FESH Spa & Creche - Queue-jumpers accepted with open arms

[AlpinePony]

How exciting for a new thread - two FESHspring due shortly!

Jebus, a la Homer Simpson? just for a little twist on the theme.

I heard that on the news this morning and thought what a wuss. My friends DH delivered their baby without all this interweb nonsense. He did offer to give TGO some pointers just incase, but he declined

speaking of which, am looking forward to festive One Born Every Minute. I think TGO might be able to stomach watching it now that Artie is here safe and sound.

Cossie haha we're exactly the same - no way could we have watched it BB, but now we laugh/shout our way through it. Also have found during birth scenes on tv/films we shout "that's not a fucking newborn, it's got teef/is walking!".

lol yes we do that too! Mind you I guess it's hard to fake that newborn squishyness! We were watching the video of Artie as a newborn the other day - was v funny.

Signing off for Christmas now FESHES, have a great one!

'lo FESHies. Miraculously BP was down this morning! 134/80! It hasn't been under 82 for 3 or 4 weeks so I'm well impressed. My current thinking is that the birth I have pretty much depends on what BP is doing when I go into labour and whether the snow melts - if the lower figure stays under 95 I will 'allowed' a home birth or a water hossie birth, if not I'll be landlocked and monitored. Would be wrong to say I'm beyond caring, but there seems so little I can do to influence the result either way* that I might as well just put my feet up, stuff my face and enjoy Christmas. Whatever will be will be and one way or another I will have our ickle baybee in my arms by the new year. Ish!

• GP and midwife both told me the higher BP figure is the one affected by stress/food/caffeine etc, the lower one just 'is' and I can't do anything about it. And of course the lower one is the important one typically.

Anyway, how is everyone else today? No news from Mas yet? Hope she is ok and is curled up in bed snuffling her little newborn's head.

We've got shitloads of cleaning and tidying to do today before the 'rents arrive tomorrow, but I have already started classifying some of the things as non-essential and striking them off the list. Fuck it - it is Christmas and I'm 40+1!

Feshes am sorry for total absence this week. It has been a bit mental what with one thing and another. However I just wanted to pop on for a quick update and wish you all a jolly good piss up and happy xmas with your nearest and dearest.

I am currently working my way through a box of quality street and watching peep show with child fast asleep... ace.

polly really good news on the BP. Will be thinking of you and hope that the little one hangs on now until just after xmas and that you have a lovely last crimbo just the 3 of you.

cossie Mr Moo has asked me WTF do I want to watch OBEM for. I'm not sure I do, but I will anyway!

Sorry for not reading beyond this page - need to catch up on everyone's news.

This week has been so full on - christmas shopping nearly killed me. I've just written the countdown schedule for xmas dinner so that Mr Moo doesn't burn the turkey and knows what he's doing from 8am! I am such a control freak... it's called remote control cookery.

Babymoo is now officially in his own room. We got to the point where he is so much happier in his crib. He loves it and now settles himself to sleep in there looking at his mobile with the lights down low. It's really quite amazing and not due to anything we have done!! , so we decided to ditch the moses basket in our room and let him stay there. Only problem is that the monitor is so loud and bright (video) that it keeps me awake all bloody night, so we're trialling just keeping the doors open and we can hear him cry just about. God is that bad??? He actually slept from 1.30 until 4.45 last night and I kept waking him thinking - is he ok?? Maybe we ARE turning that 6 week corner.

He fed on my boob for over an hour tonight so I think the growth spurt might be coming... uh oh.

Other than that I am a health disaster. In the last 3 weeks I have had stitches infection/antibiotics/thrush/baby thrush/breast thrush/cold/cough and now the cold is back again. FFS!!! I am looking forward to not feeling ill again. My mum has been ace though and has been taking the baby off me and letting me sleep in the day. Mums are fab.

Right enough me me me .

Anyway chickens have a lovely festive break and see you on the other side.

moo Completely normal. If the monitor doesn't make any noise you may find yourself in there checking he's still alive. :) Btw, I heard you weren't busy but you had social services in all week. I heard from the West London Martyr Mum's Mafia. I'm so sorry to hear you've been feeling shitty. :( Salt baths might be an option? Unless Mr. Moo is going to whisk you off to Barbados of course.

C'mon polly - lay the baybee!

Just nipped in to check on the arrival of the Messiah - thinking of you pol :)

Merry Christmas one and all xxx

MERRY XMAS!!

Merry Christmas!!!! Happy gin fests y'all!

Merry Christmas all!

