2007GuideToTheFirstYear

Sleeping through the night
Sleeping through the night is
believed to be closely related to
biological maturation of a baby's
central nervous system. The body's hypothalamus
acts as control center, regulating
a number of biological processes
including cycles of sleep and wakefulness.
Infants who have endured problems during
pregnancy or delivery—or who are
born prematurely—may be delayed in
this maturing process.
A study of infant twins indicated that
sizeable birth weight differences (more
than 1 pound) between twin pairs would
mean the smaller twin at birth would
have more sleeping problems, including
repeatedly waking up at night. When
twins are premature, parents might
expect night awakenings of one or both
twinfants to occur into late infancy.
Individual babies seem to develop
their own pattern of sleep, both frequency
and duration. Evidence suggests
these individual patterns are influenced
by genes because patterns for identical
twin pairs are more similar than those
for fraternal twin pairs.
Nonetheless, some identical twin pairs
differ signficantly in their nightly sleep
patterns. Hence, factors other than genetics
clearly contribute to the development
of sleeping through the night. Recent
information suggests sleeping habits in
the first 6 months of life are inherent in
each infant’s individual style of behavior.
Studies have actually ruled out age, being
bottle- or breastfed, feeding schedules,
introduction of solid foods, teething,
length of naps or sleeping positions as
factors accounting for infant sleep styles.
During the first few months of life,
an infant sleeps about 16 out of every
24 hours, but the stages of sleep—deep
(rapid eye movement—REM) sleep
versus quiet (non-REM) sleep—can be
blurred. The shift from non-REM to
REM sleep is not seamless and involves
a period of arousal at the point of transition.
Just after birth and for the first
weeks, babies don’t know day from night.
By about 3 months for full-term infants,
or about 6 months for premature infants,
MIA AND AVA, 2 MONTHS
the stages become more clearly delineated
and synchronized with night as their
nervous systems mature. At this point,
babies begin to sleep through the night.
A sleep-inducing environment
Research has shown positive effects for
newborn twins placed in the same incubator
or crib (co-bedding). During their
first weeks of life, your twinfants may be
comforted by sleeping together. As they
get bigger and more active, you will have
to decide if they may sleep better in their
own cribs.
Contributors include Richard Leonard, MD,
FAAP, of Phoenix, AZ, pediatrician and father
of twin girls, and Adam P. Matheny Jr., PhD,
professor of pediatrics, University of Louisville
School of Medicine, Louisville, KY. He is retired
director of the famous Louisville Twin Study.
Sleep guide
During your first year with twins, you may find
yourself exclaiming that your neighbor’s baby
takes two long naps during the day and sleeps
through the entire night. Before you become too envious,
remind yourself—all babies are different. Avoid the trap
of comparing your twinfants to singletons. Remember,
your twins might be getting more sleep than you think,
just not at the same times as each other.
Here’s a chart providing an overview of sleeping patterns
and hours of sleep per day for babies.
Newborn
Total Hours
Total Hours
Spent Number Nighttime Sleeping
Napping of Naps Hours per Day
Sleeps in 2-3 hour increments for a total of
16-18 hours per day
1 month 6-7 3 8-10 15-16
3 month 6 3 9 15
6 months 4 2 10-11 14-15
9 months 2-3 2 11-12 14
12 months 2-3 1-2 11-12 13-14
—Kelly Woods, LPN
28 GUIDE TO THE FIRST YEAR © 2007 TWINS Magazine. To subscribe: call 1-888-55-TWINS or www.TwinsMagazine.com