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Getting Sleep - Yeah Right!
By
Johannah Haney
It’s 2:30 a.m. You’re up with one (or
more!) of your babies. Again. You have had 55 non-consecutive minutes
of sleep so far, and the chance for more seems bleak. You are exhausted.
One mother of twins, says that she and her husband
have referred to their parenting experience as "The Great Sleep Deprivation
Experiment".
A Night in the Life of a Mother of Multiples
8:00 p.m. - All babies to bed.
8:30 p.m. - Collapse into bed yourself.
8:55 p.m. - Asleep!
10:00 p.m. - Babies need to be fed. Thirty minutes to feed them
together, burp them and cuddle them to sleep. Double that if you feed
them individually!
11:30 p.m. - Husband accidentally elbows your side getting into
bed.
12:10 a.m. - Babies need a diaper change.
1:00 a.m. - Face off: you and your husband both hear the babies
crying. Each contends they got up last time. Babies need to be fed again.
You compromise and each take one.
2:10 a.m. - 3-year-old big sister has a nightmare and asks to
sleep with you and your husband. Hold her for 15 minutes until she falls
asleep.
3:30 a.m. - Babies need to be fed and changed. Return to bed to
find 3-year-old sprawled out over your half of the bed.
5:15 a.m. - Babies need to be changed again.
6:00 a.m. - 3-year-old giggles, pulls your eyelids open and plugs
your nose. You’re up for the day.
Total sleep time: not much. And this scenario
doesn't include waking up wondering if they are they okay. Or times when
they are sick and need extra attention.
What can this sleep schedule do to a mother of multiples?
One woman says, “I heard my baby crying so I went and picked him
up for a feeding. He wouldn't take the bottle, so I flipped on a lamp
to investigate. I had picked up the wrong twin! He was sleeping peacefully
while his twin sister continued crying for mommy to pick her up!”
So, how can you avoid this kind of burnout and sneak
a little extra sleep?
- Try putting your babies in different rooms until
their sleep schedules even out a little. At least the one baby's cries
won't wake the others!
- Put a big, comfy reclining chair or a bed in the
babies’ room so you can rest while you are feeding or rocking
a baby.
- Pass the buck sometimes! If you use formula or
a breast pump, prepare bottles before bed so your partner can relieve
you. It can be a great opportunity for some moonlit daddy-baby bonding.
- If you know other moms, take turns watching each
others' little ones during the day while you each grab a small cat-nap
(or even a long soak in the tub. Shaved legs - imagine that!)
- If you have the means, consider hiring a night
nurse to help with feedings and diaper changes. Or, enlist the help
of a sister or friend occasionally.
- Put yourself down for a nap along with the babies!
- Conserve energy. Set up your home such that you
never have to walk very far to make a diaper change.
Finally, give yourself an incentive to get up for late-night
feedings and diaper changes. Keep healthful foods such as granola bars,
popcorn or pre-cut veggies near the feeding station. If you have older children,
be careful not to let on that, if they listen for baby, they will get a
late-night treat as well!
And when you feel like it is never going to end, think of the time when
you will have to beg them to get out of bed in the mornings!
Johannah Haney is a freelance writer working with Twinshelp!
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