Your twins won’t always get sick at the same time, but sometimes they do.
This will put extra strain on your family and household.
Our girls were both recently sick at the same time.
In summary, it felt like we had reverted to newborn twins again. They needed constant care and were up multiple times during the night.
After your twins are old enough and start sleeping through the night, you get spoiled. When an interruption comes along, it will be especially difficult to handle middle-of-the-night awakenings.
During the initial newborn phase, you’ll get used to the pattern of round-the-clock care and hopefully have worked out a system with your wife to care for the twins during the night.
Remember those lessons and put them to use when your twins are sick later.
When your twins are sick, before you go to bed at night, have a huddle with your wife and make a plan of what will happen during the overnight hours.
Who is on duty?
Perhaps you will split the shift with your wife. “Honey, if the girls wake up between now and 2 a.m., I’ll take care of them. You go from 2 a.m. until the morning.”
This sets expectations with your wife and puts a little reminder in your subconscious that will alert you to get out of bed when you hear cries instead of just ignoring them.
Preparations Within Reach
Lay out the supplies you’ll need for late night baby care before you go to sleep. Put the thermometer, Tylenol, tissues, water bottle, etc. all where you’ll be able to easily locate them.
Remember, you’ll wake up groggy and won’t be able to think straight. Make it easy for yourself.
Keep a Log
Just like you need to keep a log with your newborn twins, you need to do the same when they are sick. This is particularly true if they are running a fever. You’ll need those temperatures to let the doctor know in the morning if things are getting better or worse.
Put the log and a pen next to your other supplies so that both you and your spouse know what happened while the other was doing the caretaking.
Be the Backup
No matter your plan, the time will come when both your little ones wake up crying and sick in the middle of the night. It will be impossible for one parent to care for both. So go get your spouse or let her wake you up. Regardless of whose “shift” it is during the night, there may be a time when all hands are needed on deck.
This Too Shall Pass
Don’t worry, your twins won’t have that cold or virus forever. A couple of sleepless nights and things should be back to normal.
Set up your plan, communicate it clearly with your spouse, make your preparations and you’ll be able to weather double sick twins like a pro.
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