I know the four of you who read this blog are tired of reading about my sleep woes, but believe me, I’m even more tired of having them.
I thought the morning was looking up. No records set, but we had two 45-minute naps from both kids. Better than it’s been. I credited the functional redecorating I did in the nursery: swap in two room-darkening shades, add a humidifier both for moisture in our forced-air house and for white noise. So far, so good. And yet, the naps were still not enough and meltdowns ensued. At one point, I bundled them up and took them for a walk around the block, which usually at least buys 10 quiet minutes. Well, at least they saw their first snow? Eh.
They went totally mental around 1:30pm. Somehow, that’s my new “witching hour.” So, back in the car we went. I even hopped back on the highway in a partial repeat of yesterday. But the roads were wet and the trucks were making me nervous, so we went to Barnes & Noble. They were reasonably well-behaved. Daniel took some of his bottle, then spit it back up. They both changed shirts about three times from all the spitup, though the actual spitting doesn’t seem to really bother them.
Anyways, it was an afternoon full of screaming with brief breaks. I’m totally frayed. I even called the pediatrician in case anything set off a red flag, but she unfortunately didn’t have much to suggest. Mostly ride it out, but feel free to come in for a check if it really doesn’t seem to get better. Ugh.
So, everyone out there in internet-land, please send nap vibes our way. Getting no more than 30 minutes of peace in between screaming is really getting to me.
Have you tried Gentle Naturals Tummy Soother or gripe water? I’ve been using them both for my twins to settle their tummies. Seems to help with spitting up and general fussiness. Hang in there!
I feel for you and hope it gets better soon. When I look back on when I started my blog, just about every single entry was about my lack of sleep. All I can say is it does get better.
Without sleep, we die. No wonder it is the cornerstone topic of every new mom! Most of my posts were about the lack of sleep taking place in our household too. I really began to despair, and figured that I was the ONE mom, who had twins that would never allow her more than 3.5 hours of sleep in a row. Thankfully, I was wrong, but it sure did feel like I would never ever get sleep again, and how dare all of those other people go around staying up late to blog or watch tv when I so desperately needed rest!?? And really, what was wrong with the world that they didn’t recognize exactly how hard raising twins is? Don’t they know to let me to the front of the line before one or both melts down? Shouldn’t more people be offering to help me??? Seriously, as much as I longed for my little ones, sleep deprivation plus their crying = an exhausted, weepy mama who wondered “What have I done?!”
One trick I did employ as a temp. relief from the crying…I would place the kids, fed, dry and clothed in their cribs, and head for the shower. Close their door, close the bathroom door, turn on the fan, the water and the shower radio, and…I couldn’t hear them! Granted, this only worked sometimes, as other times I felt too guilty to let them cry.
I think from your post, you really need some respite time. I don’t think you live near family, but it there anyone you could ask/hire to give you a break? The constant crying is too much for an exhausted and frustrated mama. Someone who is well rested, and only hears it for a short amount of time, won’t mind watching them. Don’t feel guilty for leaving them…you will be a better mom if you take care of yourself first.
(Boy, I really sound bossy. Sorry about that!)
i feel your pain, sister. i remember those times well. unfortunately, it’s just the nature of many babies. i think it’s a rare few that are content throughout the day. you wonder (and sometimes i still do and the guys are 9 mo.), “is there something wrong with my children?” and the answer is a resounding no! they are just so incredibly new to this world and what it means to be in it. a lot of folks told me that 3 months marks a magic “lift” where the babes become more settled. for us, it took until 4 months, i think in part because they were born a month early. it DID get a lot better at that mark, so hang in there because you’re almost there!
i have to echo krissy though – you are the most important person in all of this, so you MUST find a way to take some care of yourself. i know it seems impossible, but think hard about the resources available to you. i know you worked at a university – can you recruit a student to help you a few hours each day? what about joining a local gym with child care? you kiddos are young enough that they won’t be bothered by someone else rocking them or feeding them. i just joined a gym and sometimes i’ll go to take a hot tub, shower, and sit in the cafe and drink tea!
the one thing that is for sure is that, as a twin mom, you know how to be incredibly resourceful. you, and your babes, WILL figure a way to make this work. i’m positive of it.