The PESH Deli; Won't somebody think of the children???????

[Cosmosis]

THE NOT LIST

BESH BAYBEES
dontrythisathome, girl born March 25.
Cheggers, twinz girlz, born April
FannyPriceless, boy, born June 8
CurlyCasper, girl, born June 24
CUNextTuesday, boy, born June 29
Skihorse, boy, born 1 July
Carrots, boy, born July
IggyPiggy, girl, born July

UPDIFFED
Cosmosis, the one that likes a good ride, due August 22
backinthebox, thinking of inventive uses for courgettes, due September 6
skatergrrrl, the one that overtook the rest, September 1
VAG, lives in De Nile, due 19 September
silversky, the biggest farter, due 18 October (first baybee)
Honeymoo, 3 wees a night, due October 31 (boy)
okiecokie, self-confessed control freak, due November 6
SomethingSuitablyWitty, benelux babe, due November 14
ReginaMonologue, knows when all the sales are, due November 20 (boy)
maswera, jungle hottie - due December 11
PollyPoo, wants to name her baybee after the dog, The New Messiah is due December 25

But apparently I am naive and telling the truth would just make it worse for working mothers. But nobody will be suspicious of a conveniently timed appointment FFS.

I've always been one for being upfront though. I hate the work culture in the UK sometimes. It's all presenteeism and not caring if someone is a useless waste of space because they're in the office 12 hours a day 7 days a week.

muser I really rather agree with you on the "presenteeism" shtick. I was seconded to the UK for 5 weeks and was disbelieving of this whole "hanging around the office" crap whilst to my eyes - productivity was very low. :( All this "can't go until my direct supervisor has gone" bollocks.

I don't see how bullshit lies help mothers - I'd much rather someone said "I can't come in because Baby has chicken pox". Fine. It's no different from "I can't come in today because my car's broken down on the A2". Life happens.

Muser I am having good larks this morning posting in all manner of topics, but I haven't yet hit that thread...I shall check it out, at the risk of increasing the 'I'm on' list that requires attending to, whilst at work!

That fred has just wound me right up! FFS - I took 2 hours to sort a cat out this morning and it didn't even cross my mind to lie about it.

It does seem a bit odd that an employer wouldn't be understanding in this situation, but i don't think it's that b&w. I've often told the odd white lie - just because it's easier than making a bit of a fuss. She hasn't gone back to work yet, so she's obviously overthinking it a bit and worrying about the whole thing. Not sure why everyone is having such a go myself - she just wanted a bit of reassurance. I wouldn't need to lie personally, but I know some people feel that they are judged about such parental things and don't want to go there. Doesn't mean you are doing working mothers a disservice, just that you have to do what's best for you, esp in those early days.

Moo the actual question was not too unreasonable, just her attitude and ability to take on board the suggestions and comments of others - she only wants to listen to responses that agree with what she has already decided to do. A lovely typical AIBU...

I confess to poor skim reading so may have missed the finer points!!

yeah 10 pages of it is a bit time consuming!

honey Oh dear, you'll have missed the fact then that she actually discovered breastfeeding and no woman on this planet has ever bonded with their child the way she has. I'll bet she bitches her husband "never helps" or is "useless" too. :(

off to read said fred....

Pls to tell wot PFB iz?

I skimmed it all the way through, and thought . At 7 months she should be able to leave her child for a 15hr stretch as a one-off. I went back to work when DD was 9 months old and managed to mix expressing and BFing. Shock horror, I even went abroad on trips for work. Maybe I should be re-examining my bond with her? Although talking to my new IM last week she described my approach as 'attachment parenting' which I was a bit surprised at as I see that description as being a bit lentil-weavery, and I am most definitely not that!

All of the office gals - I take my hats off to you. I couldn't bear the idea of working somewhere where people would be chicking what time you arrvied and left at. Clearly I have that in my job in that the paying customer expects a minimum level of punctuality but once the last one has got off we scarper and there are no extra points to be gained for hanging round work for a bit longer.

Anyway - today's minor excitement/annoyance. I had to traipse all the way to the hospital as it was noted last week by a hsopital MW that I am Rhesus Neg and haven't had an Anti-D jab. I have been having blood samples analysed instead for antibody presence, with the idea that I would have a jab for treatment only purposes but not for prophylactic purposes. Hopsital went a bit at this and made me go back today. Of course I enjoyed the 40 mins in each direction drive in my car which needs to go to the garage (for some reason the ABS has got really enthusiastic in the last day or two) in a rain storm, with DD moaning in the back about it being boring in the car. I was even more delighted when, on arrival at the ante-natal clinc, I was told that their blood specialist had agreed to let me have the jab if I demanded it but didn't recommend it in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. He preferred instead to take a cord blood sample and test that for antibodies and then give me a jab or not based on that. Which was exactly what I was planning to do all along . Anyway, at least the MWs are all happy now that I have a slip of paper in my notes saying I have taken the advice of their specialist.

The morning's faffing around left me knackered for this afternoon so I have mostly slept and eaten crap. I know there is a cat in hell's chance of me going into labour earlier than my due date, given family history, so I fear I have 3 weeks of this crappiness to go. Would be a lot easier, I'm sure, if DD was less hyper all the time!

