contented little baby?

[samhb]

dd is 4 weeks old today and i'm trying to estblish a routine according to the gina ford book but;

bf times are taking a lot longer than mentioned in the bookpushing the sleeping times out

i can't seem to express the amount of milk required - short by 1/2 to 1 oz each time

dd won't feed from one breast and then wait while i express and then feed from the other

dd falls asleep at the breast each time she's fed resulting in a`lot of waking up and then crying - if i put her down she frequently brings back her milk

the 9 am sleep seems to be the only thing that's gong ok so far

any suggestions please - new mum strugglng a bit

I'm with tiktok on GF and BW. As a first time mum, it would have been so much easier if I never heard of those books (or HVs) and just went with dd's rhythm. Those books made the first months of my life with dd a misery and made me feel as if it was my fault that my dd was a breast-snacker, atrocious sleeper, strong-willed baby. Call me the "accidental parent" ala Tracey Hogg but your instincts for baby's needs are still the best.

Could not agree more with you blueshoes! I read BW and made an attempt to follow EASY, and since DS was 4 months at the time, I tried to keep him from feeding more often than every 4 hours. We were both relieved when I went back to my old accidental parenting ways. Never again!

Haven't read all thread but .... burn the books!!! Light a large fire and burn them!!! Well, pick the bits out you like first and then burn them!!!!

Samhb, Oooh I love Gina Ford

Your baby is only 4 weeks so just go gently, if the routine slides, it's ok.

I b/f & was pressured to feed on demand. Unfortunately that meant I had DD attached to my boobs the whole time. Expecting baby 2 & intending to try scheduling feeds this time.

BTW NEVER bothered with expressing & didn't give the bottle of formula at night-time either, for same reason as you.

I managed to get DD to sleep round about 9am & the relief was amaxing as it meant that I had 40+ mins to have a shower ! I also got her to sleep around 12 ish. So in short, from about 6-9 weeks, seemed to do ok with the sleeping & didn't ' crack' the b/f routine until 4mths (interesting my HV suggested I go to 4 hr feeds to see if she could take more hind milk as she was quite low on the centile charts - this did make a difference). This was a marvellous revelation as it meant that we were able to go out in to town & I would have to feed her as soon as we arrived...watching the clock & the expensive carparking charges add up.

I would say, please don't stress yourself about times not working exactly, just guide your baby & it does happen.

I did read the Baby Whisperer, but wasn't really that keen on her style. What's interesting with her routine is that is works on a 2 hour rota type basis. My friend prefered this as she & her baby managed to sleep in until 8ish, whereas we were up at 7ish (unfortunately)

Feel free to CAT me & if I can, I'll be pleased to help if I can.