No sign of the Messiah just yet and no rumblings that he/she is imminent either. Seems he/she has inherited my sense of time keeping.

Hee hee!

Silv emergency question? What did mastitis feel like? I have bruiser sort of tender areas on right boob... Help! No actual lump though...Nice Xmas pressie eh.

Oh cocking hell - am trying to do a bit of "sales" shopping and am totally unispired. Joules = shit, Boden = the nice stuff is too pricey (imo), Nordic Kids - wtf? You call that a sale? Asos = meh, Debenhams = actually OK but they won't deliver here.

moos mastitis felt like hard lumps/masses in boobs. Boobs red hot and very sore. Bit like severe engorgement. HTH.

AP Derby House have 20% off EVERYTHING sale. Fill ya boots and get the 'rents to take delivery!

the kid is sleeping soundly for some reason...

silv I daren't ask them to take delivery of anything right now as evil sister is staying there and will whine "whyyyyyy do you do that for herrrrr? She's so mean/evil/nasty/casts spells on innocent princesses/etc.". :( Anyway, don't actually need anything from DH except larger dressage saddle (to accommodate expanding posterior), leather dressage girth, close contact saddle, show jacket, made-to-measure boots, etc., etc. As you can see - none of these are necessities. I haven't even ridden for over a fortnight due to snow/shifts issues. Am being very careful with money right now as have ski hol in a few weeks and then obv. with buying the house we have one month of rent + mortgage, plus removals costs, plus settling/setting up of new facilities (leccy/water/whatevah) plus council tax due this month and the fecking dogs need their annual vacs and I've got the farrier tomorrow. Oh AND got a problem with my tax code this month which meant I got a grand less than I thought I would. We're not quite eating lentils but it's not the greatest timing. I did have to buy some new ski trousers yesterday though as I couldn't get my other pairs to do up. :( And I don't trust myself to lose half a stone between now and holiday because nearly every shop sells fucking chocolate.

Also need new ski boots & would like to treat myself to new ski jacket, and new skis still need bindings. I may become a prostitute.

On the plus side, I dragged down the suitcase from the top of Bear's wardrobe yesterday to check what he's actually got clothing wise for the 6-9 months stage and he seems to have at least 8 full outfits so he won't be naked and I'm glad I did check because there was loads of stuff I'd simply forgotten was there.

cunty My bundle of joy is currently going through a "no mummy, I will not be sleeping" phase which is including (in horse terms) rolling over in his cot and getting "cast" against the bars. So what I think is normal crying turns out to be me needing to go in and put him the right way up again. Repeat at 2 minute intervals for an hour. I gave up, brought him in to the living room and we're watching Pingu instead. He will sleep eventually right? February maybe?

alps we have exactly the same issue. He slept well till 10pm then was up every hour with a hangover flopping onto his back, mithering and banging his hands against the cot sides till he came in with me. Then he slept happily on his back and I got no sleep at all. Merry fucking Xmas.

Well I stupidly weighed myself yesterday. Sheesh I have "somehow" acquired two stone. How did that happen?? No wonder no clothes fit.

So cold out there. Hoss had frozen aqua this morning. Hoss has been scaring the bejaysus outta me. Refusing to eat but eating stuff should not be. All seems to be sorted. Luckily for nag was me that noticed the signs HI probably wouldn't have.

No sooner am I getting my life back and it all goes tits up. Now not got wheels. HI needs them. Am so fucked off. Was planning on catching up with people next week and doing coffee and shiz. Even had an invitation out for tonight. Now it's microwave meal for one and shit tv.

Hi everyone! I know I deserted the field but hope you don't mind me popping in (is there an etiquette rule for that?)

No Messiah then. Well I'm still waiting to hear :)

Lovely Christmas here. Had my 'rents and YOB's mum for the big day and together with a lovely happy bronze turkey and all the trimmings we had a feast and a half. LC had a fab time and spent most of the afternoon building his huge lego airport we'd bought him, and Comma was a little cutie who just soaked up the attention, being passed from person to person.

Sorry to hear about the sleeping problemos. After a really tough start on that front, Comma is now a fab sleeper (has been for 3 months or so) but despite me being totally against it to start with he's well entrenched in the parental bed. Works like a dream (literally) and he sleeps 12 hours just fine with several half-awake awakenings for feeds which don't disturb me. I found to start with it was really hard and I was sleeping very little as every snuffle kept me awake, but now I'm used to it. YOB loves it too so it's working for us. Completely the opposite to LC but then it just shows that every baby is different. Obv this doesn't work for everyone by any means but we all find our own path, eh.

