I took this picture after putting them in their crib at night. Emma on left, Addi on right
Brian and his girls, Emma on left, Addi on his lap
Emma
Addison
When babies get sick it seems to mess up their sleeping patterns. I thought we were down to only waking up once per night to eat. Boy was I wrong! This weekend Emma was up every two hours on Friday night, and the rest of the weekend they started waking up for two night feedings again. Just when I think I have things figured out or at least more manageable something changes. Brian wants to give them rice cereal. He thinks this will make them sleep longer. My pediatrician said they can’t have it until 4 months. I know that back when I was a baby it was common practice to give infants rice cereal before 4 months. Any moms reading this blog that have experience with this feel free to share your opinion. I am torn between desperately wanting more sleep and following the doctor’s recommendations. The girls will be 3 months old on Feb. 4.
Here is a picture of them from the day we brought them home. Emma is on the left, Addison is on the right with her arms up.
Nap time on Saturday. Addison on left, Emma on right. Notice they are not napping!
On another note, I finally printed pictures from the first two months of the girls’ life so I could start a baby book for each baby. I have always been able to tell the girls apart, but when I was separating pictures into a pile for Emma and a pile for Addison I had trouble with a couple of those newborn pics.! It is amazing how much they have changed since birth! They were so tiny! Look at how much hair they have lost.
Here are a few pics. from the ice/snow storm we had. Doesn't look too bad, but it also doesn't take much to cause problems in the south. Most of it was ice.
Bailey shaking off the snow.
I'm so glad they're feeling better! One mom recently told me that following any change in their schedule (like an illness) give it two solid weeks before you can count on them to be back to any schedule they had before. So maybe they just need more time? Emma looks so cute in that top pic where she is smiling with her lips together!
ReplyDeleteWe waited until 6 months to give AC any cereal. Everything that I've read for work and now for raising my own baby strongly encourages waiting until 6 months (for developmental readiness and for obesity reasons). But I know lots and lots of moms who start earlier. So I think you have to do what's right for YOUR family. My honest opinion is that I think giving cereal and sleeping through the night is unrelated. But what do I know?! AC is still waking up at night and she's 7 months old!
Hang in there, it WILL get better, I promise! I know it is discouraging when you hear of some babies sleeping through the night from very early on. (At least it is for me!) But your girls are still so little, just 3 months! I think it's very normal for babies to wake up for two feedings at 3 months, it just stinks because you have two!
So happy to hear that your girls are on the mend! What beautiful pictures! Like Katie, I'm not a big fan of anything solid before 6 months for oral motor reasons. Did you mention that there were reflux concerns? Our twins both have reflux so we use Enfamil AR (added rice starch/anti regurgitation). It's thicker than typical formula and seems to fill their bellies and decrease (not eliminate) spit-up and discomfort, which helps with sleeping. And it's somewhat of an alternative to introducing rice cereal. It does have the potential to lead to constipation, though, which has been a bit of a problem for Finn. Keep us posted...
ReplyDeleteI already commented a little bit on FB. We did start Grady on solids earlier than 6 mnths (not much earlier), but that was for several reasons 1- he could sit well if he was supported, such as in a high chair, 2- he could swallow with no problems, and 3- he was expressing great interest in our food while we were eating. We watched for those things. I, too, think that rice cereal and sleep are unrelated and that some people just get lucky with babies that sleep. They are still so little and they were born a little bit early, so it may take them longer to sleep longer. I know how frustrating it is, though. Grady did not sleep through the night for 8 months, and when he would wake up in the middle of the night, he wouldn't just eat and go back to sleep. He was fussy and did not want to go back to sleep. Sometimes I wonder how I even went back to work and functioned like a normal person! Oh the joys of motherhood!
ReplyDeletePS- I forgot to say how cute the girls are and how much bigger they look!
ReplyDeleteI also forgot to say how pretty the trees look with the ice on them...
I'm so glad they're better! They're just so cute and look so happy.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about any amount of snow or ice being a problem in the south....but it sure is pretty!
I think we have decided to give that Enfamil AR a try at their midnight feeding. We don't really have a problem with reflux, but they are drinking a partially broken down (Enfamil Gentle Ease)formula. Brian and I were wondering if it may not have enough substance to keep them full for a long time. They still eat every 3 hours during the day (sometimes more often), and about every 4 hours at night.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your feedback. This mother thing ain't easy!