Muser wrt the 'birth experience' crap - I can tell you, the baby is definitely born, and you definitely have an experience, however they come out! Even if you don't notice it because you did a particularly large sneeze!

Silver PFB = precious first born. A description for children who are clearly the first child ever to be born. Glas to see you here. I just tripped over a bit of tumbleweed.

BTW I has had stilton and port kettle chips for a snack today. Crisps flavoured specially for pregnant womens! I want a rioja and pate flavoured packet next, and maybe a lager and fried egg flavoured one too. Clucky - maybe you could sort this out?

boxer's bloodworks has got me thinking - have any of you done or will be choosing to bank your cord blood?

I work in an office boxer but we don't go in for all that clock-watching bobbins - the Dutch are allergic to it. Such are employment laws here that if my boss makes us do overtime on a regular basis he can go to prison. Fo shiz! They figure that if there's enough extra work going then there's another job there. Come 3:30 friday you'd be lucky to find more than a handful of people hanging around. Plus we have flexi-time - people turn up any time between 6 and 11 and of course we can work from home. Could be worse! In an ideal world I'd get paid a decent wage for playing with ponieez - in nice weather of course.

silver PFB behaviour would include i) buying a Volvo because no other car would do, ii) getting rid of all the family pets because they will kill the baybee, iii) enrolling your PFB in Mandarin classes aged 2 because they're so intelligent, iv) telling everyon you've ever met which percentile your child is in, v) claiming to be in posession of Einstein II, vi) going to child pageants. etc., etc., etc.

I want to move back to the UK so Bear can go to Pony Club. Although think possibly I'm a little premature as he can't sit up yet unaided, never mind on a demonic Shitland.

PFB - I gets it now thank you!

For those of you who did NCT classes, did you also join the NCT? Looks like you pay extra just because and not for any benefits. Cos I think you can still do the activities and stuff without beingan NCT member. Is this trooooooooooooo ?

I am knackered. Only 15 working days left. Not that I am counting. Oh and I work in a clock watching office -some people need to get a life and worry less about what other people are doing. I hate flipping jobsworths!!

Silver I joined the NCT last time. It is perhaps not worth the fee but you do get a magazine (local to your area) with some useful articles in. I found the birth announcements for the NCT classes interesting as this lists all the names that everyone chooses in your area which can be quite fun if you are in a Tarquin area or you can see how many Oscars and Islas are being born (these were the two most popular names in my area 2 years ago).

Ski I think there is a charge to bank the cord blood non? Please to tell the benefits of such banking...

I joined NCT as well, dunno why really, thought I ought to!

boxy please to be telling where to get the lush sounding kettle chips, I fink I needs them now.

As I understood it, the cord blood is full of stem cells, which can become any cell in the body with the right growth stimulus. So theoretically, in the future when they have invented it, you would be able to replace any dodgy bits of your offspring with a new bit custom made from their cord blood. But it will cost large amounts of wonga to store it in the deep freeze in the meantime.

Cos is busy FBing, not BFing. Come on missus - stop hanging about and get on with it!

Sorry boxy a few period pains overnight but that is all. No baybee today. I still think Friday.....

Aha! Cos you are here now! I got them in Sainsbo. I shouldn't really be eating them. I am putting on weight at an alarming rate - mostly water retention, judging by the swelling in my feet, but I should maybe lay off the salty snacks a bit.

I am allergic to the NCT. I made contact with them once, and was belittled in a most unbecoming way. It was implied by the membership lady for our area that I was perhaps not as educated as the rest of her members.

I remember you saying that, shocking! It does so depend on who is running it in your area, ours are all lovely.

okie As boxer says, it's loadsa wonga - but very much the done thing in some circles.

They've got a BCT (Brussels Childbirth Trust) overe "here" run along the same lines - not sure if it's officially affiliated. Apparently absolutely full-to-the-brim with PFB arseholes who are trailing spouses - so not only do they live via their children's explorations in to the world - but their opening gambits are "What does your husband do?". Pricks - I do hope dear switty hasn't been drawn in.

Apparently, if you're anglo speaking in Belgium you'd better not dare to have a baybee without the BCT being involved - because these forrins kill baybees.

Ours too were lovely Box

Cos I was in the spa just now wondering where you were and you are here! Friday is a good day to have a baybee methinks. Ashulee last time I went on hols Curly, Cunty and Ski all laid baybees - I go again on Friday so maybe it will be Friday

Morning all!

Re Cord blood - I read an article recently that said that a lot of places had no clue how to properly extract and retain the cord blood, so that it would be useless when required in the future, I can't remember where I saw it, so it might be worth googling if you are interested, to see if there is some kind of protocol.

Silver I have signed up for antenatal classes with NCT - mainly to get to know people in the local area, and because they run classes outside of work hours - all the NHS ones are in the middle of the day, and it takes me an hour in each direction.

I am quite surprised that both of the midwives I have seen, seem to assume that I would have stopped working by the beginning of December...WTF? I'm not due until the end of January...don't they think people might have bills to pay?! Can I ask how early everyone else is intending to finish work...I hope to leave it until 2 - 3 weeks pre-due date (obviously assuming that everything okay, and no unexpected developments such as Ski had!?