Jennifer: What Colic's Really Like
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Wondertime: So does one baby set the other off? Are they crying all day, or do they have patterns?
They have patterns, they sure do. It's usually at evening time. They go through the whole day, and they have their moments, but for the most part they can get through it. But it starts to get that time in the evening where everybody's tired. You've had a long day, you're exhausted. They're exhausted, and they don't know what else to do to release that kind of stress they've been under. And so they just tend to cry. It's usually early evening. They go about 5 at night till 11 or 12 at night, pretty much inconsolable. So, you know, you try a lot of things. Unfortunately when we first started going through it, my kids were too small for bouncy seats and their swings, because they were so premature. They only weighed like 6 pounds. You can't really put a 6-pound baby in a swing; they're only going to fall out of it. But now that they're bigger, they're growing out of the non-stop crying because they've hit that magical 3-month mark. So when they do get fussy it's much easier to use the swing. I mean, people call them Neglect-O-Matics, but I'm telling you what, there's something very soothing to a baby about being rocked or vibrated. And so now that they're big enough, we have these tools that do help.
But at the time, you don't know what to do and all you're doing is walking, and bouncing. My kids hated being swaddled, some kids love being swaddled, mine hated being swaddled. You're just very frustrated, and yes, one would sometimes set the other off. With twins that kind of happens, if one really gets miserable the other really can feel that. It's like the tension in the house, they feel it from you — it's just an ongoing thing.
Wondertime: Are there products in particular that have really worked for you?
We went back to 100% breast milk. Which, I'm telling you, even with twins — a lot of moms say, "Oh, I couldn't possibly breastfeed twins," well we express milk. We don't actually breastfeed, because yes, it is very difficult to do that and take the time to do that. But I will tell you that going back to breast milk really, really helped, because a lot of the problem is the babies have stomach pain. So obviously, unless they have some kind of severe allergic reaction to milk, or something you're eating, there's nothing better than breast milk for their digestion. And then, of course yes, as far as products I could kiss the Graco and Fisher-Price people, because they definitely have saved us many, many times. We have two swings — with twins of course people say you don't need two of everything, just get one, they'll share — whatever, forget it, we have two swings, we have two of everything. As a matter of fact, right now as I'm talking to you, you hear the house is quiet, they're both sleeping, both sleeping in their swings. It doesn't last long, you can get an hour or so in there. I'm telling you, the people who make bouncy seats and swings, they're awesome people. They're definitely awesome people. That's why there's such a good market for it.
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