Calling All Gina Ford Mum's!

[Susiet]

I was wondering if any of you Gina Ford mum's out there have joined the "Contented Little Baby Club"? I am desperate to get in touch with other Gina mum's and organise social events etc.. I live in Bedford and am finding it very hard to make new friends now that I have a baby. I find that other mum's / health visitors tend to frown on me as Amy is following Gina's routines, and also that there are very few activities / mother and baby groups that run at times that fit in with Amy's schedule. If you're out there in the same situation, please get in touch - I need to know that I'm not the only mum in the world who is lonely, but at the same time happy that they have a contented little baby who eats and sleeps like a dream!

How does GF tell you how to deal with a needy baby who requires to be carried a lot? My baby would scream until she was sick if she was put down, and also I also demand fed otherwise my milk supply dropped right down. Isn't ten weeks a bit early to say all babies should give up a night feed? I mean, when you look at the size of their tiny little tummies, it's hardly surprising they empty so quickly.

GF does not say ten weeks should be the date to drop their night feed. Her experience is that if you follow her recommedned routine most of her babies drop their middle of the night feed between 6 to 9 weeks. DS dropped his at 9 and my dd is dropping it now at 6.
You have to read her book to know why she says this.I can no do it justice in summarising it in this thread to be honnest.
Of all my friends and relatives who have followed her routine (that's 5 people I know very well) - ALL had their babies drop it at 9 weeks or before.
It has to do with the amount of food they actually eat during the day.
Maybe you can find more info on the Gina Ford Q&As available on this site (see homepage).

Pupuce, you're absolutely right - she also makes the point that breast fed babies are likely to go a little longer before they're able to go through. I'm not a "fordie" or a phobe, I think there are a lot of practical tips in her book and it's worth reading it with a pinch of salt and adapting to your needs. My ds is sort of in the routine but the main thing is that he is a happy little boy with happy parents who get some adult time together in the evening and a good nights sleep!

Petal,

I keep thinking about your little girl who wants to be picked up all the time... GF doesn't really cover that but she does talk about "associations" like rocking a baby to sleep or driving them around to make them fall asleep, etc. Is your daughter "too use" to being picked up ?
Now I can hear some mums saying... isn't it every child's right to be picked up... I am not suggesting that you stop picking her up but if you feel like this is becoming an issue - for you - then I think you need to address it in a way with which you are comfortable. That maybe control crying or something else. She may be a bit young for this but have you tried distracting her when she starts crying to get picked up like showing her a toy or something ?

Also I am not sure what you actually mean when you say that you had to demand feed or your milk supply would have dropped ?
Why do YOU call demand fed ? Are you suggesting that GF is against feeding on demand ?
Both my children have followed her routine (which I call pro-active feeding, because I fed them before they were asking!) and I have more milk than I know what to do with. *
If you want to discuss this further, please post !

• I wrote on another board that with DS I use to express a pint in 30 minutes !