Due in June thread 6

[charleypops]

All I can say right now is AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

I read her contented baby book and then followed the bits that I could slot into my routine - as in so long as I could go shopping I was happy!!!

I found that I borrowed some of her routine and was able to feel in control again after 8 weeks of having a baby that wanted feeding every two hours and never sleeping anywhere near through the night. Took abit longer for us to get him to sleep through than if we'd followed it to the letter, but I say each to their own...if you find it helps use it, we did and I will do again

I read The Contented Little Baby Book when DS was a couple of weeks old and it upset me enormously - I tried to stick with the routine but I was all over the place with it and it just added to my ever-increasing stress levels.

DS got into a loose routine eventually, but it took a good 10-12 weeks (at least!) but we ended up doing it our way rather than her way. I found the book intimidating - it made me feel even more of a failure than I felt already.

My friend whose DS is a couple of weeks older than mine followed it and her DS was sleeping through the night MUCH earlier than mine though, so you can draw your own conclusions from that I suppose.

I have GF, because I thought I would like her insistence on routine. I sort of did and sort of didn't. Dd did follow a lot of her routine, in terms of sleep and food and I took on board a lot of what she said, but as I grew more confident was able to do what I wanted as well.

I think I was very lucky, in that dd was a very contented baby without Gina's help. A lot of the examples she uses are of situations and behaviour that has already got a bit out of hand, imo.

WHat was your experince with dd like? If it all went well, why bother changing (if it aint broke and all that)? Although I realise with 2 it can be different again.

The other reason I used her for guidance was that, I had no bloody idea what to do during the day with a baby [homer simpson face]

I also had a friend who followed her religiously and her dd is not half as well-behaved as my dd -obviously !! it's difficult to organise inate personality!

Interesting point about sleeping Mrs W, although in the early months, first 5, dd didn't sleep through, she always went down without a murmer. After she began to sleep through that continued.
Again, the friend I know who stuck like glue to Gina has a really hard time getting her dd to sleep, all sorts of rocking and cuddling going on. #shrugs# always an exception isn't there?
Funny thing is, I was so jealous of her fpr being disciplined enough to follow Gina but, as it turns out, I am better off!

LOL Welshie - after "exposing" myself on here in such a dramatic and intimate way, I may as well become a real "earth mother" type and meet you all in the nude next time

Lips - She's been on Totp already, dp's not actually in the band.

Uwila - I'll have a look at Gina Ford - can't contribute at the moment, not knowing anything about her. I can feel a trawl through the MN baby book archives coming on...

Tea - I know! that thread has had some very interesting posts!

Charley, I wouldn't bother actually reading any posts about Gina on here, they are all about 600 messages long and degenerate into the usual arguments #yawn# Get the book out of the library/borrow one to see if you'll like it. I'll happily post mine to you if you want, you can return it at the meet because I think I will be referring to it for dd2 some times.

Lipstickmum - funnily enough, since my friend's DS was about a year old she has had terrible trouble getting him to sleep, and he still wakes up in the night now. My DS didn't properly start sleeping though until 8 months, but we very rarely having problems with him waking in the night. So yes, I was jealous then...I'm not now though!

(ooh, that makes me sound very smug. A lot of this parenting lark is luck too, isn't it?)

Yup, parenting is a lot about smugness dd was the last of all the babies from my baby groups to sleep through (although most of them were bottle fed from an early age). 10, 12 weeks they were all boasting and I was re-applying the cover-up to my bags!! But since dd did begin to sleep through she has woken up about twice during the night. Loves her sleep, like her mother.

dd is the world's best sleeper -- well second only to me. I could sleep through WWIII. She began sleeping through at about 8 weeks old and it's been bliss ever since. I like to boast and take full credit for this. But, probably she was just born a good sleeper.

However, for every happy monent she brings me on the sleep front there is an equal and opposite negative feeling regarding food. GRRRRRR I'd like to throw her out the bloody window sometimes, right after I shove the vegetables down into her locked jaw.

