GF CLB new born 2 1/2 weeks - waking 5am

[agaazaa]

Been using GF since birth - blackout curtains, formula fed, all great until 2 nights ago. DD woke at 2 and 5. Tried GF stretching out 10.30 feed until 11.15pm. but she still wakes at 2 and 5. Have a battle to wake her at 7 to stick to routine. How do I drop 5am?

DD only 2 1/2 weeks old, but don't want to start bad habits.

anais - I agree (though don't have as much hatred for GF). Babies are different. However I think she is right in some ways - in particular that attempting to impose a routine can often help. Babies are all different, but too young to know when they need sleep etc. And sometimes it can be better for a childcare professional to be childless - it makes them more objective.

I think the 7am thing is nonsense though. If there was a waking time with which all babies are happy, then surely it should be 7am in summer, but 8am in winter (or are babies born with the ability to tell when the clocks go back, Gina?)

I agree - all babies are different. Does GF expect her routines to be set in stone? I think the basic idea's great (especially if it works!) but maybe the reader needs to accept that it can be tweaked for their baby, their life, their family.

Anyway, why not create a specific thread to criticise and defend GF - it would be as controversial and firey as the religion one! Just as long as everyone promised not to be offended...

Agaazaa started this thread for help, not to start a debate on whether she should be using the book.

Thinking calm thoughts and fluffy bunnies...

I think the key thing that's coming through on all of this is trusting our instincts as parents. I guess I've been quite lucky. dd (non GF & b/f) slept through pretty much from about 6 weeks although when she fell ill at 6mo this changed. She is however, sleeping through now (14mo) and although it's been hard I wouldn't change it if I had to do it all again.

I notice we haven't heard from agaazaa for a while - are you still there? How are you feeling now?

I'm here!

I had a bad night two nights ago, when DD woke twice and according to GF should have woken once. The next day I was stricter with myself and DD and stuck to routine better. Had a better night last night, except she woke at 1am and I panicked thinking it would mean another 2 wake ups before morning, but she woke at 6.30, so that was fine.

However DS woke up at 3 as he couldn't find his dummy. GGGGGreat! Little bugger.

Anyhow the plus side was I got to see DH who I haven't seen nor spoken to in a couple of days, albeit at 6.30 in the kitchen as he was making toast to eat on the train. Anyhow quite happy today as DH was leaving and said he is really pleased I am coping so well (?!)kissed me goodbye and said he would be home early to help me.

God I just love him. So in a good mood today, and love everybody even wee bugger DS for waking at 3am.

Soupdragon, that's a brill idea. I'll be logging

on to it, I love a good 'debate'.
agaazaa, glad things are feeling better. IME, new babies are pretty topsy-turvy routine-wise for a while, and then some. I'd just use GF as a guide if I were you.

Oh yes, I remember the thing I was going to tell you Agaazaa. As an experiment I tried following GF's routine (roughly and from 9am to 9pm), but didn't do the waking up for a last feed thing. I found she woke up at the same time in the night regardless and was soon sleeping 11 hours (so the routine ran from 8am to 9pm, with extra snacks between feeds). I found this tired me out a lot less as I had my evenings back.

Please don't worry if your baby isn't exactly as the book says. I suspect GF of not being 100% truthful about the babies she helped anyway (none had colic! my a*se!)

agaazaa

At the risk of sounding as patronising as your dh you ARE coping well. But GF doesn't say dd should only be waking once by 2 1/2 weeks, at least not in my copy Two night wakings at this point is perfectly normal and OK. Even though I am totally pro GF, you can't take her too literally. Looking after your baby and getting her to sleep is not a competition, and there aren't any prizes. (Well apart from feeling great after a full nights sleep) Don't put so much pressure on yourself to do everything the right (GF) way. Your dd will be impressed with you no matter what, and nobody else matters.

agaazaa,

i don't want to sound horrible but did u say ds was 3? if so i was wondering why does he have a dummy still? the earlier you get rid the better in my experience and i imagine he is at preschool by now and other children might make fun about it soon. father xmas is a good trick to get rid! i was 4 when my mum eventually managed to get rid if mine. Tyler was 10 months (along with the bottle) and i wish he never had it although there was no probs with getting rid of it. it was the m/w fault as she gave it to him at 2 hrs old. Dillon doesn't have one at all. glad to hear u had a bit more sleep last night!

Tracy
xx

tracyhay, why do you wish Tyler had never had a dummy?

Tracy, DS1 still hass a dummy at 3 and it is a right pain, he's glued to it. Snap - the midwife gave it to him at 2 days old, to 'prove he wasn't hungry'.
DS2 doesn't have one.
Bundle, I think they are great for comfort and I'm not against them really, but we just can't get rid of the damn thing and we get Looks from people now, especially as he's tall for 3.

I know what you mean Droile. I wasn't being mean, just 10 mths seems a little young to take away a comforter. dd only had one from about then and now has it for bedtime only. I've occasionally given it to her for long trips in the car or when she's feeling poorly but daytime is a no-no, partly because I hate that sort of mumbled speech you get. My sister had one till she was about 3 and me & my mum hid it in the top drawer she couldn't reach, telling her the man in the moon had taken it!

droile - have you tried rewards for times without dummy? eg stickers which add up to little pressies at the end of the week???

I wished Tyler never had a dummy as there were the problems of it falling out in the night and it also meant you never got to see his cute face much!! I guess i was lucky that despite such an early introduction to hte dummy i still managed to breastfeed ok. I was pleasantly suprised when I got rid of it. He had chewed through it so i decided that would be the last one. Put him to bed (he only had it at night by then) and waited for hell! But it never happened! The next week the bottles were in the bin too, no fuss. I guess it was because he was used to a change, breast then bottle, a cup for water from 5 months and by 10 months he was good enough with a cup so I got rid of them. This time I not using any bottles at all. I am aiming to feed for a year and if i ever express a feed then i will use the cup feeding method. Saves all that hassle of trying to wean them of it!

tracy

PS Last year I went to meet Kevin from Blues Clues and my friends took her daughter. Kevin took her dummys away for her and she never wanted them again! I thought that was really nice of him to do that.
see my blues clues website www.geocities.com/tracyhayden_2000/
not very good but i did it for Tyler!
xx

Bundle, those ideas sound good, I'll try them, thanks. Esp the man in the moon!

Hi Agaazaa

Keep going with GF! It took our 10 month ds a few weeks to get into the pattern - he woke at 2am and 5am for about 3 - 4 weeks, and then dropped the 5am and moved the 2am later (through 2.30am - 3am - 3.30am etc.) until at 11 weeks he was sleeping through! (although I appreciate 11 weeks seems like a long way away when they're 2 weeks old...). I think GF works great if you see it as a more general guide - don't get worried if they're not following it to the letter. I got v. wound up when ds wouldn't drop the 10.30pm feed - it took him until he was 6 months (not 4, as I think GF says), but now he's a wonderful 7pm - 7am baby! Good luck!