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Birth clubs
Martians 2014 Thread 14: on intra-uterine discos and knocking stuff over with your bump.
999 replies
SuperMuddle · 14/11/2013 08:50
OP posts:
FoxMulder ·
15/11/2013 13:10
Not sure how long I'm taking for mat leave. I'm keen to take the full 12 months but I'm not sure if we can afford it. I will have to sit down and do the sums.
I did just that before we decided to have a baby to see if we could afford it and came to the conclusion: No we could not. But then I thought 'fuck it, let's do it anyway' .
dizhin79 ·
15/11/2013 14:18
hear hear block stand ur ground ours is getting the smaller room too.
On the pram front we're leaning towards mountain buggy or uppab, got to be allterrain where we live.
with tall parents this lo is not going to fit in a carrycot for long so not bothering with that.
finally with Mat leave, I'm aiming for 6 months definite buy have applied for 9 just in case we can afford it, u need to give 8 weeks notice to change dates I think but I'd be gutted if we could afford it and I'd not applied!
right that's my 2 penneth for most discussions, time for a cuppa 
*does anyone else think the mug looks like its sponsored by adidas not m.net?
BadlyWrittenPoem ·
15/11/2013 14:25
cookie, the simple description of elimination communication is that you try to be aware of signs that your baby needs the toilet and take them when they need it so that they retain awareness of rather than learning to ignore it and then having to retrain after being trained to use a nappy for however many years. Wikipedia gives a longer description: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication It's not for everyone but it suits us.
Magpie, yes I do think you can have "half a routine" in that you don't have to go to either the extreme of a very rigid inflexible routine or no routine whatsoever (though either is fine if that's what you want). Without wishing to sound hippyish, I would describe our routine as more of a rhythm to the day than a timetable in the same way that you probably routinely get up and go to bed and eat three meals a day etc in a similar pattern and with roughly similar timings but not exact timings and with variation according to what you are doing ona given day.
PS, Magpie was it you who was worried about birth due to a traumatic witnessing of a sibling's birth as a child? If so, did you mention it to your MW and was she helpful? (And if it wasn't you, please excuse me - I'm not great at tying things to names.)
cookie, no your house doesn't automatically end up looking like a day nursery. Currently our living room floor has seven books, a 70's fisher price xylophone and a few letter cards on it. Plus two of those rattan style boxes are in front of the expedit unit as they've been pulled out for toy access - bottom shelf is toys in those boxes, next shelf is DD2 books, next is DD1 books (in theory out of reach of DD2 but she can do impressive acrobatics to reach them!) and then the top row is mainly boxed board games and the like which either need adult supervision or to be done on a table out of reach of DD2. There's no room here for plastic toys in the hallway as it's full of all our junk. The kitchen has a basket of outdoor toys, a basket of stuff for DD2 to play with in the high chair, a shelf for home-ed stuff and the play doh is on the top of the kitchen cupboards. Aside from that there are toys in the children's bedroom, a handful of bathroom toys and a playpen in our room (which was acquired when I found out I was pregnant so that DD2 could be contained to play while I lay down to rest). I think the key to not having a house overrun with plastic toys is to be vigilant at decluttering and not keep everything you are given but I sense that you are not the kind of person to keep things just because someone gave them to you so doubt you will have a problem with that.
We have some relative who are hoarders and have a three year old and their house is seriously an explosion of electronic plastic toys. You sit in the living room on your own and toys keep going off all the time and some do not even have an off switch. I felt like I was in some kind of bizarre creepy toys nightmare.
Hot, I would probably say, "Why don't we make a list of pros/cons of each job" and then it means you're not giving a skewed one sided view but you still get to give/discuss your thoughts on it.
LOL at stuff out of skips Magpie - our Moses basket really did come out of a skip.
PiratesMam ·
15/11/2013 14:47
Mummypig I love both, esp Rory which is on my list too but not DH's 
CookieMonster1971 ·
15/11/2013 15:58
Laughing my frigging head off at Magpie's post about 'Pram Wednesdays'
CookieMonster1971 ·
15/11/2013 16:07
Comms, I love that you are back. Your bump: do you still look as though you have merely eaten a scone? Thank you for asking after my trotters. I had ultrasound on them today which lasted all of three minutes. I am delighted to report it did fuck-all and the bus fare cost me £2.80 
Prams: please can someone advise? All I want is a cheap pram with no frills but with retractable handle (DP is 6'5" with a sciatic back), easily fold-uppable and easy to get on buses (we have no car). Is there such a pram out there? I can't be arsed road testing them in shops so your recommendations would be appreciated (under £400 would be nice, fanks).
Speaking of 'prams', didn't we used to have a wonderful poster on here called Pram? She was really warm and non-judgemental and tolerant. I really miss her. I heard she was a supermodel, too, and travelled the world with UNICEF doing good deeds 
CookieMonster1971 ·
15/11/2013 16:19
I'm howling!
BWP, I find your posts really helpful, thank you. You take an awful lot of time to answer our quandaries in detail and I appreciate it. I'm glad I'm not the only one freaked out by houses stuffed with toys. It really is creepy and says a lot, I think, about the parents. It's almost as if they are terrified at their child not being stimulated twenty-four hours-a-day.
Foxy, are you sure she was a twat? I heard she had a massive twat.
Blockette ·
15/11/2013 16:21
Foxy
I wonder what happened to Pram? She kept coming back every time she got banned, but then just gave up. Ah well, we've had some lovely newbies since then to fill her place.
HotCrossPun ·
15/11/2013 17:09
Oh Panto, she sounds horrible.
You will need to be really, really assertive from the offset. She sounds like one of those people that pounce when they sense weakness. She won't take over because you won't bloody let her. Make sure your DP knows that you are the boss and to tell his mum to fuck off if she oversteps the mark.
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CookieMonster1971 ·
15/11/2013 17:31
Pantomine, I am shaking my head dismally at your family set-up. I'm so sorry you are surrounded by imperious wankers
Rockchick1984 ·
15/11/2013 17:35
Blimey, this thread is much better than the last one!! Will reply to what I can remember, as I'm on my phone!
Magpie re prams, the vista is gorgeous but the width put me off, I just couldn't cope with anything wider than 60cm as it doesn't really fit down the aisle of a bus, and is a nightmare in any shops other than supermarkets! I've gone for a Graco Evo as its suitable from birth without carry cot, lovely light chassis and can parent or forward face. Baby Jogger City Mini is available as 3 or 4 wheel, but 4 tends to be more expensive as it's not been out as long so less offers on it. Cookie have a look at the Babystyle Oyster - long handle, narrow (56cm) light and can be folded with seat on or removed depending what works better for you. Also can pick up new for £300ish or £100ish used.
Plastic tat all over the house... I swore blind when I was pregnant that I was limiting the amount of toys, and I wanted them to be educational and attractive (and preferably wooden). Sadly all DS wants is plastic tat and a million cars, trains, fire engines etc. We are lucky to have a spare room downstairs as a playroom now, so when DS is eating his supper all the toys go back in there, the door is closed, and the rest of the house looks relatively adult-friendly. Also fab if expecting visitors, means its easy to tidy up!!
Panto she sounds like a nightmare! Can you get DP onside, so at least he can tell her to stick her ideas up her arse, that way you don't have to be the only one doing it? I once told my MIL "you've had the chance to raise your children and they didn't turn out so perfect, what makes you think you can do a better job with mine than I can?" Which didn't go down well but made me feel better and actually made her back off a bit (has black sheep daughter who we don't really talk about).
My hips are feeling ok today, hoping it wasn't SPD and just general pregnancy niggles instead :)
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