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Original poster

Problem with feeding at 7 weeks on Gina Ford routine

19 replies

Wormalot · 16/12/2005 22:39

I am following the Gina Ford routine with my 7 week old DD and I have the problem that I can't get her to go 4 hours between feeds at lunch time, in fact after most feeds DD is hungry by 2 1/2 hours. I am feeding DD formula milk and she has seems to be getting the correct amount each day (ie 2.5 oz per pound of weight) and she sleeps through the night. My routine goes really well up to 12:45pm when she wakes for another feed. If I just offer a small amount so I can top her up at 2:00 she will not go back to sleep and just scream. If I give her a full feed she then decides that she is no longer sleepy and stays awake until she has 15mins catnap at about 2:45, this means that by bath time she is shattered.

I not sure what I am doing wrong, I also had the same problem with my first DD. Anyone got any suggestions?

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hercules · 16/12/2005 22:40

Not what you want to hear but perhaps you need to feed her when she's hungry. Seems awfully young to go this long without feeding.

TinselMunkerWentToGlitteryLand · 16/12/2005 22:41

Can you give her more milk at each feed?

christmasdinnyer · 16/12/2005 22:41

your baby knows when she is hungry, not Gina Ford. just feed her when she wants!

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biglipskissinunderthemistletoe · 16/12/2005 22:42

give her abit more milk than the recommended statement as all babies are different and i used to feed mine till she was full and didnt want anymore (she was a newborn hungry baby)

TinselMunkerWentToGlitteryLand · 16/12/2005 22:43

Can you remember what you did with your first DD?

WigWamBam · 16/12/2005 22:44

Sorry but it really doesn't sound to me as if Gina Ford suits your dd. Would you be prepared to let her find her own feeding/sleeping routine?

christmasdinnyer · 16/12/2005 22:44

v restrained post there, Hunker... is late og mellowing you?

feastofsteven · 16/12/2005 22:45

i would ignore the correct amount per weight way of calculating feeds; if she drains her bottles regularly, start adding an extra oz to it. might also be worth you having a read of the Baby Whisperer book - still routine based, but less strict and realistic than GF.

hercules · 16/12/2005 22:45

you can almost hear her teeth against the bit!

foundintransleightion · 16/12/2005 22:45

I'm with Hercules and Dinny.

TinselMunkerWentToGlitteryLand · 16/12/2005 22:45

"chilled" is the new black, dontcha know

Can't get all weaning spoons about anything atm.

harpsiheraldangelssing · 16/12/2005 22:46

ooh that sounds like a challenge again...
can't get all weaning spoons? we'll see about that...

RacersTheRedNosedReindeer · 16/12/2005 22:52

I agree with the others, 2.5 hrs is perfectly normal for such a young baby - 4 hrs is a long time. My 6mo rarely goes so long between feeds! It's great that she sleeps through so young but she might continue that pattern even if you allow her to establish her own nap/feed times in the day. It's worth a try isn't it? Rather than worrying yourself about timings and getting a grumpy baby at the end of the day? She might only need short naps at this age, just more of them - so if she's going to bed at 7pm, a nap at 5pm or 5.30 might be what she needs?

notasheep · 16/12/2005 23:03

My ds fed every 2 hours for what seemed months,if they are hungry let them feed-sorry i am not a Gina Ford fan

teabagsandwine · 16/12/2005 23:03

I followed GF (or rather tried). My ds went through a stage of waking then too. GF reckons this is not due to hunger but due to the baby coming into a light sleep and having to learn to settle itself back etc. Personally, I would just feed and not worry about it especially as your baby is sleeping well at night. Perhaps you could see if she would have another cat nap later? My ds would drop off around 4.30 which would revive him enough through to bath time.

RachD · 16/12/2005 23:09

I am a GF supporter, in principle.
It suited ds very well.
I know she is very strict, but there are no reason why you can't modify it a bit, if it is basically suiting your child.

The fact that dd is sleeping through the night is a goal in itself.

It may be posible that dd is just VERY hungry at lunchtime.
Increase the feed.
See how that goes.
If not - if that doesn't work, come back and maybe we can offer some other suggestions.

I, personally, am a believer that if basic routine suits your child, apart from a small alteration, that that is brilliant.

teabagsandwine · 16/12/2005 23:15

I agree RachD

If ds is in the routine and sleeping at night (which is fantastic) you just need to tweak it a bit.

I follow the feed and sleep times with a huge pinch of sale

I followed GF for a few weeks (quite successfully) and then decided to let my ds find his own routine to see what he would do. Basically, he put himself into Gina's routine!

RachD · 16/12/2005 23:28

teasbagandwine - nice to see someone agree with me -

Some babies need total feeding on demand.
Others love rouine.

For some, a bit of routine, with a bit of tweaking, to suit, is the best.

For wormalot, it seems to be basically suitable.
She just needs to tweak it to suit her child.

alibubbles · 17/12/2005 14:49

Message withdrawn

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