How to move to a GF routine

[christiana]

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How old is she?

She sounds just like my DD1, she was/and still can be at times a pain in the arse with sleeping.

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Get the feeding right first (by whatever method you choose). All the main breastfeeding helplines are free to call - NCT 0300 330 0771, there's also La Leche, Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, Breastfeeding Network.

GF is followed and valued by many mothers. However, as far as I am aware she has no qualifications. So when it comes to breastfeeding she is not perhaps your best source of advice.

I'm sorry you are having a tough time and sympathise. My first baby was much more settled (and still is) than my second. Partly personality, I think and also I had more time to think about routines.

Hope things improve for you soon

Doh!!! What I meant to say was she has no breastfeeding qualifications. I know she is a very experienced nanny etc and lots of other types of qualifications related to childcare.

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christiana - I think there is something in what the NCT have said. You also got some initial improvement with feeding one sided...it's deffo worth trying that again.

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Politely butting in here - what is wrong with green poo? Is it a sign that baby isn't taking milk in the right amount?

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try to express some milk off from the 'second' side which is really full before you start that first feed from 'that' side.

deliakate, green poo in Christiana's circumstance seems to be because she has an oversupply of milk. i think every baby gets green poo at least once but it is not a reason to worry most of the time.

Your post could have been written by me a few months back! I followed pretty regular GF type routine with both DDs but with DS (SO hungry) I found it harder to get things organised and also found I was slipping into depression and was particularly troubled by insomnia after night feeds, which triggered a vicious circle of lack of coping due to exhaustion.

Regarding your initial question of how to get into a more settled GF type routine, I started with the naps, rather than the feeds. Start the day at 7am (if you can) and she is likely to need a nap at 9am - regardless of when you fed her during the 7am to 9am period. Wake her by 10 am and she is likely to need a nap again around midday, again, regardless of feeding. Once I got these first two naps structured (and yes, I did a lot of rocking / patting / feeding to sleep) I found that the morning feeds settled into place around them. In the afternoon we never got on with GF feeding (i.e. feed at 2.30pm then expect them to go through about 6 / 6.30pm), but we soon found our own pattern, feeding at 2 / 2.30pm after he woke from lunchtime nap, then again around 4.30, then he'd drop off for a cat nap - handy as I could give the girls tea, then we'd go to the bath time nightmare then feed again then bed (sort of following the principles of her split feed I suppose).

The reason I'd say start with the naps is that small babies' tiredness seems to be more predictable than their hunger and once the naps are in place the feeds tend to follow. DS is now 5 months and he would be in a great routine if the school run hadn't reared it's ugly head last week and completely thrown us off track... arrrgggghhhh!!!!

I will say that getting my life into a more structured pattern undoubtably helped me to beat back incipient PND.

Good luck. I'm sure the green poo will settle down - I had periods of it inexplicably on and off with all three, I think it was generally during periods when my milk supply was adjusting (growth spurts etc), I don't think you need to worry too much if her weight gain is good.

I wouldn't even think of following Gina Ford and breastfeeding. Even though she says her routines work for breastfeeding, I am sure that they're mpore suited to bottle feeding. It is a very unusual baby who can go 4 hrs between breastfeeds, most only manage 3 hrs.

Expressing off the new side before you feed sounds like a great idea. You could freeze it and use it when you wean, or if you want to go out for dinner later

As for routines, once your feeding has settled down a bit, I would go with your baby's routine. Write down what baby does one day, ie feeds, naps, play ets, then compare it to the next. You'll probably find that most days are similar. You'll get the odd one that goes a bit pear shaped though!!

Good luck, hope the feeding sorts itself out!

I agree with kathryn, write down what your baby does every day & you'll probably find out you already do have a routine (of sorts!)

We kind of followed the Baby Whisperer, her "structured routine" suited us better than GF's schedule, and knowing from day to day when she would be eating/sleeping which made my life alot easier

DD had a period of green poo, but we sorted it out with the help of a bf councilor who helped me to get her latched on properly. I think moving to one-sided feeding helped too.

Good luck!

Lots of sympathy from me too!

I agree with Nelly, I would definitely start with the sleep first. Little babies can't go much more than 2 hours awake, so that's something to structure your days by. Try to find a 'naptime routine' of sorts that you do day after day: a little song, a cuddle, dim lights, something. I'm sure your daughter will start responding to that soon & napping more predictably. Don't worry too much about the feeding times. They will gradually work themselves around the sleep times.

The one-sided breastfeeding worked for me very well at some point (when I was working on getting my own DS on Gina Ford's routine at 4 and a half months). You could try completely emptying one breast & then expressing off the other one (or start with the expressing, alternatively, and then feed off the other breast) But really I wouldn't worry about feeding times, not with bf, that will work itself out gradually, once you've got your sleep sorted.

Christiana - The GF routine for a baby at eight to 12 weeks, is feeding at 7am, 10.45/11am, 2/2.15pm, 5pm and 6.15pm, then a late feed around 10.30pm. Although she does say that if a baby is not settling for naps well to offer a top-up feed.
As somw of the other posters have said concentrate on getting the naps right, even if it means assisting to sleep for a while. A;sp taking some milk off the full breast before you feed should help with the foremilk/hind milk inbalance. Good luck, and as the others have said it will get better.

Kathryn - GF does not recommend 4 hourly feeding for young babies, it is not until they are weaned onto solids that she advises longer spells of three hours between daytime feeds.

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Gina Ford routines work and both my boys are great adverts for her books. I am now on her weaning book 2nd time!

I think she has a lot of common sense and I'm so glad someone introduced me to her...I too have had bouts of depression and anxiety so the set routine helped loads after the initial shock of the birth to get my life back on par.

My second was a bit of a nightmare with feeding but I kept at it and battled on with the routine and eventually he did fall into it.

Green poo is good!