Hi, I'm really sorry to hear how bad things are for you. I hope your husband is on the mend now and you're coping supporting your family through cancer. I can't imagine what things are like for you - are you managing ok?
I have a homestart volunteer and everytime I think about her coming I think about asking her not to come, but then when she arrives I'm glad to see her - more for the company for me than any help with the twins.
I think I'm losing my sanity a bit. I feel I haven't got a clue where to start and what to do with the twins. I think they seem happy enough, but we are like hermits, we virtually never leave the house apart from to go to the doctors. I don't have many visitors and I don't enjoy it much when we do cos the babies won't feed well off anyone else or are too distracted to have a full feed or nap then I have to pick up the pieces when they leave.
Sometimes I think we have a bit of a routine, and other times we haven't got one at all. The problem is feeding. They occasionally eat an entire feed, but often they like a bit then a bit then a bit... you get my drift. I always start the feed at the same time, but sometimes Liam guzzles the lot, other times we have real problems with wind though he's getting good at bringing it up without the feed coming up too, sometimes he'll refuse the bottle, have a snooze for 20 mins then have the rest.
Ellie's bigger than Liam (both nearly 12lbs now) and generally eats more, but we've been having to fight her to have the bottle in her mouth recently. She never cries to say she's hungry, we just feed her when Liam cries for his. If we leave her she'll go for far too long without eating, and then maybe eats her hands, but we've changed teat, bottle, holding her, not holding her (V pillow on settee) and her weight gain hasn't been great the last month, though she's not losing it. Once the bottle is in her mouth she'll eat, but by then she's tired out from the fight and falls asleep on the bottle. The health visitor has been no use, and I've tried teething gel even.
Anyway, the point of all this is because they're always feeding I just don't bother going out! Inbetween feeds they sleep loads, probably cos the feed takes us all the time they can manage to be awake for. If we go out they don't sleep, then they're a nightmare for the next few days. I just feel frustrated and like I'm failing them because I'm not providing them with a rounded life, and I'm going mental being in all the time. But then I keep telling myself it'll soon change, they'll feed less & sleep less then we can go out more, but by then they'll have been in the house for 6 months!
I'm starting to reduce the amount of times a day I express (currently 4 times a day) as that takes up my time & energy. It's been so important to me for them to have breastmilk, but I know we're getting to the point it has to stop with my aim to be finished New Year, and I've a supply in the freezer to carry on into the New Year for a bit.
Sorry this is so long...
just want to ask - is this normal or have I lost the plot?
What do you do with your babies when they're awake? Do you play / read all the time they're awake? or is it OK to put them on the babygym & go & wash the bottles or whatever?
How much do they sleep in the day?
How do you find getting out?
Thanks - and this isn't just for Nic, if anyone can help I'd be V glad!