Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

Gina Baby - newborn sleep

14 replies

IlanaK · 17/06/2004 20:42

I have just had my second ds and he is now a week old. We followed the Gina routines from day 1 with my first ds and as he was overdue and also big, we went almost straight into the 204 week routines with no problems. This time, ds2 was a week early and smaller. We are following the advice of 3 hourly feeds (breastfeeding) with him as he is not ready to go onto the routines yet. The thing is that she is not very specific in her books as to what to do before you start the 2-4 week routines. Ds2 feeds and then falls asleep straight away. He then sleeps until his next feed. So, he basically doesn't have any awake time at all. Is this right? He is literally sleeping all the time. The only reference in her books that I have found says that newborns need 16 hours sleep a day and the rest of the time is spent feeding. But ds is asleep when he is feeding too!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

aelita · 17/06/2004 20:58

I wouldn't worry...give it a couple of weeks and I'm sure wake-time will start to extend. Probably 'just one of those babies that needs more sleep' in GF's words, particularly as he's smaller and was early. Enjoy the relative peace while you have it!

JulieF · 17/06/2004 23:07

Thats pretty much the same as I was doing. Ds was small and then lost a lot of weight. He took 1 month to regain his birthweight.

It sounds like you have the older version of the book. In the new edition she has a 1 week old routine for babies who are not yet 7lb or who havn't regained their birthweight.

It is basically

7am Feed and express

8.30am Sleep

10am Wake Feed from one breast

10.45am Express

11.00am Feed other breast

11.30am Sleep (offer breast if baby doesn't settle)

2pm Feed

3.30pm Sleep

5pm Feed one breast

6pm Bath

6.15pm Feed other breast

6.30-7pm Sleep (offer breast if baby doesn't settle)

10pm Feed

2.30am or earlier Feed (baby less than 7lb)

3.30am or earlier Feed (baby more than 7lb)

morocco · 18/06/2004 00:42

you lucky girl!

kiwicath · 18/06/2004 06:28

My son was in a sleep fog for the first 3 weeks. He'd just eat while sleeping then sleep some more. It was a few weeks before any of our friends actually saw his eyes open!!! As long as he's eating, pooing, peeing and content, I'd count my blessings. Don't expect him to be the exact replica of your other wee one as he'll have his own little personality even at this young age. Congrates by the way .

twiglett · 18/06/2004 07:06

message withdrawn

Original poster

IlanaK · 18/06/2004 11:49

Thanks so much for the replies everyone! Julie, I had no idea there was a new book. The book I have is 3 years old from when I had first ds. Thanks so much for posting that routine. We will work towards that!

OP posts:

JulieF · 19/06/2004 22:22

Ilana, I've just noticed your name. I have a feeling I may know you from another site. If I am correct you were the only b/f Gina person I "knew" at the time. I bottlefed dd but planned on b/f ds (which I am doing, he is 4 months old now) and so was interested in your experiences.

My dd is 3 in October, is your ds a little older than that and did you follow a special diet with him?

If its not you then I apologise.

Ghosty · 20/06/2004 03:15

Ilana ... Hi!
My DS was a GF baby ... started him on it at 9 weeks and it made our lives much easier ... he always fought sleep (even as a newborn) and still does now (he is 4 years old now) so GF really was great. He was bottle fed by the time we discovered GF.
Anyway ... When DD was born I knew I wanted to breastfeed for much longer and because of my DS daily schedule (Kindergarten etc) I knew I couldn't do GF so I put my book away.
Even if I had wanted to I couldn't have followed the GF routines in the early weeks as DD was soooo different to DS in that she slept all the time. There was just no way I could keep her awake for longer than an hour (including the feed) for the first 6 weeks. If I did try to keep her awake she got overtired and cried a lot.
The only routine (of sorts) that I kept to was waking her every 3 hours for a feed during the day for the first 3 weeks.
After 3 weeks I started trying to keep her awake from 5.30pm so she would go to bed at 6.30/7pm. Also at that time I started waking her at 10.30pm for a feed ...
Very very slowly she started staying awake for longer ... at 8 weeks she could manage 1.5 hours!
Even at 3 months she couldn't manage Gina's 2 hour rule ... But I didn't try to force it, I let her do her own thing but kept to the bath and bedtime routine.
Anyway, only since she turned 4 months has DD been able to stay awake for 2 hours at a time ... and somehow, with no pushing from me, she has turned into a GF baby ... And, apart from a few veggies at lunchtime and baby rice at tea time she is still breastfed!!!
So, what I am saying is, all babies are different, and all babies will find their own way eventually. If your baby sleeps a lot then he obviously needs it. Don't try to keep him awake too much as he will get overtired and start crying and then you will have to resort to the rocking to sleep thing which he will get used to (which is what happened with us and DS) ...
He will wake up more and more as he gets older ... I promise!

