in their cribs. They started off the night sleeping in their swings and then at 10 PM, we would take them out, wrap them up in the sleep sacks and then do a bed time bottle feeding. Once they finished eating, we put them in their cribs for the night. Owen would then wake up two or three times during the night and Teagan once or twice. They would wake up crying and we would run in and give them back their pacifier to settle them back down. Neither baby was awake for more than a few minutes, but Sean and I were up several times a night and we were exhausted. I learned from reading Dr. Ferber's book that all of us, including infants, wake up slightly as they transition from REM to Non-REM sleep. We use this brief period to check our surroundings, make sure every thing is the same as when we fell asleep and then settle back down. Generally we do not remember these brief periods of wakefulness. For Owen and Teagan, they remembered falling asleep in their swing, so when they woke up in the crib, it was different and upsetting. They were also dependent on their pacifiers and were not soothing themselves back to sleep. So these were the two issues we had to fix. We also decided to stop swaddling because both babies were starting to fight their swaddles and trying to roll over in them.
We did make a few changes prior to starting sleep training, hoping that it would make things easier. We started putting the twins to sleep in their Rock and Play Sleepers as opposed to the swings so they did not have the constant motion keeping them asleep. We also slowly reduced their bedtime feeding. They were taking 4 to 5oz at night, so we reduced by 1/2oz every few nights. Once they were down to an ounce and a half, we were ready to start.
We chose the Progressive-Waiting Approach and I read Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber in preparation. If you are planning on sleep training using this method, read the book first. This is so important. It was helpful to learn the specifics about infant (and toddler) sleep cycles and it gives all the information you need to help determine why your child is not sleeping through the night.
After reading the book, I realized that we had created negative sleep associations for Teagan and Owen. They were falling asleep on their own at night, but not in their cribs. They started off the night sleeping in their swings and then at 10 PM, we would take them out, wrap them up in the sleep sacks and then do a bed time bottle feeding. Once they finished eating, we put them in their cribs for the night. Owen would then wake up two or three times during the night and Teagan once or twice. They would wake up crying and we would run in and give them back their pacifier to settle them back down. Neither baby was awake for more than a few minutes, but Sean and I were up several times a night and we were exhausted. I learned from reading Dr. Ferber's book that all of us, including infants, wake up slightly as they transition from REM to Non-REM sleep. We use this brief period to check our surroundings, make sure every thing is the same as when we fell asleep and then settle back down. Generally we do not remember these brief periods of wakefulness. For Owen and Teagan, they remembered falling asleep in their swing, so when they woke up in the crib, it was different and upsetting. They were also dependent on their pacifiers and were not soothing themselves back to sleep. So these were the two issues we had to fix. We also decided to stop swaddling because both babies were starting to fight their swaddles and trying to roll over in them.
We did make a few changes prior to starting sleep training, hoping that it would make things easier. We started putting the twins to sleep in their Rock and Play Sleepers as opposed to the swings so they did not have the constant motion keeping them asleep. We also slowly reduced their bedtime feeding. They were taking 4 to 5oz at night, so we reduced by 1/2oz every few nights. Once they were down to an ounce and a half, we were ready to start.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Well,
I'm already failing at this blogging thing...
Keeping up is harder than I expected. There is always something that needs to be at work or home and at least one thing left unfinished at the end of the day. I have ideas of what I would like to write about, but I always get caught up in something else before I sit down at the computer. Hopefully I can stick to my plan of documenting life with my babies
Keeping up is harder than I expected. There is always something that needs to be at work or home and at least one thing left unfinished at the end of the day. I have ideas of what I would like to write about, but I always get caught up in something else before I sit down at the computer. Hopefully I can stick to my plan of documenting life with my babies
Monday, October 27, 2014
Why start blogging?
I'm not much of a writer (that title goes to my incredibly talented little sister) and I don't have much free time on my hands, so why start blogging? There are few reasons and I hope this post will help me to remember them so I don't give up.
1. Sean and I are very lucky to have our parents close by, but our extended families live in other states. My whole family is based in Rhode Islands and Sean's family is in Florida. I hope to share this with our families so they can watch the twins grow and hear about all the little things that happen.
2. Someone recently asked me what Sean and I did overnight the first few weeks at home and I drew a blank. I honestly couldn't remember how we did things and had to ask Sean about it. I'll blame sleep deprivation and hormones for that one, but I don't want it to happen again. I want this blog to serve as a record that I can look back on when the babies are older.
3. I'm making this blog public in hopes that other new twin moms will see it. I found a few blogs by mothers of multiples when I was pregnant and just reading about their lives and seeing their nurseries got me excited about my little ones arriving. I hope that other twin moms or twin moms-to-be will stumble on this blog and maybe I can be helpful to them in some way.
So here's to hoping that I stick with my new endeavor!
1. Sean and I are very lucky to have our parents close by, but our extended families live in other states. My whole family is based in Rhode Islands and Sean's family is in Florida. I hope to share this with our families so they can watch the twins grow and hear about all the little things that happen.
2. Someone recently asked me what Sean and I did overnight the first few weeks at home and I drew a blank. I honestly couldn't remember how we did things and had to ask Sean about it. I'll blame sleep deprivation and hormones for that one, but I don't want it to happen again. I want this blog to serve as a record that I can look back on when the babies are older.
3. I'm making this blog public in hopes that other new twin moms will see it. I found a few blogs by mothers of multiples when I was pregnant and just reading about their lives and seeing their nurseries got me excited about my little ones arriving. I hope that other twin moms or twin moms-to-be will stumble on this blog and maybe I can be helpful to them in some way.
So here's to hoping that I stick with my new endeavor!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Where it all began
Our lives changed forever on December 24, 2013.
We saw the the pink + sign on the pregnancy test just a few weeks earlier and we were at the OB office waiting to see our baby for the first time. As soon as the doctor had the wand in the right position, Sean and I knew our baby was actually two babies. There was no mistaking the two small black circles, each with a flickering white dot inside. It was the best Christmas gift.
I often get asked if I was shocked or scared to find out we were having twins. I was excited right from the beginning and so was Sean. The shock actually came at the next appointment two weeks later when the doctor briefly thought he saw an third embryo. I held my breath while the doctor took a closer look and determined that it was just shadow. After that brief moment of thinking we were parents of triplets, twins suddenly seemed much easier.
That was the first step of this journey into parenthood and things have been moving at full speed ever since
We saw the the pink + sign on the pregnancy test just a few weeks earlier and we were at the OB office waiting to see our baby for the first time. As soon as the doctor had the wand in the right position, Sean and I knew our baby was actually two babies. There was no mistaking the two small black circles, each with a flickering white dot inside. It was the best Christmas gift.
I often get asked if I was shocked or scared to find out we were having twins. I was excited right from the beginning and so was Sean. The shock actually came at the next appointment two weeks later when the doctor briefly thought he saw an third embryo. I held my breath while the doctor took a closer look and determined that it was just shadow. After that brief moment of thinking we were parents of triplets, twins suddenly seemed much easier.
That was the first step of this journey into parenthood and things have been moving at full speed ever since
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)