premature twins

[twinmommy]

Hello,
Could you please give me some advice regarding my premature twin boys? They were born 11 weeks early, are almost 7 months old (corrected age 4,5 months) and stayed in hospital (no rooming-in) for their first 10 weeks – partially intubated. They have a perfect weight for their corrected age.
They actually have had a pretty good night sleep so far from 20:30h till about 5-7:00h. (I did not take them out of bed at night and I had a scheme before ) I started the cure because I am alone at day time and the one who wakes up early does not get enough sleep during the day. And they started to wake up after 20 or 45 min. during their naps in their stroller on a walk. So I wanted them to start sleeping in their beds instead and follow a scheme more correctly.
We are on our 5th day of the cure. The scheme is:
20:30 – 7:30h sleep (11h)
7:30 meal
9:00 – 10:30h nap (1,5h)
10:30 meal
12:00 – 14:00h nap (2h)
14:00 meal
15:30 walk, (physiotherapy once a week)
16:45 – 17:30 nap (45min)
17:30 meal, bath etc.
20:00 meal
20:30 sleep
What has changed positively so far: They do not wake up before 6:30h anymore and they go to sleep alone in their beds. Sometimes they go back to sleep after the phrase.
They still sleep only 13-14 hours and they still wake up too early in the mornings and during their naps.
Now my questions:
1. Do they need sleep according to their corrected age or is it rather a little less?
2. They still wake up after 20 or 45 min. during their naps and rarely go back to sleep. They cry and cry (with pauses). I keep trying by repeating the phrase but eventually end up buffing (very late). Could it be that they did not get to know the phrase and the buffing well enough because they did not have the “intense” first two nights as they were sleeping pretty well already? Does it last longer until they understand? What can I do in the mornings when they cry for an hour and do not go back to sleep despite the phrase or even after buffing? Should I tell the phrase immediately once (x4) to “inform” them even after 5 days?
3. They usually fall asleep during the walk around 16h and wake up after 20 or 45 min. so I keep walking till around 17:00h so they somehow get their 45 min. During physiotherapy they are sooooo tired. What can I do instead? I want them to get outside because they have a cold since 3 weeks. But they should stay wake and sleep when we get home…
4. They had feeding problems when we got home (resisted drinking at all!) and still swallow a lot of air. Sometimes they burp 10-15 times! Sometimes I take them out of bed after they have cried for a while during their nap (in a quiet moment I try) and more burps come out. Any advice for me?
I am reading your book over and over again.
Thank you so much for your answer!!!

[twinmommy]

Hello, it´s our 12th day of the cure and it is getting worse and worse every day! Worse than before the cure. Could you please help me?
Their real age is 7 months, corrected age almost 5 months.
They both wake up earlier every day - yesterday at 5h instead of 8.30h! And they stopped going back to sleep after the rhyme. They continue to cry louder and louder so eventually I have to go in and buff them to sleep. When I stop they wake up again, so I continue until they almost sleep. I don´t want one waking the other up, so I can´t wait too long before I go inside. (I am alone!) They are in the same room, because there is no other possibility of making it dark in the other room...
One twin has more problems: he still always cries when I put him down but eventually falls asleep after 10 min. Then I say one more rhyme.
Tonight he woke up at 1h, 3h and 5h, didn´t respond to the rhyme and fell asleep after a long time of crying while I was buffing him. He has never done this for months!!! He slept so well already. What do I do wrong?
So they only sleep 11-12 hours and they are so tired...
I am afraid that it continues to worsten. Maybe the cure is not good for babys who were sooo scared in the beginning of their lifes?
Please help me!

[annawahlgren]

A warm welcome to you!

I suggest you wait a little. The Good Night's Sleep Cure won't run away from you You need to be much more convinced that you are HELPING your little ones, not making life hard (er) for them. As for the moment, I feel you are not convinced at all. Which, in turn, of course, they sense from you immediately. Worry and insecurity are the worst villains in all baby care

So, relax, is my suggestion. Go back to what was before and that you feel was better.

Then, if and when you make the decision to "cure" for real (if you excuse me the expression), please read and re-read the book until you do understand the point of it all, which actually reads philosophy. It's certainly not a question of merely technique.

For example, your fear about the one waking up the other is clear proof that you neither understood (this far) the Wolf thesis nor read the questions and answers in the book. It is all there, actually.

Best wishes and good luck! But please, prepare yourself properly - or skip it all over.

We are here for you.


O:) O:)

PS As for your first writing here, I am so sorry I did not recognize it earlier.

It seems like they are eating far too little.

They are also sleeping far too little, which you are well aware of. It makes me believe that they perhaps are back-sleeping, which normally means shorter sleeping periods (of 20 or 45 minutes) than in the prone position. (You would feel safer with apnea monitors.)

Anyway, think it all over and come back to us!