So, Gina is partly for establishing a routine for miserable feeding times. But it is also because I'm not always the one in charge. I do think routines and schedules are the best way to communicate with someone who has not yet developed any language skills. The problem is, I don't know if I trust my nanny to be so tough. For example if I make DD eggs, and she asks for cheerios. Too bad, eggs are what's on offer. Take 'em or leave 'em. But, if she does the same with the nanny, I think the nanny gives her the cheerios... can't prove it, but I suspect it's the case. And DH is even worse. He gives her cake at 10:30 and then I can't figure out why she won't eat lunch at 12:00.

I'm just considering using it as a bit of a bible for people to consult. And,I'm concerned that new baby might not develop the habits I'm hoping for if push-over-nanny is giving into his demands.

I had to really put my foot down in a rather unpleasant way regarding nap times when the nanny started. I told her that DD was to take a nap at 11:30 everyday. And she explained to me that DD decides when she naps. And I said, "Oh no she doesn't!" And it went on for a while. Sometimes I have to remind my nanny who works for whom.

I think you will like Gina as a reference Uwila. Your dd sounds great, except she's not keen on some foods.
I'm a firm believer in your food policy of what's provided is all there is. Glad I'm not 'old-fashioned' in that regard!

We had a maternity nurse when dd was 4 weeks old and she wrote out a really easy routine for us that felt like it had a basis in GF but was much less rigid. I've still got it in my early days notebook so I think I'll probably go back to that - it fits on the back of an envelope and doesn't feel nearly so intimidating. DD has always gone down really well and does sleep through like a dream. Like Lippy though it did take us a while to get there. I'm convinced that a fair bit of it is down to the baby's personality.

i'm not a gina ford fan more of a baby whisperer, no-cry sleep solution person. I could never and still can't control cry but then i think this stems from DD not being a cryer. She only cried if she was hungry, tired or needed changing and by 6 weeks i could tell which cry was which. She has always been alert and not much of a sleeper and we only got her sleeping through the night at 18months!!!

Not sure what we will do with number two though, just wait and see what we're given i guess!

Did someone else mention using real nappies? i'm hoping to again with this one, but not sure whether i'll be able to keep up with the washing, two children plus nappies.

Don't you guys get me started on DD's sleeping behaviour! I could moan forever!! She has been a pro sleeper until this xtmas....
Does GF says anything about dealing with toddlers?!

don't know but the no cry sleep solution does and toddler training!!

Katz, I don't know anything about the Baby Whisperer, No-cry sleep solution. I expect if I'd had the energy to read them at the time they would have suited me quite well.

I use real nappies with dd, have done more or less since birth. I found though, that when she was really little, they were really too bulky. So, what I plan to do this time is put the baby in disposables and keep dd in real nappies until she is ready to be toilet trained. Hopefully by that time the new baby will be bigger and more able to wear them. The other problem I remember from the early days was that dd pooed all the time!!! Horrid runny ones! Not so good with real nappies.

didn't do real nappies until 12 weeks with DD and just soaked them but they contained well. Have been a bit naughty and not used them for ages but now shes pottty trained so i'm hoping to at least use real one with number 2 whilst on maternity leave when i have more time. I have to agree with the baulkyness though they're huge!! but look sooo cute

Katz, I used cloth nappies with DD, and plan to reuse them with DS. I didn't find that much work to do the washing. Although I did have a dryer in the US. Now I am concerned with how to dry them.... radiators will be full all the time if I don't buy a dryer soon!
I confess, I did use disposables for the first 4 weeks or so. But I think I'll try earlier this time... am going to try the bio degradable disposable liners though to help with runny poo...

oh yeah flushable liners for sure!! although we still put them in the nappy wrapper not the loo.

i've got a washer/dryer which is a bit of a pain cause you can't do both at once. hopefully it will be dry enough outside to dry stuff, what i did when DD was little was to get the nappies nearly fry outside then use the dryer to make them all fluffy.

i'm defineatly going to get some washable fleece wipes.

Hello-I'm a bit lost & behind with all the news.I have had my lovely friend from NZ to stay & not really been able to get onto the pc.