I'm starting a breastfeeding supporter's course in the new year and plan to eventually leave work and become a lactation consultant and also try to do what I can to promote milk banking. I am also considering traing as an ante-natal teacher. I have found Comma has so radically changed how I perceived parenting to be and I realise how fixed my ideas were before. While now I am firmly convinced that what WE do works for us I recognise that this is entirely personal and I'm interested in working on supporting parents to work out what their path is and having the conviction to follow it even if it goes against society's norms. It's been a bit like this here with several "that baby should be in bed by now" type comments for example, followed by a "I hope he's not going to keep us awake tonight" from mum before bedtime. In fact it was her dogs who cried all night and kept us awake!

silver sorry to hear about hoss and car probs. Hope it gets sorted soon. Mum's youngster had a horrid one recently. He was playing with the tie-up rope outside his stable and literally pierced the clip right through his lip and got stuck there . M&D found him just standing there - didn't pull off - but needed some fairly intensive stitching from the vet :(

Merry Christmas biatches! Hope you all have had a good one with plenty of sleep and extra pairs on hands to help out. Just checking in to see if we have some new lays from Mas and Pol but doesn't look like it. Glad the BP is behaving though Pol

Have had a good one and like cunty I have worried that that I probably fed Peppa having consumed far too much wine but having had the in laws here for 48hrs I have needed it! They have gone now and my 'rents go tomorrow. PFB is still being a pickle in the night so am a bit sleep deprived but having the parents here has helps.

Box if ou mean is the babyhawk all nice and velvety on one side then yes it is. Peppa's legs don;t stick out of each side yet as she is a bit small so it is not fitting great atm as she is just hunched up with one leg out. I hope as she grows it will fit better. I went for an off the peg one which is reddy and pinky. It is nice. Going to go for a walk over Wimbledon Common tomorrow and give it a good trial run.

Moo sorry to hear you have been feeling shite. Hope the parents have realy helped out.

Oh I bought a Didymos wrap BTW having lent my jersey wrap to silver (do you want my pouch too?) and wanting a more supportive back carrier than the Mei Tai as I think he's too small for a MT back carry. Big learning curve on this one but my friend uses one and takes seconds to wrap it and can carry her 1yr+ all day. Will keep practising.

rots tis lovely to see you back in the Spa! What does the pouch do? Wrap received with hugest thanks. Just need to figure how to tie which I shall try tmw.

Ouch to leadrope clip thru lip. . Your new direction in life sounds brill and veh fulfilling. Awesome. As for all the classic comments - well let's just say I am starting to experience a few......

pol and mas where are 'dem babba's?????

So it's another 1am feed. Don't feel half as dead as went to bed at 930pm. Life on the edge Boxing Day Style. Naff all on the telly and I was feeling sleepy so I thought sod it do something sensible for once.

How long are growth spurts sposed to last for plz? I seem to have been demand feeding two hourly sometimes 90minute intervals for over two weeks now and I don't think these comedy boobazoids are evah gonna shrink.

Must must must source and write thank you cards. At this rate it will be standard shop bought.

hello feshies hope you have all had luverly chrissybobs. I wonder if Pols ickle pickle is going to make an appearance today...

hello rots - thank you for your message in tother place. Is much appreciated sorry I just didn't have a chance to reply...

we have had an eventful few days although christmas day was a bit of a non starter in the end. Nice but hard work as babymoo was a grizzler all day and also feeding non stop. My cold and exhaustion had swung back into full force and my boobs have been worrying me most of last week. Added to which we discovered the fan oven setting had conked out as we went to take the turkey out at 1.30pm!! Luckily the conventional oven settling worked and we ate that evening. I was knackered and had a bit of a meltdown at that point... My mum and dad were great though - sorting the dog and the dinner out over the last few days. I don't know how people do it on their tod. It was all I could do to get dressed that day.

My boobs have been playing up as well. Last week we thought it was thrush (tingling, needle sensations in nipples and the odd mild shooting pain behind nipple). After a few days topical treatment this seems to be a bit better but now I have localised spots in my boobs where it feels tender and a wee bit bruised. I was worried this might turn into mastitis but it doesn't seem to have changed. I wonder if it could be clogged ducts? I can't feel a blockage or a lump but if I bend over I can feel a sort of pressure inside there in a specific area. Does this sound familiar to anyone?? the thing that's worrying me is that he's not draining both boobs at each feed. In fact I think he only partially drains one at each feed - we don't often make it to the second boob. It feels soft and empty but when I squeeze, there's still a good squirt there. Should I express this, or will this cause the problem to get worse? I actually feel like I've got too much milk now and feel very full before each feed.

