One of the first things I remember feeling after my twins came home from the hospital was fatigue. That fatigue moved into utter exhaustion very quickly as I was determined not to force them on the same sleeping schedule. I allowed my twins to go to sleep independently as if there were simply two singlets in the home for the first month – then, exhaustion took over and I knew I needed a new plan. 

Same Schedule Means More Nap Time

My first two children started sleeping through the night when they reached about 14 pounds. Starting at 11 pounds that meant they were sleeping soundly at 2 AM at around two to three months old. But, the twins started out at half that weight so I had twice as long to wait for those long nights and I knew there was no guarantee they would starting sleeping through the night then. I chose to start them on a schedule that pushed them both to feed and sleep at the same time. Sometimes it was very hard to accomplish, but eventually, I had more free time to take naps during the day and night. 

Redefine Your Life

Children are constantly asking us to redefine who we are – that’s part of being a parent. Twins are the same way they just forget the asking part. After a short while as a twin mom, I realized nothing would ever be the same so I chose not to stay the same. I redefined my own sleep patterns according to the twins so I could get the most sleep in one straight shot as possible. If they slept five hours in the middle of the day so did I.

Living with twins is kind of like seeing and doing double, but that doesn’t mean twins have to take away double the sleep time. Twins can be pushed onto the same schedule so mom and dad can sleep more. It may mean changing your definition of day and night for a while, but eventually, everything will work out and you will be back on a regular sleep schedule with the rest of the humans.