(Sept. 17th – Oct. 17th)
Top:Cruiz, Bottom: Cannon
The twins are officially three months today! And this past month was just as difficult as the the one before. We have tried everything there is to do with colic. Though we have found a few things that help, I think we’re just going to have to wait it out. If I could focus on one baby and hold him all day long, I think it wouldn’t be as bad, but it seems like when I’m finally able to console one, the other starts up.
CannonHe constantly seems to have an upset stomach, and spits up more than his brother. He’s a better sleeper during the day, but struggles at night, 95% of the time it’s usually Cannon crying at night. He is still very alert, and incredibly strong.Cruiz
He doesn’t seem to struggle with his stomach quite as bad as Cannon, but is much more needy. He is a total Momma’s boy, and if he sees me holding Cannon he’ll scream until I pick him up… that’s what I call spoiled. He’s incredibly stubborn, and much more affectionate than his brother. He definitely loves to cuddle. He is suddenly sleeping much better at night, and just last Sunday went 12 hours!
Pat and Cruiz
Weight
On the 9th Cannon weighed in at 12 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 22 1/2 in. in height. Cruiz weighed 11 lbs. 15 oz, and measured 23 in. long. They moved up to 3 month clothing, but will soon be fitting into 6 months. They are still wearing size 1 diapers.
Feeding
The boys are still eating every 3-4 hours, and usually about 4-5 oz. Every once in a while they will take a little more. They are still eating high calorie formula twice a day for being preemies.
Ledger shared his favorite toys with Cannon.
Sleeping
They are still noisy little boys. They continue to sleep in our front room, and still like to be swaddled.
Pat and I usually feed the boys anywhere between 10 – 12 PM. I’m usually up at least a couple of times each night, if not more. Surprisingly, they both slept six hours straight one night, but haven’t done it since. When Cruiz slept for 12 hours, Cannon was up four different times, so the trick is getting them both to sleep. Once I realized Cruiz could sleep through the night, I stopped waking him up each time I fed Cannon. It created a few hectic days of different feeding schedules, but it’s been worth it.
Cruiz on the left, Cannon on the right.
On Tuesday, I couldn’t get either of them to stop crying. I tried EVERYTHING! I finally put them together in the boppy, which I rarely do because Cannon hates being next to Cruiz. I took Ledger into my room with me to sing songs in hopes to tune out the crying. Within seconds of being together, both boys snuggled in to each other and quit crying. It was so fun to watch because Cruiz kept waking up and looking at Cannon making sure he was still there, and then he’d give me a look like he was trying to say, “This is too good to be true! Can Man loves me!”
We’re hoping this next month will bring less colic and a lot more smiles.
They are SO cute Ashley!!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing these sweet boys! I have been following your sweet family since before Ledger was born. I know that you probably get unsolicited advice all the time, but I wanted to let you know about a product that I found to be my final life saver with colic in my little girl. Colief infant drops. you put a few drops in their bottle and it helps with the lactose in milk. it was a God send for me and my little girl. I just wanted to let you know in case you have not tried it yet. I bought it at CVS because at the time that is the only place they sold it, but I have since seen it more places, and I also think that they have a coupon for it on their website. I hope this helps you and your family. It has been fun to watch it grow.
ReplyDeleteOh they are so gorgeous! I want to nibble those chubby little cheeks! I cannot tell them apart at all now, they look completely alike to me!
ReplyDeleteMy middle son cried all the time, I never pinned down whether it was colic but he would bawl his eyes out. I had a dustbuster with a wall charger so I'd charge it up then put him in his crib and turn it on, it was the only thing that got him to sleep and the only thing I used the dustbuster for:)
My last baby had colic and we cut out dairy and soy. She became a totally different baby! I am not sure what ingredients are in the formula or if you are nursing, but it might be something to look into. I have lots of information about this and would love to share if you are ever interested. You can email me at jennifer_neeleman@hotmail.com. Hope things get better!
ReplyDeleteI've never commented before and while I'm sure you've heard this I wanted to share our experience with our son. We thought our son had colic but it turned out to be silent refluc. He rarely spit up but he often had wet sounding burps or he'd burp then we'd hear him swallow. We tried all the tricks untilvwe gave in and asked his pediatrician for medicine for him. I don't know if you've tried meds but they really made our son much easier to handle. We tried taking him off them at 7 months which worked until he was 10 months then our crying, unable to sleep boy was back. He went back on meds for 5 months. Just a thought since I've read that most cases of colic are suspected to be reflux. :-) your boys are adorable, just like your lovely Preslee!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! They are so cute! I'm sorry it's been so rough. Rance (our third) has been so much harder than his siblings and it's so hard to adjust to because you're not use to it. Prayers for them to start feeling better and for you to start getting more rest!
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing the reality to caring for newborns. It isn't always perfect, happy moments. You sound like you're doing you can so way to go mama! Our twins are 3 weeks so we're trying to get it all down:) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHave you looked into babywearing at all? That saved my sanity with twins! Being able to put one baby on my back while I was holding the other baby helped them both feel like they were being given my attention. Feel free to email me if you want talk. Colic is so tough :(
ReplyDeleteSweet Babies! MY Little Boy Is 1 Month With Colic And I'm Jealous Your 3 Months Into It, But At The Same TiMe You Have 2! Your Doing A Great Job And One Day We Will Look Back And Cherish These Days!
