April Babies

[MrsDoolittle]

Well there had to be one...
Thought I might as well start it at Fennels suggestion.
You have all read enough from me how about you?

Damn, damn, damn!!!!! The Guardian is running an article today (very long) pointing out how bad nurseries are for babies under two years!
Now I feel crap

Oh dear. Now you've all said you're enjoying the cuddles I am feeling guilty for being envious of a baby-free evening...

dolbear, sorry about the chest infection! Take it easy, hope it clears up soon.

MrsD, there's a thread about that article. There will always be research that backs up alternatives to paths you have chosen - don't beat yourself up about it!

Dolbear ;( do you have someone to look after the baby til you get better? did the chest infection cause or make worse the backache?

mrs d ignore it. if it's a good nursery it will be lovely for the baby and she'll be happy and loved and stimulated.
I used mainly childminder for dd1 and nursery for dd2, from 6 months, the childminder was fine but I am definitely going for the nursery this time for dd3 - dd2 totally thrived in her lovely caring baby room (6 babies, two carers, very tranquil).

ouch, just gone and read that Guardian article on nurseries. now I feel bad too ;(

but it goes against what I see in the babies and children I know who go to nursery - they are happy, pleasant, cooperative children. the worst toddlers I know are the ones who are full time at home, they are a good advert for childcare!

Thanks Ladies - feeling better now. I think I would do what I can with what I have rather than not have dd atall, which would be the alternative!

Dolbear - I hope your chest is feeling better - explains the back ache. I too hope you get a chance to rest and help with ds.

Fennel, spotted you on the bf thread. I am afraid I am one of the 'grossed out' crew, despite the fact I like bf. That thread is a bit sensitive at the moment so I will leave well alone. However, I talked to dh about this last night. He feels it's not natural to bf one child for more than a year. He says in primitive societies there is no such thing as birth control, women will have children one after another. It would probably be a year before you had another child to bf anyway. I think there is something to be said for this. It would explain why so many of us have an unexplainable aversion to bf a child over say a year, although not having a problem bf.

Anyway, sorry for go off on one everyone. I was too chicken to put that on the other thread!

Ah ha Fennel - now you've done it!!
(see bf thread)

mrs d - I have been avoiding posting on that thread but couldn't stop myself - I know it's Asking For Trouble

about the nursery, is dd going full time? do you know other people who've used the nursery? if you spend time there at the start you will quickly get a feel for how happy the children are (or aren't).

About the nursery; it's local about 2 miles away. A converted house where the manger who owns it has made every effort to make it as homely as possible. They only take 6 babies up to 18months at a time in the baby room.
I had previously visited a large nursey run by a chain which is two minutes walk from dh's work, but it seemed so clinical it made me cry (dd was only 2 weeks!)
The nursery I have chosen is in the other direction but it is highly thought of because of it's cosy atmosphere. I secured the last baby place for September at the beginning of May.
At the end of this month we have been offered a couple of free session in preparation.
It's a full-time place but in truth dd will probably only be there for 3 or 4 days a week because my work is flexible and I have a great boss who really wants me to go back to work full-time and helping to make it easier. It's just a 35 mile commute that's a pain

There now that's made me feel better

ignore the article , my best mate is a dep amager at a nursary and she says that they are all happy kids , soema re a little odd but the stories she comes back with , she has also been in a primary school and says that the ychildren who have never been to a nursary had trouble adjusting to school and fell behind
so boo to them

Cheers dolbear
How are you feeling?

oo sorry got so caught up in nursary thoughts , thanks for all your support , odd thing is though did not know had chest infection let alone plurosy no coughing etc at all ?? not sure how or why the two are connected but still ! have been feeling abso fine apart from the backache v odd man

mrs d - it sounds a nice nursery. can you use only say 3 days a week for the first month (tell work nursery insists on a gradual admission ) to ease yourself and dd in more gently?

Gee what a great idea Fennel. I think I will do!
Oops dd wake now best go.
Good day ladies!
See you later HD

ooh - our thread's gone all quiet...

We were in North Wales, which must have its own microclimate - the day we left Manchester it was horrible weather, but lovely in North Wales - fantastic all week, and when we got back it was still horrible in Manchester..!

I had a really panicky day the other day re: returning to work - turned over my calendar and saw August staring me in the face, which means only one month to go... I cried on and off for most of the day and felt awful. This is really silly, as he'll be with dp - lucky thing - but I just feel really sad for myself, missing him and the things he'll be doing. Never thought I'd feel like this - I love work and am hoping that once I'm back I'll remember how much I enjoyed it??

oops - possibly not the best way to kick start the thread again... sorry...

Dot - Manchester is just horrible and rainy. have lived here for years but this week am having one of my "we have to get out and live somewhere sunny" phases.

am feeling very inadequate compared to everyone enjoying being at home, I am crawling the walls with boredom at home in the rain this week - thank god I am going back to work! and I have put on half a stone since dd3 is born. just great....

