Gina Ford baby book

Tracey S · Post by **Tracey S** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 8:51 am

Dear all - particularly you experts Jules and Nicky!!! Gina Ford's contented little baby book - fascinating reading - have you put any of this into practice - it all seems very good and I like the sound of trying to get baby introduced to routine on breastfeeding etc early. Did you manage this in hospital when they are constantly trying to feed on demand there??? And did you have a life - how on earth do you manage to get out for at least a month or two without disrupting Gina's routine. Sorry to be so anal but I always have a million questions around these things and sure you all (especially aunties jules and nicky) have experience of it too! Love Tracey xxx

Jules R · Post by **Jules R** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 11:41 am

Hi Tracey Afraid Auntie Jules can't help with Gina Ford - I never tried it! I know a friend who did and her little one was sleeping through the night from 4 weeks old, so it worked for her. I breastfed one of my twins for 8 months. At first timing was very hit and miss (and certainly in the hospital there was no routine)but after a few weeks we got into a routine of feeding every 3 hours or so for 20 minutes each time (plus she slept throught the night from 6 weeks old, bless her!). So other than having to find another 20 minutes or so to feed the other baby, I did have time to myself. And having a more flexible routine than Gina's meant that it was quite easy to get out of the house. Well done for wanting to try breastfeeding. I'm no evangelist and my son has thrived on bottles (whereas he didn't take to breastfeeding at all) but my daughter's missed out on the eczema that he has and has only had one day's illness in her life, so it's been great for her. But don't feel pressured into breastfeeding or feel a failure if you can't do it; I've seen how it can and can't work for different babies. All the best. Jules

Tracey S · Post by **Tracey S** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 5:40 pm

Jules thanks for that - funny how one twin can be so different - mind you there are not identical are they! As for my - well with most things it is "suck it and see" (if you pardon the pun!) and want to try and do my best but not going to get hung up if for some reason it's not to be - life's too short and I want to enjoy my baby - we have all had to go through blood, sweat and tears just to get there! Hope you and twinnies are well (and DH) and catch you soon Love Tracey xxx

rachel r · Post by **rachel r** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 6:00 pm

I just looked up Gina Ford's book on Amazon and had a look at the reviews for it. Some of them can't rate it highly enough but there are a couple who it was a no-go for, and that it made them feel like failures if it didn't go to plan. Have to admit that that is one of my worries (in a long stream of them!) - the whole routine thing - for God's sake, I don't even know how many times they're meant to be fed each day!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have decided though, based upon friends decisions on a few things. One of which is that we'd like Herbie to be in his nursery from day one. This is partly because we feel that if we start him/her in our room, we may find it hard to make the break, and maybe it would be settling for him/her. The other reason is that we feel that it is our room, its our sanctuary and we need to have time together, and also get a good night's sleep, and I worry that if the baby is in our room, I won't relax enough to sleep well, whereas if the baby is in his/her own room, and we have an alarm monitor, we can relax knowing that the alarm will go off if somethings wrong. One of my friends did this, and her son Ben, who's now 2 is into such a good routine. He goes to bed at 7.00pm, gets up at 7.00am, toddles into her room and sits in bed with her for a few minutes before they get up. Also, after he's had his lunch, he knows its nap time and will actually get up to go upstairs. Another friend has a 7 year old and 3 year old and every night they get into bed with her and her husband has now been sleeping on his own in the spare bedroom for 7 years. Personally, I don't think that's right! Horses for courses and all that though isn't it! ramble ramble ramble!!! Love Rachel

Jules R · Post by **Jules R** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 7:07 pm

Hi Tracey and Rachel Rachel, I think you're right to put Herbie into his own room straight away. I know the advice re SIDS is to have baby in with you for the first 6 months but we didn't have room for 2 cots so our two went in their room from Day 1. I think it really helped with bedtime 'cos they knew that when they went into their cots, it was time to sleep and as I said above my daughter slept through from 6 weeks old (well actually at 6 days old but the Health Visitor said that such a young baby shouldn't be doing that so I had to wake her up to feed her until 6 weeks old!). We didn't have a monitor set up when we were in bed 'cos you quickly become used to hearing baby noises. Take care. Jules [Edited by Jules R on 22-Aug-03 12:08]

NickyJ · Post by **NickyJ** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:01 am

Gina Ford.....otherwise known as GOD!!!! We took the main themes of her book and I can swear by her methods. I couldn't breastfeed as they were so premature that they never developed a strong enough sucking action so expressed for 12 weeks...then had to give up as couldn't keep up with demand. As for the sleeping...the routines she gives you really worked for us and I don't think we would have survived the first year without them. We also had them sleeping in their own room from the start, but had a sofa bed in there and we took alternate nights sleeping with them, and even now they have never had to sleep in our bed. My brother didn't and his two are 3 and 6 and still sleep in their bed!!! I must admit with twins we took the method of alternate nights, where one of us would do all the feeds and let the other one sleep. It was the only way we saved our sanity in the first 12 weeks and then we discovered Gina....ahhhhh it started with 8 hours sleep and the they slept from 7-7......They are happier...we are happier....it really is worth a go. But don't panic about not following it to the letter...she is a bit prescriptive..in that American way... but the whole philosophy is great and leads to contended babies and parents. Hope this helps and sorry it has been so long in replying but am away with work a lot...in fact am just rushing off now...but be back next week Love Nicky

Tracey S · Post by **Tracey S** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:08 am

Rachel Notice HErbie is due a bit sooner - how are you otherwise?? I agree with you over the in the room straight away bit - want to get baby into that habit from the beginning!! Jules and Nicky Totally with you both - seems we all agree on the room. I am not one of these people who likes and does plan my life to the nth degree - like to see what happens but some degree of routine is what is needed which is why I agree with you. I too find Americans a bit presctiptive on things and thought I would particurlaly take the main threads and apply those and then adapt accordingly around it (if all this is possible of course) to suit the circumstances on the day. Ie the sleeping routine and in their own room is one to definately apply but am hardly going to start flapping if I need to go and visit friend or feed 5 mins late as for me it defeats the object. This of course is coming from someone who is pg and not from you two Nicky and Jules who have gone through it and still are! RAchel - we will have to write in and let Jules and Nicky know how we are going!!! Take care all Love Tracey xxx

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