[cinnamon]

An interesting interview with Gina Ford in last weekends telegraph
Seems that she has backed down from her do or die pronouncements in her new book.
Seems that as long as you love your child you'll have a happy child regardless of routine!
hooray for common sense

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/ma...01/hgina29.xml

[barbwong_130]

"Seems that as long as you love your child you'll have a happy child regardless of routine! hooray for common sense"

I would like to second this "hooray for common sense"

The reason everyone goes on about routines is to make the parent's life easier - not the baby's. Babies don't care if they are brought up with routine or without it. So if it a routine isn't making your life easier - stop using it.

Also it depends on your priorities.

My priority was to breastfeed first and have a routine second. So when these two priorities clashed it was easy for me to get rid of the routine in order to keep the breastfeeding.

Other mothers (and Gina Ford would fall into this category if she had children) have routine as a priority and so, if necessary, would stop the breastfeeding to keep it.

It is a very rare mother (but clearly from the post above occasionally possible) who can allow her baby to sleep for 12 hours a day without it affecting her milk supply.

Barb

[turtle]

Completely understand what you Barb, and others, are saying. Of course, if it doesn't suit you or it interrupts your milk supply it is not for you.

However, it can be done with the help of a breast pump, Gina's whole early programme is to encourage your supply and make sure you do not have any breastfeeding problems.

Sunrays, you started this forum and I wish you every happiness. Once you meet your baby you will be able to determine which direction you should take, but if you need help then Gina will at least point in the right direction even if every aspect of her routine does not suit you.

Maybe I am lucky and have an 'easy' baby (if there is such a thing!), but my little girl is so happy... all it takes is a little help from Mum to get your baby onto the right track. I promise you, the people who criticised me - of whom there were many - are the ones who are stressed out of their minds, get blocks of only 2 hours of sleep a night even at 6 months and whose husbands are going out of their brains because they are still having broken nights and cannot concentrate at work. I am in no way criticising people who don't use Gina, but if you can help yourself then why not is what I say!

All the best

[Sylvieng]

Originally Posted by barbwong_130

The reason everyone goes on about routines is to make the parent's life easier - not the baby's.

Does it really make Parent's life easier ? I'm not so sure at all.

It is quite stressful to try to follow the routines. Most of them just go against our maternal instincts.

I have to say that after the first month of trying to do everything "good" as you can read it in some books, I've decided to just follow my instinct. And you know what ? I have been far less tired and stressed out. My husband did see the drastic change in me, so he also felt better. And Maylie is now a beautiful happy baby that doesn't cry must at all :-) And here I thought in the beginning that she was a fussy baby, of course not ! She was just having needs that wasn't met, and didn't understand anything about routines or anything else.

They are exploiting the fact that most of us are vulnerable as new mother, and make us feel a failure when we are unable to follow their instruction.

Sorry if I "sound" a little angry but all these kind of books did sabotage my first month of motherhood ! Just thinking about it.... RRRRrrrrrrrr.............

Mind you, I did read this Gina Books, but from the sound of it, I'll do anything to avoid it !