ReplyDeleteYour little guys are ao cute! I have been following you and your precious family for awhile now. I don't know if you are into essential oils or not but all three of my kids have had colic type symptoms. I have used oils on them and it has really helped. Also, my first two (because I was nursing) I had to cut out dairy. The last little guy I had to cut out gluten and dairy. He spit up constantly for 11 months. But in the beginning he acted like his little belly was in constant pain. I cut out dairy and gluten and he's a different guy. He's 12 months now and still can't have dairy or gluten but with so many substitutes it's pretty easy! Good luck!! If you have questions you can email me aliciajones2008@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHere's some more unsolicited advice. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heather about the colic drops in each bottle. They will not hurt the boys even if you put them in every bottle until you get their tummies straight. Also, this advice came from my husband's grandmother. She was in her late 80's. I've always believed older folks, so I did it. She told me to ALWAYS keep socks on my boys' feet. She said that if their feet get cold it causes their tummies to hurt and they will scream & cry. I had absolutely NO problems with either of my boys. I used the drops for gas in each bottle and kept socks on their feet at all times. Just try it. Maybe it will help. I hope it will for your sweet sake anyway. :)
Moving on...your boys are beautiful!
I was also going to suggest the Colief drops. Add 4 drops about 30 min before a feeding. It is lactase and will break down the lactose in the formula. Another thing to try if you think they have reflux try similac for spit up. It is lactose free and thickens in the stomach. It can be mixed to higher calories. Your pediatrician can give you the mixing mixing instructions. You don't have to use colief with it. We use these in the NICU all the time
ReplyDeleteIs it possible they have reflux, not colic? My son cried 14+hrs a day as an infant (seriously, the pedi had us keep track) turned out he had severe reflux and ended up on prescription elemental formula as well as 2 reflux meds (zantac & prevacid) Reflux babies are notorious for loooong crying drags, needing to be held upright all the time and being horrible sleepers (in addition to the puking etc..) Meds & formula made a big difference..maybe worth asking about ; ) Lots of luck & prayers for you, for peace, sleep and content babes!
ReplyDeleteMy last baby cried all the time from upset stomach and my pediatrition gave me a sample of infant probiotic drops to see if it would help and it really did. It's a little pricey to buy, but if you can get a sample it's great. Good luck! Your kids are all adorable!
ReplyDeleteHow sweet! In the picture with Pat and Cruiz, he looks SO much like Pat!!! :) Your boys are just darling and I love that you share with us, about them :) You have such a wonderful family and are such a wonderful example to me.
ReplyDeleteHang in there Ashley, my last baby had colic and was my worse baby lol. But when I started giving her cereal that helped SO MUCH! So when you get the ok for cereal jump on it, because it really does seem to help and they will spit up a lot less..
ReplyDeleteI want you to know what a great mother I know you are, these 3 boys are very lucky to have you! :)
I'm sure you're getting a lot of advice about the colic, and I'm going to add mine in here. :) Have you thought about the possibility of reflux? I thought my baby was colicky his first couple of months because of all the crying and dreadful sleep habits (he would normally only sleep for 30 minutes at a time, occasionally 45 if I was lucky). My sister had 3 reflux-y babies and insisted that I put mine on medicine after the colic solutions didn't work very well. I've never seen such a night and day difference!! He went from being super high maintenance and easily upset to incredibly easygoing and happy, literally overnight. The medicine doesn't hurt the baby (I put mine on Zantac) so it may be worth a shot. Here are some signs that it may be reflux: the baby arches his back while crying, sometimes rolling onto his side; spitting up frequently (though it doesn't have to come all the way up. It can get stuck in the back of the throat and go back down.); constant need to want to suck/eat (the milk is soothing to the heartburn); crying gets worse when lying flat; the baby prefers to be held upright instead of laying in your arms. I'm sorry you have to go through this with not one, but two babies. I can't even imagine. And I hope all the advice isn't too frustrating or annoying. :) Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest never slept and was always miserable, I can't imagine doing that times 2. She was better once she did solid foods, but I looked into everything in case I had another like that (thankfully the other 3 have been easier). I found a lot of people talking about taking colicky babies to the chiropractor and it working miracles. If I had known back then I totally would have tried it!
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ReplyDeleteI have to "2nd" what many others have already said...They sure sound like they may have reflux and possible milk sensitivities. My son couldn't tolerate milk or soy based formulas and had reflux as well. He was put on Zantac for the reflux and we switched to Similac Alimentum and he was a totally different baby after that. Your description of the twins mirrors the way my son acted. Also just a bit of info you may or may not be aware of...Our pediatrician told us that reflux is very common in babies, especially if they are born before term, because the little "flap" at the bottom of the esophagus where it meets the stomach is not fully developed allowing the stomach contents and acid to reverse course up the esophagus. Hence, reflux and spit up and pain.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work. Loved this post. You'll make it. You're a wonderful mommy.
ReplyDeleteI see so much of Preslee in the first picture of the boys. So precious!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help but post. I read your blog a lot. We have lots of family and friends in your area. Our kids were colic babies and I have to second, or third or fourth the dairy thing. Cutting dairy out saved us from torture with our first and third babies. It was hard but we just did goat yogurt and cheese and almond and coconut milk and good oils instead. One of our babies got so sick he had to go to the ER twice and within a week after cutting out dairy he was totally better. You are doing amazing!! We have three boys and one girl as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the person who suggested probiotics. Helped a friends baby so much. Good luck! I hear 4 months is a common turning point for coliky babies
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that they loved to cuddle up...if only that worked every time!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you have to go through this with colic and odd sleeping/eating times...you are a good mom even if you don't always feel like maybe you are. Please remember that!
Best of luck this week!
Oops first comment got erased I think.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cute how they loved to cuddle up together...if only that worked every time!
You are such a good mom to these boys, please remember that, even if there are times you may not feel like you are. I'm so sorry you have to go through the colic/tummy issues...I didn't have to go through two at one time, so I can't even imagine.
Good luck this week!