kbaby · 20/06/2004 10:07

My DD is 3 weeks and weve also tried to follow GF, however, she sleeps so much that we couldnt stick to the routine. The only awake time she has is between 4-5ish each night. Also GF seems to go 4 hourly between feeds and then crams 2 or more in in one hour e.g feed at 10am then again and 11am and then dont feed until 2pm. When Ive tried doing this DD wouldnt wake for the 11 am feed which meant that she woke earlier than 2pm for another feed. Also the split feed before the bath didnt work for us as DD kept being sick after the bath from her feed. Anyone else experienced the same.

Original poster

IlanaK · 20/06/2004 20:19

Hi Julie! Yes, its me and I remember you too . Well done on the bf!

We are still having a few problems with ds and sleep. We tried to start on the 1 week routine as posted by Julie today, but I am not sure it was a good idea. The split feeds seem to be a problem. Previously, I was feeding ds every 3 hours and letting him sleep in between. Now, with the split feeds, I am not sure he is getting enough. I have given both breasts in the second part of the split feed as I knew he needed them, but not sure how much milk he gets from the second breast as he previously fed from it an hour before. Tonight he did not go to sleep at 7. In fact, an hour and 20 minutes later he is not asleep. He is not screaming, but crying or grumbling on and off. I am convinced he is hungry, but dh thinks otherwise. Dh thinks that ds is used to being put down asleep after a feed and as he was more awake when I put him down, he was unable to settle himself. I am not so sure. Dh is in there now trying to soothe him with a dummy. I may go back to 3 hourly feeds tomorow and see if it helps.

On a positive note, ds only woke once between 11 and 7 for the last 2 nights!

Thanks to all who replied.

OP posts:

JulieF · 20/06/2004 22:06

It was so ignorant of me I never said congratulations!

If 3 hourly was working better then I'd stick to it for now. I think it says somewhere to move on once the baby is showing signs of staying awake more.

The new book has a bit more in depth deviations if such and such happens and a bit more info such as low milk supply routine but apart from that is basically the same.

I'm really enjoying b/f this time although we had a hell of a start. He refused for the first month and I had to exclusively express and cup feed but we are back on track now.

Its a bit of a shock having a smaller baby isn't it. What weight is ds2. Mine was 5lb 14oz at birth but then dropped to 4lb 10oz. It has taken longer to establish the routine this time and its only this last couple of weeks the lunchtime nap and 7pm sleep have been cracked.

Anyway its great to see you here.

JulieF · 20/06/2004 22:07

It was so ignorant of me I never said congratulations!

If 3 hourly was working better then I'd stick to it for now. I think it says somewhere to move on once the baby is showing signs of staying awake more.

The new book has a bit more in depth deviations if such and such happens and a bit more info such as low milk supply routine but apart from that is basically the same.

I'm really enjoying b/f this time although we had a hell of a start. He refused for the first month and I had to exclusively express and cup feed but we are back on track now.

Anyway its great to see you here.

bloss · 21/06/2004 01:28

Message withdrawn

Original poster

IlanaK · 21/06/2004 12:52

Hi Bloss, I remember you to! Its like a little reunion . Did you ever write that book? Julie, well done again on the bf - sounds like you really had it tough to begin with. Ds2 was 7 lbs 7 and a half ounces at birth.

Last night, ds2 was definately hungry. I ended up going in to feed him. Today, I have gone back to the 3 hourly feeds which both he and I are much happier with - the routine will have to wait.

The only problem now is that we are setting up bad leep habits already. Ds will quite happily sleep in his own bed (baby hammock) if he is asleep or almost asleep when put in there, but not so if he is awake. We are also using a dummy to help him get off to slepp. I just think he is too young to be left to cry . he is also showing more signs of wakefulness, but at the w rong times. I don't remember ds1 being this difficult!!

OP posts:

Flip