Katzguk-we use real nappies,Kooshies & Bambino Mios.I prefer the Bambino Mio's personally.We did use disposables for the first 6wks or so with dd,until we got into a routine-then we stuck to real nappies.We never had a leaky poo problem,but dd was bottlefed as she wouldn't BF,so that could have been why.

Uwila,you sound like me where naps/sleep are concerned! I make dd go for a nap after lunch,whether she likes it or not.We had a strict no rocking to sleep rule too & always put her down awake.I am a bear if I don't get enough sleep & luckily dd has been a champion sleeper since 9wks old.She is 17 months now & has only gotten me up in the night once.I know this is down to luck & nothing else-I can't claim any credit for it.I'm praying that this baby is the same.

As for GF,it nearly drove me crazy trying to fit dd into her routines.I didn't like the way that she inferred that if you didn't follow them to the letter,all hell would break lose & you'd never sleep again.There was no way I was waking dd for a feed at 7am & getting her up-she never woke up until 9.30am anyway,so no way was I turning down a lie in.I'm more of a baby whisperer girl myself.

I saw my new midwife today & she was great.I told her about the GBS thing & my not being able to have a home birth according to the hospital.She looked at my notes & said that as the only thing the hospital would do that a midife at home wouldn't,would be to give antibiotics & given my history,there was no way that I'd get to hospital in time to have the four hours worth that I'd need anyway.So she said that as far as she could see,I could have a home birth & she & her team were 100% behind home births & would support me all the way.I am so relieved.I just know that I won't get to the hospital in time & would much rather have my baby at home in safety,than on the back seat of a car on the way to hospital.I think my poor dh would never quite get over that experience.

I am intrigued by Charleypops' messages,so I'm off to see if I can find the thread right now.

Just skimmed the new thread:
Charley : Dont be embarrased about "that" thread - i am a great fan of the brazilian wax (i personally go for "all off" - no landing strip! The last time i had it done was the month DB was conceived!!!! (i did feel a bit awkward at first about the "intimate" bits of the wax - but i am sure it is all in a days work to them!! I intend to have it done again for the birth -havnt been bothered to have it done for the last few months though because i just couldnt be bothered!
Re; Gina / Baby whisperer fan. P.S Did anybody else know that the baby whisperer Jane ..... cant remember second name, died of a form of cancer a couple of months ago ... how sad I dont think she had any children of her own

Dont know what happened at the end of that post - i meant to say i am a baby whisperer fan! Gina ford would never fit into my lifestyle!

Lippy re smugness - yes! I 've been discovering that on the pram threads - smugness if you've got a trendy pram, smugness 'cause you don't....

GF looks quite regimented doesn't it. Not sure if it would suit me entirely, I'll have a look at the Baby Whisperer book.

I believe in the food thing too Uwila. One of my pet hates is food faddiness. I think people miss out on so much because of it.

If babies are anything like puppies, they do come with their own personalities re sleeping/feeding whatever, even if you treat them exactly the same.

Wow Katz, fancy being able to tell which cry is which at 6 weeks! amazing.

Lua - Xmas wasn't that long ago, she might start sleeping well again..? fingers crossed for you!

Gosh a lot of you on here using real nappies! , absolutely no one I know who has babies uses them and have scoffed when I have suggested it. I do like the idea myself. BTW what's a nappy wrap?

Mirage - NOOOO!!!

Tessie, thanks! LOL you conceiving last time you did it

Charleypops-found it!!!!! Heeee heee! I can honestly say,as someone who won't sunbathe topless or use communal changing rooms-that I did not give a stuff about the state of my bits during labour.There is a thread on either childbirth or pregnancy in which I mention the state of my 'trimming'when I had dd.

charley - really wasn't difficult she had three quite distinct cries -
hungry - had a cough in it
wet - just crying
tired - kinda pathetic cry!

plus i was very lucky because she rarely cried. i have a friend with a colicy baby who cries a lot and i now knwo how lucky i was just want to order another one!! not sure how to do it!!