Origin of the Sleeping Through the Night
The twins turn 8 weeks old today. Yesterday they hit their original due date. Tomorrow they start sleeping through the night. I hope.
The twins still wake up every three to three-and-a-half hours overnight. They begin fussing at 1am and 4am every morning with an adherence to the clock that the guys on “24” can only wish they could achieve. I can deal with that schedule. I’m getting used to surviving on six hours of sleep every night, especially if I don’t look at the clock close enough to realize that by the time I fall asleep, I’m probably getting closer to five hours of sleep a night, if that. I can make up part of the difference with an afternoon nap, and the fog I’m living in adds a nice soft hue to the world.
I was reviewing some of the finer points of raising newborns* last night when I stumbled across writings on newborn sleep patterns. I checked the part about sleeping through the night, and saw that some babies are sleeping through the night by 8 weeks. Like a masochist I compared unknown, possibly hypothetical children to my children, and realized that in the time it takes some babies to sleep through the night, my children’s sleep patterns haven’t evolved one minute.
I realize that’s not a fair comparison. 8 weeks is a ridiculously optimistic goal, like losing ten pounds in ten days or seeing the Cubs win a World Series in my lifetime. Abbie didn’t sleep through the night until shortly after 10 weeks; at 8 weeks, she was only sleeping in four to five hour stretches. Of course, even in my perpetual haze I can see that four to five is a lot better than three.
I also have to remember the twins were premature by 8 weeks. They’re just now reaching gestational maturity, and unlike the neck muscles, the preemie’s brain and tummy catches up to the full-termer’s equivalent organs slowly. Plus the twins spent their first almost four weeks in the NICU where nurses were paid to feed the twins every three hours around the clock if we weren’t present, and at 1 am we were definitely not present.
That still leaves over four weeks of twice an overnight feedings with no change in routine. I’m ready for the twins to start lengthening that routine. A consistent four-hour overnight routine might be enough to burn off this fog.
* Rule #1: Don’t drop them.
The twins still wake up every three to three-and-a-half hours overnight. They begin fussing at 1am and 4am every morning with an adherence to the clock that the guys on “24” can only wish they could achieve. I can deal with that schedule. I’m getting used to surviving on six hours of sleep every night, especially if I don’t look at the clock close enough to realize that by the time I fall asleep, I’m probably getting closer to five hours of sleep a night, if that. I can make up part of the difference with an afternoon nap, and the fog I’m living in adds a nice soft hue to the world.
I was reviewing some of the finer points of raising newborns* last night when I stumbled across writings on newborn sleep patterns. I checked the part about sleeping through the night, and saw that some babies are sleeping through the night by 8 weeks. Like a masochist I compared unknown, possibly hypothetical children to my children, and realized that in the time it takes some babies to sleep through the night, my children’s sleep patterns haven’t evolved one minute.
I realize that’s not a fair comparison. 8 weeks is a ridiculously optimistic goal, like losing ten pounds in ten days or seeing the Cubs win a World Series in my lifetime. Abbie didn’t sleep through the night until shortly after 10 weeks; at 8 weeks, she was only sleeping in four to five hour stretches. Of course, even in my perpetual haze I can see that four to five is a lot better than three.
I also have to remember the twins were premature by 8 weeks. They’re just now reaching gestational maturity, and unlike the neck muscles, the preemie’s brain and tummy catches up to the full-termer’s equivalent organs slowly. Plus the twins spent their first almost four weeks in the NICU where nurses were paid to feed the twins every three hours around the clock if we weren’t present, and at 1 am we were definitely not present.
That still leaves over four weeks of twice an overnight feedings with no change in routine. I’m ready for the twins to start lengthening that routine. A consistent four-hour overnight routine might be enough to burn off this fog.
* Rule #1: Don’t drop them.
posted by Matt at
10:03 PM
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