On the good side, moving little one to his room seems to be working well, we've got his mini stereo now delivered and he loves the white noise, baby mozart songs and very first disney tunes! Actually I think I've been having more fun singing those...

We also seem to have cracked the bottle. What a fecking relief that is. My mum has fed him each evening at 10ish followed by me with the boob. We've had success with the NUK bottles despite intense initial resistance and last night he took a good 60ml of really warm millk with no problems whatsoever, a good 15 minutes on me and then down to sleep at 10.40 and then slept until 3AM!!!! I was absolutely ecstatic. I FEEL HUMAN. I wonder if he's actually getting more from the bottle than he would from me at that time...

So that's the news from the moo household.

OFf to watch Eastenders omnibus and eat quality street.

honey how old is he now? If you're not emptying regularly you could end up with blocked ducts - sounds like this may be happening. The key is how old he is at to whether you need to do anything right now. For the first 4-8 weeks or so your supply works out what it's going to do by literally and actively growing the bits of your breast which produce the milk so at the moment while you may have oversupply I'd not want to try to reduce it as you may affect your ability to make enough long term. But you need more specific and learned advice - I recommend the NCT breastfeeding line on 0300 330 0771 to talk it through a bit more. If you're giving a bottle at night this may also start to affect supply (mention this if you call the helpline) and of course if it's formula in the bottle it will impact (but not completely negate) the protection that the BM is giving to his gut.

On the other hand, if you're finding that this is helping with sleep this is a decision you need to look at carefully as sleep deprivation is absolute torture. Comma won't take a bottle really properly (he sort of chews on the nipple) but we can still get enough EBM into him for me to go out for the evening if I want to. The first time was just when I went for a bath and I could relax knowing that he could be offered milk if necessary and it felt wonderful - as you say, made me feel human again just to have that relax.

honey I highly recommend calling the NCT line as blocked ducts can be pretty annoying and if it leads to mastitis it's really unpleasant.

silvie The pouch is a one-shoulder sling which is more "poppable" than the wrap. Once you get the knack of it you can drop the pouch over your shoulder and pop him into it - great for using to nip in and out of the car and what have you. You can also BF in it in theory although it's not always easy. I managed just fine when Comma was small but now he's a bit long to do so easily. Nursing tops which open at breast level rather than ones with a flap at the bottom work well with this kind of sling. I now have a ring sling which has a bigger learning curve than the pouch but is more flexible which I need with a bigger baby. You're welcome to try it if you like. The wrap takes some practise and I recommend carrying him tummy to tummy. It's really good when you get the hang of it.

ski hol sounds fantastic . Did you find somewhere with babycare? I guess it must be. I loved that the first time we did it (sailing holiday) as it was lovely to have the time just me and YOB, but also be able to spend time with LC, too. We've also done several hols to Africa which I didn't take him to which were fab, but I really missed not being able to see him. The resorts with babycare I think give a really good best of both worlds thing.

Hmm, you'd mentioned thinking about another? Well I really don't think I'm ready just yet (maybe another year) but at the same time we're not - you know - stopping it happening. Although the bleepy fellow hasn't made an appearance just yet and I'm not showing any ov signs, but it could happen anytime soon, especially as we will start giving some solids in mid January or so.

rots The change in career sounds exciting - I think it's less a problem of "letting people choose the parenting path they want" but more giving women the self-esteem and self-belief to believe in their own choices and methods. You see it all the time on mn - people asking for affirmation for the daftest most trivial stuff. :( Perhaps you could wear a union jack dress and ask if people want to be your lover - you know, promoting grrrrl powerrrrrrr and all. I'm really happy with the way I'm raising Bear although I can make lips twitch at 100 paces with some of my methods I'm sure.

silv Have you go the whole car thing sorted out yet? Obv. HI should walk or you should put nag in a harness and sit in the cart with the baybee clippety clopping through the lanes. :)

rots Yep, booked the holiday back in May - have an on-site nanny to look after Bear. Am not worried about leaving him at all during the day - after all, have been back at work for some time and obviously go out on my own anyway. Reason #736 I'm a bad mummy. We had two nights out on our own the other week when Jb's mum was over and we were able to do our own thing - talk about recharge our batteries and feel like normal human beings again! I can also recommend "Purple Rain" cocktails as a result. Reason #737 I'm a bad mummy.

JB reckons I'm diffed as I'm permanently cold and moaning about being cold yet giving off a furnace like heat, falling asleep all the time and forgetful. Oh and bitchy & moody. Meh.