Hi Fennel! I'm getting bored at home too - watching TV and eating too much. I'd love to lose at least half a stone but being at home means I just pick all the time!

hi Lucy! yes I think I will eat less when back at work. at least I won't spend my time looking at the messy dirty house and not wanting to clean it.

Fennel, I am not enjoying every moment of being at home but it still beats work (for me). I guess it partly depends on how you view your work (I've been where I am for far too long...).

I'm apprehensive about the school holidays, which start next Weds here. DS has been going to school in the afternoons this term but from next week I will have to entertain him all day long as well as look after dd.

heelo peeps , wish I had the chancve to get bored at home ds is the easy bit , what with my dad leaving my mum , trying to help with finding her an income andkeeping the house ( long story )my gran dying , my brother haing no jon @ 19 and needing kick up bum ( my speciality ) my sis being useless and needing new job and going into hospital twice in a week for tests
hmmmm
my dh starting privrate work from home and needing pa etc ,
housework etc and getting ready for partyu to celebrate the arrival of ds and three b-days in aug
other than that every thing is quiet and I have nothing to do ha ha !!

also need to teach selve to type bother has no job as apposed to jon !"

enough said , think will dive into big glass of wine

Hi all! Back today from a fab holiday - fantastic weather apart from one rainy day. In fact, the weather was too good - ds2 got a bit of sun burn and looked like a little baked bean the next day...! I felt really bad, but we'd covered him up and put cream on, honest!

The caravan was fab - can highly recommend it, and both ds's slept really well - although ds2 started waking up at about 4.30am rather than his usual fantastic 6am-ish...

Anyway, I missed this thread - can always feel like I can witter on and no-one minds too much!

Mrs D - I never feel hungry or thirsty when feeding either - and I get the headaches aswell! dp is fab and brings me drinks, which I promptly forget to have...

The nursery thing is really difficult - I suppose I think that you do what you have to do - most of us don't have any choice, so there's no point feeling huge amounts of guilt. Having said that, I'm dreading going back and feel like a complete traitor to ds2, and he's going to be looked after by my dp... Ds1 goes to nursery once a week and is starting 2 mornings a week at playgroup in September and is chronically shy - hates being left at nursery and sobs his heart out every week - makes us feel bloody awful, but you have to hope that mixing with other children is doing him some good.... The staff are brilliant with him - understand how shy he is and he actually gets spoiled rotten and always comes home really happy and full of beans having had a great day..!

I'd like ds2 to go to nursery at some point, for the socialising aspect - maybe when he's about a year old - will have to earn a bit more money though 'cos we couldn't afford to send him at the moment...

Fennel - if you want to meet up sometime, let me know - I'm in Heaton Chapel so you could come round or we could meet up somewhere in Manchester or Stockport - I'm slightly worried about going a bit doolally in August when all the group things we go to dry up...!

Dolbear - sounds like you've got way too much on your plate - all that and a baby - aarrgghh..!

Meanwhile ds has put on 12 oz in the past fortnight - hurrah! Last time I got him weighed he'd lost an oz and I was really upset. So, I've been eating tons of chocolate (have put on the 3lbs I'd lost though - have GOT to lose it + more in August...!), and he now has a formula feed at lunchtime which is going really well - leads to an afternoon nap - hurrah!!

He's starting to wake up much earlier now though - 4am rather than 6am - I'm sure he's getting hungry and I'm itching to wean him, but just 2 weeks to go until he's 16 weeks and I won't feel so guilty about shoveling baby rice down him!

Dot - Don't worry about your baby losing weight. All breast fed babies do that - says my mw friend. Apparently there is some discussion going on about whether there should be two different charts, one for breast fed babies and another for bottle fed babies because they grow so differently.

It is horridly humid here at the moment, grey and dull. It was so humid last night that there was no breeze to go through the house so that when I was getting dd ready for bed I decided against her sleepsuit and put her straight into her grobag. For that last month now she has settled at 8pm, no problem. Last night I put her down as usual but she wouldn't go to sleep, she griselsed and griseled. Finally at 9, I picked her up simply because I couldn't understand what was wrong, there was no way she could have been cold. I decided to put her sleepsuit back on because that was the only thing I could think of that was different to previous nights.
I couldn't believe it. I put her back in the crib, she closed her eyes and that was it!! No more grumbling!!
I still don't believe she was cold but she really needed the security of her sleepsuit on - poor little cherub.

Oh well, that's about it really. I can't believe how unlucky we have all been with the weather . Neither can I believe how fast the time is going. I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I like working but I really don't want to be away from dd and it's getting worse. I had to plan some preparation sessions with the nursey the yesterday I ought to start expressing too.