Our triplets are now just over two months old and have been home for almost 5 weeks now. They all weigh about 9 lbs and seem to be growing well. We are still having trouble keeping them all on a schedule. They seem to eat well sometimes(4+ onces) the next time they can not seem to remember how to eat. It takes us about an hour and a half to two hours to feed them, diaper them, and get them to settle and then about an hour later one or more of them is up crying. We have tried making them wait until the next feeding to eat but depending on how much help I have sometimes it is better to feed them as they wake rather than having 3 screaming babies.

They also spit up like crazy, but their doctor said that is ok and they do not need medicine if they do not cry for long periods after a spit up. He said if it were reflux they we cry for a long time after a spit up due to the acid. Ours only cry for a few seconds, but it is enough to wake them when it happens.

Sometimes we can not get them to settle between feedings and so we get no break. Please does anyone have any advice? I am so tired and rarely get any sleep and am looking for anyway to make things better. I have regular help from my mom and mother in law(not at the same time) and my husband helps when he is not at work, but it does not seem like enough. How much help did you have?

How long are you going in between feedings (or, ideally what do you want to do?). I found that my girls ate more, and more consistent amounts, when they eat on a 3 1/2 - 4 hour schedule, as opposed to the every 3 hour schedule. I assume they have a longer time to get hungry.

It would take me sometimes an hour in the beginning to feed just the two, and yup, sometimes they'd eat fine, other times they were like "what the heck are you trying to give me?" They could be hungry a few hours later, or they could maybe just be used to getting more food. Maybe you can try distracting them during the day when an hour after they are crying - by putting them in the swing or bouncy or something. If they're not hungry, I found that usually is enough to stop them. Very little will calm my girls down for long if they are truly hungry.

From my experience, the spit up isn't the main sign of reflux, like your doctor said. It's the screaming/arching/general signs of serious discomfort after feeding. My non-reflux daughter was actually the one who would spit up after feedings. My refluxer NEVER spits up. But she would cry a lot during feedings, to the point where she was beet red and sweating, and would arch. She'd also eat it all too, and was growing fine.

Amy

Julia, ^Caitlin^ (stillborn due to encephalocele complications) & Gabrielle
30.2 weeks

We are trying to do a 4 hour schedule, but sometimes we will do 3 and 1/2 if they seem really hungry. Ours do arch but they do not seem in pain, just uncomfortable and they have trouble settling. I may ask the doctor again. Thanks for the advice.

Hang in there, it WILL get easier! But mostly just through time, as your babies stomachs get more mature and bigger.

A few sanity-saving suggestions:
1- if they seem to distracted to agitated to eat, try swaddling them and heading for the rocking chair. It's amazing how much more they can-will eat if they are calm and relaxed.
2 - if you are feeding one at a time, have you not tried two at a time? Two Boppys placed strategically to the left and right of you, or one Boppy on your lap and the other to the side, allows for good eye contact with both babies
3 - don't fret the ounces per feed so much.. keep a chart next to your feeding area and record what they eat over the 24 hour period. And if you can get a bay scale, do so. As long as the growth is positive or neutral (for a couple of days anyways...) they are eating enough. I was so worried about my boys but then laughed at the end of the first months when they had all put on 3.5 pounds! More than plenty!
4 - try to put them on a schedule instead of just every few hours. It conditions them to be hungry at the right time.

Good luck!

Eliza

ops, should have read "baby scale"...sorry for any other typos, I'm in a hurry as all of us multiple moms seem to be!

Eliza

The spitting up may be caused by over feeding or not burping them well enough. Sometimes smaller amounts of formula, more often works better to help stop spitting up. I know that when its taking you so long to feed that just seems like torture. You can try leaving them sitting up for about 30 minutes after they eat and propping the head of their beds up.

Are you feeding them all 3 at the same time? If you arent and still can not prop the bottle (or just dont want to do that) you can feed at least 2 at a time by putting them in their car seats or boppy pillows and holding the bottles and then feed the other one last. Most people put them in boppy pillows. We did this for about 2.5 months and I finally started putting them in their carseats instead and it works a lot better for us (I have a really bad back and it was killing me to sit in the floor so much.) I can sit on the couch with them all 3 lined up in front of me in their car seats and prop the bottles on the edge of the carseat and lean them back slightly with my foot.

After ours eat we try to keep them occupied and awake until nap time (the last 2 hours of the 4 hour "block") and then do it all again. It does get better and easier... its all trial and error and you will figure out what works best for you and what needs to be done.

Shely~ Mom to 1+bbg

Sounds like reflux to me. Spitting up normally occurs during or directly after feeding. Reflux usually occurs mid way or close to next feeding because the formula has digested. My boys would be sound asleep and wake up with a very distinct cry if they are having an episode...sometimes to the point formula would be coming out of their nose. I told the peds it was reflux and told them I wanted to switch the formula and what would they recommend as an alternative. We went to Similac RS (rice starch) and it absolutely did the trick! Sometimes you have to be aggresive with the peds. They are your babies...while you may not be a practicing physician you are still the parent and may just know better. As far as the length of time it takes to feed them...well that's one of the joys (NOT!) of triplets!!!

We had a bunch of help in the first two months, but now I'm on my own during the day for the most part. I often feed them one at a time. I keep them eating in the same order all day long so they each each every four hours. We started at every 3 hours when they first came home and you won't believe how your life will change once you only feed them every four hours!

When I fed them two at a time I used a Boppy in my lap and one at my side and held both bottles. I don't often do that now because burping gets tricky so I don't end up saving any time.

My son has reflux and Prilosec did the trick for him. He started on Zantac and that worked for a while, but the baby Prilosec is so much better. As a PP said, keep them upright for 20-30 minutes after eating and elevate one end of their mattress. We used to use their boppies post-feeding and now use their swings. We've found that the Bumbos make them spit up because their waists are bent more than 90 degrees, so don't use those until after that 30 minute period.

We also use Mylicon or Little Tummys gas drops when they're really spitty while eating and that works well. Sometimes the burps come from under the milk in their stomachs and bring it all up when the burp comes out.

Mom to GBG born in July 2009 at 30w6d: 3#10oz, 3#12oz, 3#2oz

Oh, there's also some stuff you can add to the formula to thicken it so it stays down better to reduce spit up. I haven't used it, just heard about it. The woman I know of who used it used ThickenUp on her pedi's recommendation but then was able to find the active ingredient straight at a specialty store and it was much cheaper - xantham gum I think.

Mom to GBG born in July 2009 at 30w6d: 3#10oz, 3#12oz, 3#2oz